Florida vs. Virginia — Dual Meet Live Recap

Florida vs. Virginia

• Friday, Oct. 13, 2023
• Stephen C. O’Connell Center
  • Gainesville, Florida
• SCY (25 yards)
• All races uploaded to SwimSwam’s YouTube Channel
• Results on MeetMobile: “UF vs. VIRGINIA”
• Editor’s note: everyone is wearing practice suits, including pros.

We’re all set for a thrilling showdown in Gainesville, where freshman star Bella Sims and the No. 7 Florida women will try to take down three-time defending NCAA champion Virginia on Friday.

On the men’s side, the No. 15 Virginia men are attempting to escape with a win against No. 3 Gators, who are led by sophomore sprinter Josh Liendo. The meet features some of the biggest names in coaching, too, with 2024 U.S. Olympic coaches Anthony Nesty (UF) and Todd DeSorbo (UVA) on opposite side of the deck.

Follow along below for live updates:

Men’s 1M Diving

• Zones qualifying score: 300

Top 6:

1. Conor Gesing, Florida, Freshman – 365.05
2. Peyton Donald, Florida, Sophomore – 359.33
3. Christopher Donald, Florida, Senior – 315.45
4. Elisha Dees, Florida, Sophomore – 311.18
5. Oliver Mills, Virginia, Senior – 289.13
6. Nicholas Sanders, Virginia, Junior – 266.48

Women’s 200 Medley Relay

• NCAA ‘A’ cut: 1:36.24
• NCAA ‘B’ cut: 1:37.00

1. Virginia – 1:35.89 (Gretchen Walsh 23.50, Jasmine Nocentini 26.69, Alex Walsh 23.35, Maxine Parker 22.45)
2. Florida  – 1:38.67
3. Virginia ‘B’ – 1:38.84

The Virginia women started off the session hot with a win in the 200 medley relay in 1:35.89. That’s the best time in the NCAA this season by more than a second, clearing the 1:37.02 that USC swam at the SMU Classic last weekend.

With the graduation of Kate Douglass, Virginia has some shuffling to do on this relay to make their versatile pieces fit. For this relay, they used Gretchen Walsh on backstroke, transfer Jasmine Nocentini on breaststroke, Alex Walsh on fly, and Maxine Parker on the free leg.

Nocentini is the key pivot point this year, and her 26.69 breaststroke split is a sigh of relief for Virginia. That’s already almost as fast as Alex Walsh’s 26.30 at NCAAs last year.

Florida was almost three seconds back, but Isabel Ivey anchored in 22.00, giving a much-needed boost to their sprint group. A 23.18 fly split from Olivia Peoples is already faster than the 23.36 that she split at the NCAA Championships last year. While Florida isn’t going to contend with Virginia in the sprint relays this season, on their own scale, the early-season results are encouraging.

Men’s 200 Medley Relay

• NCAA ‘A’ cut: 1:23.71
• NCAA ‘B’ cut: 1:24.32

Top 3:

1. Florida “A” – 1:25.82 (Adam Chaney 21.66, Aleksas Savickas 24.43, Josh Liendo 20.70, Macguire McDuff 19.03)
2. Florida “B” – 1:27.87
3. Virginia “A” – 1:28.38

A deep Florida team finished 1-2 in the men’s 200 medley relay in 1:25.82, which is 2nd in the SEC this season behind only Auburn’s 1:24.49.

Virginia’s men swam a relay of Matt Brownstead (22.14), Tim Connery (24.93), Kamal Muhammad (21.48), and August Lamb (19.83). The Cavaliers didn’t use transfer Anthony Grimm on this relay – a swimmer who, on paper, could occupy any leg of the 200 medley relay and improve it, if he recaptures the form he had in high school.

Grimm is not competing at this meet, as he didn’t make the travel squad. The team was also without All-American breaststroker Noah Nichols and All-American backstroker Jack Aikins, both of whom immediately improve this relay. They both missed the meet while preparing for Pan Ams (along with Anna Keating of the women’s team, though Pan Ams-bound Abby Harter is racing).

