COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Gemma Spofforth became only the second Florida Gator to win back-to-back national titles in the 100-yard backstroke Friday at the NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships at Texas A&M University’s Student Rec Center Natatorium.
After winning the 100-yard backstroke title last year, the West Sussex, England, student was time in 50.55 seconds to give Florida its 99th national title and claim the fourth individual national title of her career.
Spofforth, also the 200 back NCAA record-holder and reigning champion, joins former Florida swimmer Kristen Linehan as the only two Gators to earn back-to-back titles in the 100 backstroke event. Linehan won in both 1989 and 1990, and the two Gators own UF’s only four national titles in the race.
Under Spofforth’s leadership, the Gators improved from 11th place to eighth place (136 points) following the second day of NCAA competition. In addition to Spofforth’s national title, a broken UF record in the 400 IM by freshman Teresa Crippen rallied the No. 5 Gators on day two. The meet concludes Saturday evening.
“After a slow start yesterday, we had some very good races today and got better each time,” coach Gregg Troy said. “Gemma swam an outstanding race and we had some really great races from some of our freshmen who stepped up, notably Jemma Lowe and Teresa Crippen. Stephanie Proud also had a good IM race.”
Crippen, who hails from Conshhocken, Pa., and junior Stephanie Proud of England represented Florida in the 400 IM final. After both Crippen and Proud swam career-best times in the distance medley race in preliminaries, the duo turned around to place sixth and seventh in the finale. While neither swam a career-best time in finals, their two preliminary marks stand as the first and second-fastest times in UF history in the event.
Freshman Jemma Lowe of England swam the championship final of the 100-yard butterfly after qualifying in prelims with a 51.76. The 2009 SEC Champion and UF record-holder in the event clocked a 52.49 finals swim to place seventh overall in the eight-woman championship heat.
Prior to UF’s individual swims, the Gator 200-yard medley relay kicked off the finals session with an eighth-place finish, improving upon their prelims mark to swim the third-fastest time in UF history in the relay. Spofforth swam a 24.16 opening backstroke leg, while freshman Lindsay Rogers swam breast, Lowe the fly leg and junior Stephanie Napier the anchor freestyle leg.
Florida closed out the day with a 10th-place finish in the 800-yard freestyle relay. Composed of Crippen, junior Liz Kemp, freshman Melani Costa-Schmid and Proud, Florida finished in 7:06.78, the sixth-fastest time in history.
Top 10: 1. California 302; 2. Georgia 295.5; 3. Arizona 282.5; 4. Stanford 213.5; 5. Auburn 195; 6. Texas 169; 7. Texas A&M 144; 8. Florida 136; 9. Southern California 116; 10. Indiana 114.