The Gators’ swimming and diving team wrapped up its 2019 action on Thursday at the Auburn Diving Invitational.
UF competed in the four-day event hosted at the James E. Martin Aquatic Center.
The competition was strictly an SEC affair. UF’s women faced off against Auburn, Missouri, LSU, Tennessee and South Carolina.
The men hit the boards against the same slate as well as against Alabama.
Once the ripples in the pool settled, the women had taken first-place with 145 points, while the men finished fourth with 45 points.
UF earned an unofficial first-place win at the Invitational with an event-best 190 points between the two squads.
Strong finish to 2019
While there were no swimming events at the Invitational, that didn’t stop the Gators from creating distance between them and the competition.
UF’s women’s team beat the second-place Auburn Tigers by 49 points with the Tigers collecting 96 points throughout the four days.
The Gators’ end-of-the-year win was a team effort highlighted by dominant performances from junior Ashley McCool and senior Brooke Madden.
McCool earned the most points for UF with a first-place finish in the 3-meter dive with a career-best 358.85 score. She also placed second in the 1-meter with a score of 302.50 and a fourth-place finish in the platform dive.
Madden placed second in the 3-meter behind McCool with a career-best 353.75 tally in the event. She also finished third behind McCool in the 1-meter with a 294.80 score.
Two-man wrecking crew
Alex Farrow and Nicholas Carlin picked up crucial points for the men’s team to help the UF diving team earn the most points at the event overall.
The diving duo earned all 45 points for the men’s side.
Farrow utilized his senior experience to a fifth-place finish in the 1-meter event with a 302.40 score. He also placed fifth in the 3-meter, earning a score of 369.60.
Carlin qualified for the finals in all of his events. The freshman placed 13th in the 1-meter and seventh in the 3-meter with scores of 245.05 and 336.85, respectively.
In the platform dives, Farrow placed 10th, and Carlin was not too far behind at 15th.
Follow Dylan O'Shea on Twitter @dylanoshea24. Contact him at doshea@alligator.org