Women’s 1000 Free

Top 6:

1. Cavan Gormsen, Virginia – 9:42.49
2. Caroline Pennington, Florida – 9:49.07
3. Sophia Knapp, Virginia – 9:50.57
4. Anna Auld, Florida – 9:57.28
5. Madison Kolessar, Florida – 9:57.93
6. Camille DeBoer, Florida – 9:59.43

Virginia freshman Cavan Gormsen has filled the distance gap in the Cavaliers’ lineup pulling off a win in the women’s 1000 free in 9:42.49. All-American Maddie Donohoe swam the race, but was just 7th in 10:06.33.

She beat out Florida’s Caroline Pennington, a transfer from USC, who was 2nd in 9:49.07.

Virginia sophomore Sophia Knapp was 3rd in 9:50.57, which is the best non-split time of her collegiate career in the event. In an event that the Florida women could have won, that 1-3 finish for Gormsen and Knapp gave Virginia a 12-7 event margin.

No Bella Sims in this race, with early hints being that Florida prefers her as a sprint/middle-distance swimmer (though she’s been 9:22 in the 1000 free).

Men’s 1000 Free

Top 6:

1. Eric Brown, Sophomore, Florida – 9:03.88
2. Andrew Taylor, Freshman, Florida – 9:05.14
3. Josh Parent, Freshman, Florida – 9:14.38
4. Bobby Dinunzio, Freshman, Florida – 9:17.50
5. Brendan Peacock, Freshman, Florida – 9:23.03

The high school class of 2023 for the Florida men brought in a ton of distance talent, and that was on full display on Friday with a 1-2-3-4-5 finish. The group was led by sophomore Eric Brown, in a time that was five seconds better than he was at this meet last year, and followed by four freshmen.

Virginia’s top finisher was Tanner Hering in 6th in 9:24.55.

Women’s 200 Free

• NCAA ‘A’ cut: 1:42.84
• NCAA ‘B’ cut: 1:47.12

Top 6:

1. Aimee Canny, Sophomore, Virginia – 1:44.44
2. Emmay Weyant, Junior, Florida – 1:45.16
3. Isabel Ivey, Florida, 5th year – 1:45.18
4. Ella Nelson, Virginia, 5th year – 1:46.26
5. Reilly Tiltmann, Virginia, junior – 1:48.07

In one of the highlight events of the meet, Virginia sophomore Aimee Canny outpaced a deep field with international-caliber swimmers in the women’s 200 free, swimming 1:44.44.

That time ranks her 2nd in the NCAA so far behind only USC freshman Minna Abraham (1:43.53 at the SMU Classic). Weyant and Ivey rank 3rd and 4th this season.

Virginia won this event 12-7 again, opening up a bit of a gap on Florida early in the meet.

Men’s 200 Free

• NCAA ‘A’ cut: 1:31.74
• NCAA ‘B’ cut: 1:35.79

Top 6:

1. Jake Mitchell, Florida, Senior – 1:35.06
2. Macguire McDuff, Florida, Junior – 1:38.64
3. Sean Sullivan, Florida, Junior – 1:38.88
4. Alex Hotta, Virginia, Sophomore – 1:39.31
5. Hayden Bellotti, Virginia, Freshman – 1:39.91

Florida senior Jake Mitchell was dominant in the men’s 200 free, winning in a 1:35.06 that is tops in the SEC this year (by eight tenths) and 4th nationally.

Florida picked up another 1-2-3 finish in this race, a positive sign as one of many teams looking for an opening to earn an NCAA title in the 800 free relay.

Women’s 100 Back

• NCAA ‘A’ cut: 50.88
• NCAA ‘B’ cut: 53.82

Top 6:

1. Gretchen Walsh, Virginia, Junior – 50.29
2. Bella Sims, Florida, Fresman – 51.79
3. Catherine Choate, Florida, Freshman – 54.12
4. Carly Novelline, Virginia, Sophomore – 54.52
5. Aris Runnels, Florida, Junior – 55.07

A show-stopping matchup between two members of the US National Team, it was Virginia junior Gretchen Walsh who won the women’s 100 back in 50.29, beating out Bella Sims (51.79).

