Florida swim proved dominant again over Southeastern Conference rival Georgia. Both Gators’ men and women secured the victory over the Bulldogs in their first conference meet.
The victory put the Gators women atop the Florida-Georgia rivalry, with UF leading the all-time series 20-19. On the men’s side, the No. 4 Gators (2-1, 1-0 SEC) topped the No. 8 Bulldogs (4-2, 2-1 SEC) 191-154, marking its 65th victory against Georgia in program history.
The No. 6 Florida women (2-1, 1-0 SEC) won 12 events over Thursday and Friday, tallying a 194-145 victory against the No. 12 Bulldogs. Sophomore Anita Bottazzo and junior Catie Choate each led the group with three finishes in first, while also securing the top spot in the women’s 200-yard medley relay on UF’s A-team.
The Gators women were off to a hot start Thursday, sweeping all five events. Sophomore Beatriz Bezerra, freshman Sylvia Statkevicius, Bottazzo and Choate grabbed each 50-yard event. Sophomore Julie Brousseau placed first in the 1,000-yard freestyle.
Florida diving also maintained a lead Thursday as freshman Maria Garcia swept the women’s diving events. Garcia was named SEC Women’s Diver of the Week on Sept. 30 and continues to excel on the main stage. She topped her previous career high in the three-meter dive after totaling a score of 361.95.
Heading into the back half of the meet, Gators’ women were ahead 99-25, and the men were up 93-36.
Junior Conor Gesing placed first in the men’s one-meter dive, and freshman Jesus Agundez did the same in the three-meter. To wrap up the diving events, senior Casey Greenberg placed first in the women’s platform exhibition. Senior Elisha Dees, the only competitor on the men’s side, totaled a score of 352.8 among his six dives.
Florida men’s and women’s diving each totaled 57 points following the events.
Fresh off setting the 100-meter butterfly world record at the 2025 World Aquatics Swimming World Cup, senior Josh Liendo extended his streak of excellence. After representing Team Canada on Oct. 23, he placed first in three separate individual events: 50-yard butterfly, 100-yard butterfly and 50-yard freestyle.
Junior Jonny Marshall also continues to impress. The swimmer took a second and two third-place finishes on the Sept. 26 meet at Indiana, as well as two first-place finishes and a third on Oct. 10 when facing Virginia.
Marshall earned first in the 50- and 100-yard backstroke races when squaring off against the Bulldogs. The Akron, Ohio, native also took the top spot in the men’s 200-yard medley relay on the UF A Team with sophomore Alexander Painter, Liendo and senior Aleksas Savickas.
The Gators will be back in action Nov. 19, competing in the three-day Georgia Invitational at the Gabrielsen Natatorium in Athens, Georgia.
Contact Riley Orovitz at rorovitz@alligator.org. Follow her on X @rileyorovitz
Riley is a sophomore sports journalism student and is the swim & dive beat reporter for Fall 2025 in her first semester with The Alligator. In her free time, she may be watching past Miami Dolphins or Florida Panthers highlights or hanging out with her friends.
