The Gators took two national titles at the 2011 NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships but still came in fifth place with 291 points.
Senior Brett Fraser finished first (1:32.21) in the 200-yard freestyle Friday, joining his brother Shaune as an NCAA champion.
Fraser also brought home a title in the 800 free relay with sophomore Sebastien Rousseau, junior Jeffrey Raymond and senior Conor Dwyer. The group finished with a time of 6:14.88.
“My brother always teases me about how he won the 200 free, but now, he can’t say anything,” Fraser said. “I’m much more proud of the 800 free relay title because it was a team relay, and that’s what it’s all about.”
“I am so happy for two guys like Sebastien and Jeff,” UF coach Gregg Troy added. “They were essential in our relay success, and the effort they gave [Friday] in the back end of the relay was exactly the type of premier performances we strive for at Florida.”
The Gators took home 17 other All-America honors, including four in the 200 butterfly.
Freshman Marcin Cieslak captured fourth place with a personal-best 1:42.13, ending his first NCAA meet with five All-America honors. Cieslak said it is an honor to place in the finals as a freshman.
“It is very humbling to be an All-American my first year in the United States,” said Cieslak, a native of Warsaw, Poland.
Rousseau, a sophomore from Cape Town, South Africa, took seventh place (1:43.15) in the event.
Troy said before the meet the Gators were among the top three competitors, but he was still pleased with his athletes’ performances despite the fifth-place finish.
“I’m really proud of how everyone raced all weekend,” he said. “We raced tough all season long and went through some adversity this week, but we still hung in there tight.
“We still feel like we could have been a little bit better, but overall, it was a really great season. I can’t say enough about how well the guys did.”
No. 5 Florida finished just nine points behind fourth-place Arizona. No. 1 California won the title with 493 points.
