The final dual meet ahead of Southeastern Conference Championships wrapped up in commanding fashion. The No. 4 Gators men (6-1, 3-0 SEC), led by senior Josh Liendo and freshman Ahmed Jaouadi, collected its 63rd all-time victory against Florida State.
Florida opened the floodgates early with nine recorded NCAA qualifying times and 10 different swimmers earning at least one first-place finish.
The Gators men topped the Seminoles 202-93, cementing their final victory of the 2025-26 regular season. The group kicked the action off with an impressive 1:23.38 time in the 200-yard medley. Florida’s A-team, composed of juniors Jonny Marshall, Scotty Buff and seniors Koen de Groot and Liendo, collected the opening 11 points. Florida’s B-team came in second 0:02.68 behind.
The No. 13 Seminoles last squared off against the Gators at the Georgia Invitational Nov. 21. Florida finished first among the competing schools while FSU came in third. The Seminoles came into Friday nearly three weeks removed from meet action. The program’s men’s and women’s teams each fell to then-No. 7/18 Georgia Jan. 10.
Jaouadi, the Gators’ top performer Friday, accounted for 27 of Florida’s individual points. The first-year captured gold in the men’s 1650-yard freestyle, 200-yard freestyle and 500-yard freestyle.
The Tunis, Tunisia, native came into the dual meet as the SEC men’s co-freshman of the week. Jaouadi and Liendo combined for 45 of Florida’s individual tallies.
Liendo swept his four events: men’s 200-yard medley, 100-yard butterfly, 200-yard freestyle and 200-yard butterfly.
The two-time Olympian and SEC swimmer of the week’s time in the latter event was more than two seconds faster than the rest of the competition.
The Gators notched the top three spots in both the 50-yard freestyle and 200-yard backstroke.
Among them were Alex Painter, Buff and Devin Dilger in the former. Coming in second and third place, Buff and Dilger, were separated by just 0:00.01.
Sophomore Aiden Norman headlined the 200-yard backstroke swimmers, notching first place and the fastest split among the racers at 24.16 on the first lap.
No. 10 Florida women (6-1, 3-0) emerged with similar success to that of the men. Anita Bottazzo picked up 18 individual points. The sophomore notched first place in each of her two solo and two relay events.
Bottazzo’s 58.32 time in the women’s 100-yard breaststroke topped teammate and senior Anna Moore’s time by 0:02.35.
The Gators women tallied numerous weekly conference accolades heading into the meet. Junior Lainy Kruger was named women’s swimmer of the week, and first-year Grace Rabb added freshman of the week to her resume.
Kruger placed first in both of her relays and added a first- and second-place finish in each of her individual events. The four-time All-American opened the meet with a 200-yard medley victory alongside Bottazzo, junior Catie Choate and sophomore Beatriz Bezerra.
The Seminoles women entered the competition unranked, having dropped their last two meets. Florida’s 186-110 victory extended its all-time record against FSU to an impressive 49-4.
The Gators’ achievements did not stop in the lanes. Florida posted numerous wins on the boards at the O’Connell Center Natatorium while the swim teams were at the Florida Aquatics Swimming & Training Facility in Ocala.
The Gators honored three seniors prior to Saturday’s second day of diving events. Elisha Dees and Casey Greenberg each competed following the ceremony, while Peyton Donald, a two-year Florida diver, was also recognized.
The first day of diving competition concluded with the Gators taking all four springboard events. Camyla Monroy continued her excellent junior campaign, taking both the women’s 3-meter and 1-meter dives.
Monroy was named the women’s SEC co-diver of the week and proved why Friday. Her final scores of 369 and 316.5 in the 3-meter and 1-meter, respectively, earned her 18 total points, aiding in Florida’s victory.
She also picked up second place in the women’s platform dive, trailing behind Greenberg. The latter held a score of 311.25, just 19.8 ahead of the junior. The Gators swept the event as freshman Ava Brinkman rounded out the top three finishers.
Alongside Monroy on the boards was freshman Jesus Agundez. The La Paz, Mexico, native has dominated his events thus far and continued to do so Friday. He notched first place in the men’s 1-meter while also picking up second place in the 3-meter just behind Florida junior Conor Gesing.
Agundez added a second-place finish in the men’s platform dive as the Gators swept yet another event. Florida held the top four finishes as sophomore Jesus Gonzalez’s score of 446.03 led the pack. Dees and junior Conor Gesing finished third and fourth, respectively.
The Gators will be back in action at the SEC Championships Feb. 16 at the Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Contact Riley Orovitz at rorovitz@alligator.org. Follow her on X @rileyorovitz.
Riley is a sophomore sports journalism student in her second semester at The Alligator. She is the beat reporter for Gators Swim & Dive while also contributing to the Gators Football Beat. She previously served in the same role in her first semester with the newspaper. Riley is an avid South Florida sports fan and enjoys playing/following all sports in her free time.
