Florida Women Swim & Dive Finishes 10th At NCAA Championships
The Gators emerged Saturday as the No. 10 team in the country following four days of competition at the Women’s NCAA Swim and Dive Championships in Atlanta. Of course, the team title is the goal every year, but Florida’s individual athletes exemplified the program’s history of consistent and competitive performers.
Sophomore sensation Anita Bottazzo claimed the first piece of hardware for Florida in these national championships. The SEC champion in the 100-yard breaststroke notched a time of 57.00 in the finals, tying Tennessee’s McKenzie Siroky for second. Eneli Jefimova of NC State edged them both and swam a 56.30 to win the national title.
In her NCAA Championships debut, freshman Grace Rabb swam alongside Bottazzo in the 200-yard breaststroke where the duo placed sixth and seventh, respectively.
In the 500 freestyle, Julie Brousseau, a sophomore distance specialist, recorded a 4:34.63 to seal a fifth-place finish.
Bottazzo, Rabb, and Brousseau, along with junior Catie Choate (200-yard backstroke), earned First-Team All-American honors for their podium finishes in the previously listed individual events.
Redshirt sophomore Michaela Mattes (1,650 freestyle) as well as all three of Florida’s qualified relay teams, were named Second-Team All-Americans: 200 and 400-yard medley relays (Choate, Bottazzo, Beatriz Bezerra, and Lainy Kruger) and 800-yard freestyle relay (Brousseau, Kruger, JoJo Ramey, and Sylvia Statkevicius).
“They had a big opportunity and matched it with an unbelievable performance,” UF coach Anthony Nesty said. “With only 14 qualifiers and only 3/5 relays qualified, they pulled off a top-10 finish at the NCAA Championships.”
As for diving, junior Camyla Monroy, Florida’s only qualifier for all three events, carried her strong momentum over from SECs to the national stage. She placed in the top 10 in both the one-meter (fourth) and platform (eighth) and was named an All-American in both events.
Freshman Alexa Fung (one-meter) and senior Casey Greenberg (platform) placed 23rd and 20th, respectively, in the overall standings for their events.
“All three were right in the mix in their events, and Camyla coming home with two first team All-American honors makes me very proud,” Dive coach Bryan Gillooly said. “I’m glad we were able to add points for the Gators and represent the university well.”
It is the closing chapter for Florida’s four seniors: Greenberg, Anna Moore, Zoe Dixson and Camile DeBoer.
The NCAA Men’s Swim and Dive Championships start Wednesday at the McCauley Aquatic Center in Atlanta, where the No. 4 Gators compete for their third national title.
Category: Gator Sports, Gators Swimming and Diving, NCAA, University of Florida
