GAINESVILLE, Fla. – In an impressive showing of talent and depth, 20 different Florida swimmers and divers combined to capture 27 of the 28 individual events, as the Gators swept Florida Atlantic at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center Natatorium Saturday afternoon. The No. 6 Florida women (4-3, 0-1 SEC) swam past FAU, 178-111, while the No. 5 Gator men (4-2, 2-0 SEC) triumphed over the Owls, 175-114.
The Orange and Blue also swept both relay events (200-yard freestyle and medley), helping extend UF’s unbeaten dual-meet streak against FAU on both sides. Despite eight swimmers and one diver competing this weekend at the SMU Swim Classic in Dallas, Texas, the Gator men bettered their mark to 14-0 all-time against the Owls. The UF women improved to 15-0 all-time against FAU.
“We were a little bit erratic, but I was really proud of how tough the women competed in light of the sickness that’s been going around the team lately,” associate head coach Martyn Wilby said. “For the men, we had some young swimmers like Brad deBorde swim well today, which is good to see with several big weekends on the horizon.”
Sarah Bateman (Orlando, Fla.) and Shara Stafford (Topeka, Kan.) guided the women, combining to win five events (three individual, two relays) on the day. Both juniors swam on the back-end of the women’s 200 medley relay team, which saw the Gators clock in first at 1:43.26 in the opening race of the day. Just behind her personal best and Florida season high of 1:03.18, Bateman finished the 100-yard breaststroke with a first-place time of 1:03.24. Six events later, the Orlando native touched the wall first with a time of 50.31 in the 100-yard freestyle. Stafford finished second to Bateman in the 100 free (50.33), but not before swimming Florida’s only NCAA “B” cut of the meet with a winning time of 1:48.76 in the 200 free. Together, the women were also on the front-end of the 200 free relay team that placed first (1:32.80).
On the men’s side, freshman Brad deBorde (Longwood, Fla.) and sophomores Cameron Martin (Clearwater, Fla.) and Jason Taylor (Plant City, Fla.) were the only Gator males to win multiple individual events. Martin doubled his individual win total on the season, winning the 100 and 200-yard backstroke with times of 51.53 and 1:51.97, respectively. The sophomore also teamed up with three other Gators to win the men’s 200 medley relay with a time of 1:33.45. Taylor swam a season-best 1:40.56 in his 200 free victory, while placing first in the 500 free (4:31.14). deBorde captured the 50 free (personal-best 20.57) and 100-yard fly (49.85), while closing the meet as part of the winning men’s 200 free relay team (1:27.80).
On the diving side, freshman Michael Lewark (Davie, Fla.) had a career day, diving to career highs in both the men’s one and three-meter competitions. Lewark captured the one meter with a score of 337.66, while winning the three-meter event for the first time in his career with a 357.83 mark. Lewark has now won three diving events on the season.
Junior Kaylee Doback (Brandon, Fla.) completed the diving sweep for UF with victories on the women’s one and three-meter boards. Doback won her first one-meter competition of the season with a 279.52 mark, while winning the three-meter boards with a career-high score of 335.63. Doback has now won three diving events during the 2010-11 campaign.
“I was certainly pleased with how well Michael and Kaylee both dove, especially on the three-meter boards,” head diving coach Donnie Craine said.
Other Gator women picking up wins included: sophomore Jamie Bohunicky (Gainesville, Fla.) in the 1,000 free (9:59.60), freshman Elizabeth Beisel (North Kingstown, R.I.) in the 100 back (56.40), freshman Alana Pazevic (Mill Creek, Wash.) in the 50 free (23.88), junior Teresa Crippen (Conshohocken, Pa.) in the 200 back (1:59.77), freshman Hilda Luthersdottir (Hafnarfjordur, Iceland) in the 200 breast (personal-best 2:17.80), sophomore Sharla Milne (Lithia, Fla.) in the 500 free (4:53.77), freshman Ellese Zalewski (Melbourne, Australia) in the 100 fly (56.63) and junior Anna-Liisa Pold (San Diego, Calif.) in the 200 fly (2:03.71) and 400-yard individual medley (season-best 4:22.21).
For the men, other individual event winners included: senior Logan Storie (Corvallis, Ore.) in the 1,000 free (9:24.50), senior Manuel Rabelo (Villa Clara, Cuba) in the 100 breast (season-best 57.57), sophomore Scott Sommer (Ocala, Fla.) in the 100 free (45.56), freshman Marcin Cieslak (Warsaw, Poland) in the 200 breast (2:06.97) and junior Brian Howell (Cincinnati, Ohio) in the 400 IM (season-best 3:57.70).
