The Gators’ celebration over their dual-meet victory at home against Georgia Tech was cut short by an injury scare from a UF swimmer that had to be pulled from the water during a race and checked on by paramedics.
Shara Stafford, a junior All-American, was in the lead during the butterfly leg of the women’s 400 meter individual medley when she suddenly stopped at the pool’s edge, ripped off her cap and goggles, appeared distressed and tried to leave the water. When she couldn’t get out of the pool under her own strength, a UF assistant coach helped lift the swimmer out of the pool, laid her on her back, and a UAA employee called 911.
About 15 minutes after Alachua County Fire and Rescue paramedics began to attend to Stafford, she was able to sit up, and soon after, walk on her own.
Following the meet there was no word on what could’ve caused her condition in the pool though UF coach Gregg Troy released a statement saying Stafford would be fine.
“We’re just happy she’s going to be OK,” Troy said.
Before the 400 IM, Stafford, who is known for her sprinting prowess, won the 50 yard freestyle in 23.18 seconds. Her performance, which was a season best for her, helped the women grab first in 10-straight events and was one of three races in which the No. 6 Gators swept all three podium spots.
Florida also received a significant contribution from freshman Elizabeth Beisel who slapped the pool’s edge first in both of the individual races she competed in: the 100 yard freestyle and the 200 yard backstroke.
Despite not having been in the pool competitively in over a month Florida racked up 169 points off of its swimming and one diving victory in the three meter. The Yellow Jackets finished with 106 points and five first place finishes.
“We had a great swim meet against Georgia Tech tonight coming off of the holiday break it was nice to see us swim so fast despite the long layoff,” Troy said.
The No. 5 men’s swimmers were equally dominant early on in the meet after splitting the first two dives with Georgia Tech. When they had their chance in the water, the Gators started the meet with six-straight wins and six events in which they swept the podium.
Florida was led by strong performances by seniors Conor Dwyer and Brett Fraser who each won an individual event and contributed to the Gators’ 200 yard medley relay win in 1:29.86.
Two of the events that Florida lost against the Yellow Jackets were races that Dwyer and Fraser had posted season best scores in earlier in the season. Georgia Tech’s event-winning time in the 400 IM was 22.85 seconds slower than Dwyer’s NCAA season-best time in the event.
Despite dropping the last four races of the meet, the Gators’ fast start allowed them to amass a 36-point lead on the Yellow Jackets who finished with 128.5 points.
“As we head into the meet against FAU on Saturday this is exactly where I thought we would be at this point in the season,” Troy said.
