The
No. 13 Gator men’s swimming and diving team and No. 9 women’s squad sent their
senior swimmers off in style, as they each nabbed victories over No. 7/7 Auburn
in front of a full house Saturday afternoon at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center
Natatorium.
“There
were real quality performances by all of our swimmers today,” said head coach Gregg
Troy. “I am really proud of how every one of our swimmers raced the whole
way throughout the meet today. With it being set up in a long course format, it
was a little bit different, a little bit more tough, but it gave swimmers with
National aspirations to see where they stand.”
It
was a thrilling finish as the men’s 153-147 victory all came down to the final
race: the 400 freestyle relay. With the help of Brad deBorde (Longwood,
Fla.), Dan Wallace (North Berwick, Scotland), Matt Norton (Port
Orange, Fla.) and Matt Curby (Oviedo, Fla.) the Gators were able to
clinch the W and knock off the No. 7 Tigers. A comfortable 162-136 advantage
allowed the Gator women to dish the Tigers just their second loss of the season.
The
Gator men remain undefeated on the year with a 5-0-1 record and 2-0-1 tally in
the SEC, with the women improving to a 7-1 dual meet record (3-1 SEC), with
their lone loss of the year to No. 1 Georgia.
“Anytime
you have the opportunity to swim against a program like Auburn, its great. They
have quality athletes that are extremely well coached, and no matter when we
face them, it’s always a great opportunity to race against them,” explained
Troy.
The
Gators combined to win 17 events, and sweep four races as sophomores Elizabeth
Beisel (North Kingstown, R.I.) and Marcin Cieslak (Warsaw, Poland)
led Florida with three wins apiece.
