Maha Amer moved to the United States at 18 years old to begin her collegiate diving journey. Five years later, she reflects on her early upbringing, the start of her diving career and how it led her to a second home at UF.
Florida’s men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams sent 14 Gators to the 2023 Bulldog National Collegiate Athletic Association Qualifying Meet in Athens, Georgia. The invitational was the swimmers' last chance to qualify for the NCAA championships.
The No. 5 Florida men grabbed their 11th consecutive SEC Championship, scoring a total of 1,488.5 points. For the first time since 2009, the No. 6 Florida women are SEC Champions with a total of 1,255 points bringing home the 18th conference title in school history.
The Auburn Invitational was the last meet before the Southeastern Conference championships. Florida’s swimming and diving team sent 20 athletes to the James E. Martin Aquatic Center in Auburn, Alabama.
Florida’s men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs took down the Florida State Seminoles’ No. 16 men and unranked women. The No. 3 men (5-1, 1-1 SEC) won 179-118, while the No. 7 women (6-1, 3-0 SEC) earned a 191-103 victory. The Gators secured 21 B-cut times and won 28 of the 32 total events Friday.
Florida’s men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs ended their home seasons with a sweep of the Florida Atlantic Owls. The No. 4 men (4-1) won 209-77, while the No. 8 women (5-1) earned a 207-83 victory.
Gators volunteer coach Katie Ledecky was named the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year Wednesday. She previously won the award in 2017.
Between the UF men's and women's swimming teams 21 first place finishes were claimed over the Tennessee Volunteers. The men now sit at 3-1 on the season, while the women sit at 4-1.
Talia Bates, a 21-year-old UF sustainability senior and her younger sister, 19-year-old UF journalism sophomore Georgia Bates, are both on the university’s swim team — continuing their family’s legacy as UF athletes. Their parents, former UF linebacker James Bates and former UF swimmer Tina Bates, both competed for the Gators from 1992-1996.
The Gators set high expectations for this season as one of the most represented universities on the 2022-2023 U.S. National Team. These athletes proved their eligibility to swim with the United States in international competitions by scoring a top-six time in any individual Olympic event of a US-sanctioned event, a Federation Internationale de Natation-approved competition or an international competition.
Current and former Florida Gators’ representing seven countries at the 2022 FINA World Championships secured nine total medals, including eight golds.
Gators swim and dive earned the bronze at last week’s NCAA Championships, racking up numerous All-American honors and taking home three individual national titles.
Florida women’s swim and dive had its season come to a close last week at the NCAA Championships.
“We are going to enjoy this, but we have a lot more work to do.” Anthony Nesty and his Florida swim and dive program captured their tenth men’s SEC championship in a row on Saturday.
In their final invitational before the SEC Championships, Florida’s swim and dive teams conquered 16 individual events, including six diving titles.
Solutions by The State News
