Despite their best efforts, the Gators were unable to recapture last year’s glory.
The No. 7 Florida women’s team took seventh in this year’s NCAA swimming and diving championships with 226 points, falling six points behind sixth-place Texas. No. 2 California took home the title, racking up 424 points.
Freshman Elizabeth Beisel led UF, finaling in three events over the three-day competition. She took second in the 400-yard individual medley, third in the 200 backstroke and eighth in the 500 freestyle, earning five All-America accolades.
Juniors Sarah Bateman, Teresa Crippen and Shara Stafford made the “A” finals in individual events as well, and senior diver Monica Dodson placed fifth in the 3-meter springboard competition.
“I’m so excited for Monica,” diving coach Donnie Craine said. “She’s never made the finals on any of the springboard events. She came in after winning the SEC Championships in the 3-meter and made [finaling] her goal.”
The Gators swam in the finals of two relay events, which they have struggled in all year due to health issues and lineup changes.
Bateman, Beisel, Stafford and freshman Hilda Luthersdottir, who set a school record in the 100 breaststroke, took sixth place in the 400 medley relay. A fifth-place finish in the 800 free relay by the team of Beisel, Crippen, Stafford and sophomore Jamie Bohunicky propelling the Gators to seventh place at the end of the second day.
Bohunicky said she hopes this weekend’s disappointment will help the team continue to improve and eventually retake the title next season.
“Obviously this isn’t where we wanted to finish, but I’m still proud of the Gator spirit we showed in continuing to fight and persevere,” she said. “I couldn’t be more proud of this team, and I know that this experience will help us next year.”
The swimmers’ performances earned 38 All-America honors overall. Florida head coach Gregg Troy said he blames the coaches, not the swimmers, for UF falling short.
“I’m extremely proud of how the team competed,” Troy said. “We fought hard all weekend long. As a staff, we probably didn’t do as good of a job as getting them prepared as we would have liked, but it was tremendous effort on their part.”
He said the health issues the team has faced this year, including Stafford’s absence during the end of the season, held them back, but the team kept a positive attitude during the championships.
“They showed a lot of character and mental toughness in the adversity they overcame not only this week, but the entire season,” he said.
