The University of Florida swimming and diving teams began their season this weekend in the All Florida Invitational at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center Natatorium.
FRIDAY
Florida led from start to finish on Friday, winning the first seven events of the evening session. Florida State finished the day in second place for both the men’s and women’s competition.
The Florida women, the reigning NCAA women’s champions, won the 200-yard freestyle relay in 1:32.94 with junior Sarah Bateman, junior Shara Stafford, freshman Kaitlin Frehling and sophomore Jamie Bohunicky.
The Florida men followed with a victory in the 200-yard freestyle relay, winning with a time of 1:21.89. The team consisted of junior James Turner, senior Matthew Norton, senior Conor Dwyer and senior Logan Storie.
Freshman Elizabeth Beisel won the 500-yard freestyle in 4:46.66. That time was faster than all but three Florida times a year ago and it also is a qualified B standard time for the 2011 NCAA Championships. Beisel also won the 200-yard individual medley in a time of 1:59.70 that bettered all but one Florida time from last season and also is a qualified B standard time for the 2011 NCAA Championships.
The men went 1-2-3 in the men’s 500 free. Sophomore Jason Taylor (4:28.67) led senior Joey Pedraza (4:31.00) and senior Balazs Gercsak (4:32.19) to the final touch.
Dwyer and Bateman would jump back in the pool and notch their second wins of the evening, with Dwyer swimming 1:50.43 in the finals of the men’s 200 IM, and Bateman swimming 22.89 in the finals of the 50 free. The men’s 50 free was the only event of the night the Gators did not win, with Mark Weber of Florida State ousting Storie by 31/100ths of a second. Dwyer finished third in the event, ending his night with top-three finishes in every event swam.
The Gators capped the first day off by picking up victories in the finals of the women’s and men’s 400-yard medley relay. The tandem of Beisel, junior Daniela Victoria, Crippen and Stafford won the women’s event in 3:44.52. The men’s team of Connor Signorin, junior Robert Kennedy, sophomore Cameron Martin and Storie finished first in 3:23.99.
Earlier in the afternoon, senior diver Monica Dodson won the three-meter diving competition with a score of 326.10. Sam Dorman of Miami won the men’s one-meter diving competition with a score of 357.55. Florida State’s Landon Marzullo finished second, while Florida juniors Anthony Lewark (344.25) and Jonathan Speed rounded out the top four.
ALL FLORIDA INVITATIONAL
Friday’s results / Stephen C. O’Connell Center Natatorium / Gainesville, Fla.
FIRST DAY
WOMEN
Team scores: 1. Florida 319; 2. Florida State 279.5; 3. Miami 239.5; 4. Florida Gulf Coast University 145; 5. Florida Atlantic 128; 6. Florida Southern 63; 7. Nova Southeastern 42.
MEN
Team scores: 1. Florida 348; 2. Florida State 302; 3. Florida Atlantic 223; 4. Nova Southeastern 132; 5. Florida Southern 113; 6. Miami 20.
SATURDAY
Senior captain Conor Dwyer continued his success this weekend, winning two individual events, while being part of two relay first-place finishes. The reigning 2010 NCAA Male Swimmer of the Year captured the men’s 100-yard butterfly in 49.42, while winning the men’s 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 56.47.
Additionally, Dwyer finished first in the men’s 200-yard medley relay (1:31.99) alongside fellow senior captain Michael Yuan, sophomore Rodion Davelaar and senior Matthew Norton.
In the last event of day two, Dwyer joined fellow seniors Norton, Balazs Gercsak and Logan Storie in winning the men’s 800-yard freestyle relay with a time of 6:43.83.
In the women’s 800 free relay, the Gators finished first and second despite splitting up their A and B squads and competing without All-American junior Shara Stafford. The quartet of junior Kirsten Smith, freshman Trish Regan, sophomore Jamie Bohunicky and junior Teresa Crippen took first in lane three with a time of 7:24.82. Finishing second in lane one with a time of 7:27.25 was junior Sarah Bateman, freshman Kaitlin Frehling, sophomore Corinne Showalter and freshman Elizabeth Beisel. Florida State finished third (7:28.76) and fourth (7:38.09) in the event.
Beisel collected individual wins in the women’s 100-yard backstroke (54.11) and 200-yard freestyle (1:48.32). The freshman’s time in both races marked qualifying B-standard times for the 2011 NCAA Championships. Stafford (55.58) and junior Lily Ramirez (55.67) finished second and third, respectively. Two more Gators joined Beisel again in the top three, with Bohunicky placing second (1:49.91) and Crippen placing third.
On top of Crippen’s 800 free-relay victory, the All-American placed first in the women’s 400-yard individual medley with a time of 4:19.60. Her finish was a qualifying B-standard time for the 2011 NCAA Championships. On the men’s side of the 400 IM, freshman Connor Signorin won his first career individual event with a time of 3:57.52.
Other Gator victories included Bateman in the 100 fly (55.07), Storie in the 200 free (1:39.27) and junior diver Anthony Lewark in the three-meter diving competition (372.80).
SECOND DAY
WOMEN
Team scores: 1. Florida 699; 2. Florida State 625.50; 3. Miami 551.50; 4. Florida Gulf Coast University 371; 5. Florida Atlantic 278; 6. Florida Southern 123; 7. Nova Southeastern 92.
MEN
Team scores: 1. Florida 788; 2. Florida State 614; 3. Florida Atlantic 509; 4. Nova Southeastern 316; 5. Florida Southern 287, 6. Miami 36.