Courtesy: Florida Athletics
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The nationally-ranked University of Florida men’s and women’s swimming & diving teams take to the road for a battle with nationally-ranked SEC foe, Georgia. The meet is scheduled for an 11 a.m. start time on Friday, Oct. 26, in Athens, Georgia.
Last season, the Florida men’s team defeated Georgia, 179-121. On the women’s side, the Gators were knocked off by the Bulldogs 182-118.
The last time the women bested the Bulldogs was in the 2006-07 season at home. The Gators have not won at Georgia since the 1993-94 campaign.
On the men’s side, Florida has an 8-4-1 record against Georgia since the 2005-06 season. The Gators have won at home and on the road four times each with the lone tie coming at home, during that span.
The No. 10 ranked women hold four of the Top-20 times in the 400 IM in the NCAA this season, which is tied for the most with North Carolina State. The Gators hold three of the Top-10 times in the 400 IM. Kelly Fertel leads the group with the fifth-best time, followed closely by Vanessa Pearl in sixth. Mabel Zavaros holds the 10th-best time and Hannah Burns comes in at the 16th-best mark.
The freestyle distances have been strong for UF, as Taylor Ault and Leah Braswell find themselves inside the Top-20 in both the 500 and 1,000. Once again, Florida is tied for the most swimmers inside the Top-20. Ault holds the ninth-best swim in both the 500 Free and 1,000 Free, while Braswell ranks No. 12 and No. 11 in the 500 Free and 1,000 Free, respectively.
Zavaros adds two more Top-20 times in the 200 Back and 200 Fly, both the 12th-best times. Pearl holds the seventh-best time in the 200 Breast and the ninth-best swim in the 200 IM. Fertel has the eighth-best time in the 200 IM. Emma Ball and Sherridon Dressel find themselves inside the Top-20 times in the 100 Back, No. 8 and No. 13, respectively.
For the No. 3 ranked men, Khader Baqlah, Kieran Smith, and Grant Sanders each have recorded Top-20 times in four different events. Baqlah ranks inside the Top-10 in the 200 Free (1st), 100 Free (5th), 1,000 Free (7th), and 500 Free (10th). Smith finds himself with the fourth-best time in the 200 Free, fifth best in the 400 IM, seventh best in the 200 IM, and 13th best in the 200 Back. Sanders ranks first in the 400 IM, second in the 200 IM, ninth in the 200 Breast, and 14th in the 200 Fly.
Trey Freeman currently sits with the sixth-fastest time in the 1,000 Free, 11th-best swim in the 500 Free, and the 14th-fastest mark in the 200 Free. Maxime Rooney holds Top-20 times in the 100 Fly (13th), 200 Fly (18th), and 100 Free (20th). Marco Guarente has Top-20 times in the 200 and 100 Breast, he ranks No. 16 and No. 18, respectively. Clark Beach has the nation’s 10th-best time in the 200 Back. Stanley Wu claims the 17th-best swim in the 100 Breast. Bayley Main sits in the No. 18 spot for the 100 Back. Alex Lebed has the country’s 18th-best mark in the 200 IM. Miguel Cancel has the 18th-best swim in the 400 IM. Robert Finke currently sits at the No. 19 spot in the 1,000 Free.