Junior swimmer Gemma Spofforth makes a habit out of setting records, and her performance at the NCAA Championships meet in College Station, Texas, proved that.
The No. 5 Gators opened up the 2009 NCAA Championship meet Thursday at the Student Rec Center Natatorium on the Texas A&M University campus with five finals-qualifying swims and dives. Three individuals and two Gator relays are set to return to Thursday evening swimming and diving consolations and finals.
It's the invitation of a lifetime.
Sophomore diver Monica Dodson knew this weekend was going to be a challenge. With the pressure to qualify for the NCAA Championship on her shoulders, she succeeded in achieving a goal she and her teammates trained for all season.
This weekend, many Gators took advantage of their final opportunities to qualify for the NCAA Championships.
For a girl who never really knew if swimming was for her, senior Laurabeth Guenthner has left her mark on the UF swimming and diving team.
Senior Kelsy Smith has this weekend left to qualify for the NCAA Championships, and the pressure is on.
In a four-day 2009 SEC Championship meet that came down to the very last relay, the No. 5 UF women won their 17th SEC crown, the first since 2002, after edging out second-place finisher Auburn and third-place Georgia. The win for the Gators was the third-closest competition in SEC history, UF with 744 points, Auburn with 730.5 and Georgia with 725. On the men's side, the No. 8 Gators claimed second place (626) at the 2009 league meet for the eighth-consecutive year to the men's team from Auburn (880.5).
UF diver Whitney Stern wanted victory for herself and for the team at her last home meet.
Senior diver Whitney Stern knows that saying goodbye to four years in the pool will be difficult.
Saturday's swimming and diving meet brought a mixed bag for the Gators, something the team is used to when it heads to Auburn.
For the past four years, either the men's or women's UF swimming and diving teams' meets against Auburn have come down to the final relays.
The UF swimming and diving teams make a habit out of defeating Florida Atlantic.
Though a few of them will not be in the same pool or on the sidelines cheering, the UF men's and women's swim and dive teams will be cohesive in thought and action.
In a sport where individual performances are usually key, the Gators have what senior Bradley Ally calls "united energy," a force that helps bind the Gators together and deliver some truly outstanding performances.
Teresa Crippen and her sister, Claire, have always been close. Being only 16 months apart, the two never really had anything but love for one another.
With the likes of former Gator Ryan Lochte hitting the pool this weekend for the USA Swimming Short Course National Championship, the Gators hoped to make statements themselves as they prepare for the approaching spring season.
As the fall season nears its end, the UF swim teams leave satisfied about the progress they've made.
As this season has been progressing, the UF swim teams have always been looking to the spring season, but they also focused on the competition that stood in their way this fall.
Solutions by The State News
