PALO ALTO, Calif. – Competing against national powers Stanford and Michigan, the Florida women’s swimming and diving team split a two-day, double-dual meet Friday and Saturday at the Avery Aquatics Center on the Stanford University campus.
The Gators (2-2) earned a 286-124 victory over the Wolverines but were edged by the Cardinal, 227-175.
Florida had several personal bests and NCAA provisional times on the final day of the meet. Florida used Saturday’s times to extend its lead against Michigan.
The Gators started Saturday with a second-place finish in the 200-yard medley relay. The Orange and Blue quartet of underclassmen Elizabeth Beisel, Sarra Lajnef and upperclassmen Sarah Bateman and Shara Stafford clocked a 1:43.82 finish. The time was just .02 behind Stanford’s winning mark of 1:43.80.
Beisel continued her winning weekend, winning two more events on Saturday. The freshman swam the fastest time in the country by almost two seconds in the 400-yard individual medley, finishing with a NCAA provisional time of 4:08.53.
Four events later, the 2008 Olympian captured the 500-yard freestyle by more than five seconds with a SEC-leading time of 4:46.34. The mark is currently the third-fastest time in the country, along with qualifying for a NCAA “B” cut time.
Bateman also collected a first-place finish, winning the 100-yard breaststroke with a personal-best time of 1:03.83. The junior swam strong in the 100-yard butterfly as well, taking second with a time of 55.52.
Stafford won her first event of the weekend with a season-best 1:49.51 in the 200 free, while fellow junior Kirsten Smith finished third in the event with a season-best 1:52.09. Stafford also had success in the 100-yard backstroke, taking fourth. Junior Lily Ramirez additionally swam well in the 100 back, taking third with a time of 55.75 and narrowly missing a NCAA “B” cut time.
In diving competition, senior Monica Dodson took first in the three-meter event for the third time this season with a score of 318.20, while freshman Danielle Risley recorded the first top-two finish of her career with a personal-best 305.25.
Both Florida aquatic programs will complete in the Georgia Tech Invitational Nov. 19-21 in Atlanta.