GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Behind several personal bests and a sweep of the diving events, the University of Florida men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams concluded a successful first day Friday at the 2010 Big Al Open at DeNunzio Pool in Princeton, N.J. Traveling just 30 student-athletes (less than half of their total roster), including 13 freshmen, the men finished day one in second place with 258 points, while the women own a third-place standing with 206 points.
“We don’t have the number of swimmers that the other teams have, and that is reflected in the team score, but we raced really well,” associate head coach Martyn Wilby said.
Sophomore Sharla Milne (Lithia, Fla.) led off the night one individual races by picking up her first win of the season in the finals of the women’s 500-yard freestyle, clocking a personal-best 4:47.53. The mark was her first NCAA “B” cut of the season in the event (second overall), and is the second-fastest time by a Gator this year in the race. Teammate Alicia Mathieu (Marlborough, Conn.) took second in the race, with the freshman finishing in a personal-best NCAA qualifying time (second of the year in the event) of 4:47.66. Junior Julia Nagy (Viera, Fla.) placed third in the event with a 4:53.43 finish, but swam her first NCAA “B” cut of the season with a personal-best 4:52.41 earlier in the morning prelims.
“Sharla, Alicia and Julia opened the night with great races in the 500 free that really set the tone for the rest of the evening,” Wilby said.
Other UF swimmers having successful nights included the freshmen trio of Trish Regan (Carmel, Ind.), Ellese Zalewski (Melbourne, Australia) and Brad deBorde (Longwood, Fla.). Regan took second in the finals of the women’s 200-yard individual medley with a personal-best 2:01.98, just five one-hundredths of a second off her first career NCAA qualifying time. Taking third in the women’s 50 free was Zalewski, who swam a personal-best 23.07, also five one-hundredths of a second off her first career NCAA qualifying time. The time marked the second-fastest by a female Gator in the event this year. Finishing second in the men’s 50 free was deBorde, who clocked in at a personal-best 20.69, the third-quickest time by a male Gator this season.
“Ellese had some great swims today, while Brad continues to improve because he’s incredibly easy to coach,” Wilby continued.
On top of their second place finishes in the 50 free, Zalewski and deBorde both helped the Orange and Blue take second in relay competition. Zalewski joined Regan, junior Maida Turnadzic (Cape Coral, Fla.) and Nagy, swimming leadoff in the women’s 400-yard medley relay and guiding the Gators to a 3:49.30 finish. Swimming leadoff for the men’s 200-yard freestyle relay team was deBorde, who along with fellow freshman Stephen Lichtner (Miami, Fla.), senior captain Michael Yuan (Winter Springs, Fla.) and fellow freshman Jon Nunez (Ft. Myers, Fla.), clocked in with a time of 1:23.60.
On the diving side, junior Anthony Lewark (Davie, Fla.) captured the men’s one-meter competition with a score of 356.85, while senior Monica Dodson (Franklin, Ind.) took first in the women’s three-meter competition with a score of 343.60. Junior Kaylee Doback (Brandon, Fla.) took second in the women’s competition with a career-high 316.65, while freshman Danielle Risley (Jacksonville, Fla.) scored a career-best 293.40 on the three-meter boards to win the prelims of the event. Junior Colin Bell (Coral Springs, Fla) dove to a season-high 302.95 on the one-meter boards.
“The divers did great,” diving coach Donnie Craine said. “Monica and Anthony did absolutely fantastic in the finals tonight. Danielle’s performance in the prelims and Kaylee’s dives in the finals were also good to see. Tonight gave our squad a lot of confidence heading into the spring, and I’m confident that we will only get better as the season goes on.”
Day two of the annual Big Al Open starts with prelims tomorrow at 11 a.m. ET, with finals at 6 p.m. ET. Gator fans can click here for complete results from day one, and can follow live results the rest of the weekend by clicking here. For the latest in Florida swimming and diving, fans are also encouraged to follow the program on Twitter and Facebook.
Big Al Open Team Standings After Day One
| MEN | ||
| Rank | Team | Score |
| 1. | Princeton | 383 |
| 2. | FLORIDA | 258 |
| 3. | Columbia | 185 |
| 4. | Brown | 170 |
| 5. | Rider | 74 |
| 6. | U.S. Military Academy | 20 |
| 7. | Drexel | 13 |
| 8. | Unattached | 7 |
| WOMEN | ||
| Rank | Team | Score |
| 1. | Princeton | 278 |
| 2. | Washington State | 261 |
| 3. | FLORIDA | 206 |
| 4. | Brown | 124 |
| 5. | Rider | 86 |