The event choice made for a big matchup, but cost Florida points in the team scoring, as there were other races that Sims could have won.

Walsh’s time follows an unsuited 50.05 done at the end of practice a few weeks back.

Walsh set a new NCAA and U.S. Open Record of 48.26 in the event at the 2023 NCAA Championships, and is now regularly going 50-points or better in dual meets, times that were good enough for NCAA titles not too long ago.

Placing 2nd was Florida freshman Bella Sims, who moves to #2 in the nation with a time of 51.79, improving on the 52.64 clocking she produced two weeks ago against Vanderbilt. Sims owns a PB of 50.53 set at Winter Juniors – West in December 2022.

Rounding out the top three was another Gator first-year, Catie Choate, who went 54.12 after setting a season-best of 53.60 against Vanderbilt.

Men’s 100 Back

• NCAA ‘A’ cut: 44.71
• NCAA ‘B’ cut: 47.47

Top 6:

1. Adam Chaney, Florida, Senior – 46.99
2. Jonny Marshall, Florida, Freshman – 47.33
3. Will Cole, Virginia, Senior – 48.76
4. Cam Abaqueta, Florida, Sophomore – 49.25
5. Caleb Maldari, Florida, Freshman – 49.27
6. Jack Berube, Virginia, Freshman – 50.44

Florida senior Adam Chaney led a 1-2 finish for Florida in the men’s 100 back, splitting 23.29/23.70 en route to a time of 46.99, running down freshman teammate Jonny Marshall for the victory.

Chaney was notably quicker than he was in the Gators’ dual with UVA last season (on Oct. 21) at 47.65.

Marshall was out fast in 22.99, and ended up settling for 2nd in a time of 47.33, just over a second shy of his lifetime best of 46.31.

Florida put four swimmers inside the top five, with UVA senior Will Cole sandwiching the Gators in 3rd in 48.76. Gators Cam Abaqueta (49.25) and Caleb Maldari (49.27) were 4th and 5th.

Women’s 100 Breast

• NCAA ‘A’ cut: 58.02
• NCAA ‘B’ cut: 1:01.46

Top 6:

1. Alex Walsh, Virginia, Senior – 59.37
2. Jasmine Nocentini, Virginia, Senior – 59.81
3. Emma Weber, Virginia, Sophomore – 1:00.37
4. Zoe Skirboll, Virginia, Sophomore – 1:00.82
5. Grace Rainey, Florida, Freshman – 1:01.72

A lot of non-traditional breaststrokers swam this 100 breast on Friday, led by Alex Walsh, who won in 59.37. She was followed by the aforementioned transfer Jasmine Nocentini in 59.81.

Walsh, though unlikely to swim this race at the NCAA Championships, now ranks 2nd in the NCAA this season behind USC’s Kaitlyn Dobler.

Virginia’s breaststroke group continues to find depth among graduations every year. They went 1-2-3-4 in this race, scoring the maximum 16 point (to just 3 for Florida), blowing the team scoring wide open.

Men’s 100 Breast

• NCAA ‘A’ cut: 51.10
• NCAA ‘B’ cut: 53.63

Top 6:

1. Julian Smith, Florida, Junior – 54.18
2. Aleksas Savickas, Florida, Sophomore – 54.26
3. Tim Connery, Virginia, Junior – 55.34
4. Max Iida, Virginia, Junior – 55.88
5. Kamal Muhammad, Virginia, Sophomore – 56.12
6. Peter Bretzmann, Florida, Junior – 56.23

Junior Julian Smith edged out sophomore Aleksas Savickas as Florida went 1-2 in the men’s 100 breast, with Smith touching in 54.18 for the victory.

Women’s 200 Fly

• NCAA ‘A’ cut: 1:52.86
• NCAA ‘B’ cut: 1:59.23

Top 6:

1. Tess Howley, Virginia, Freshman – 1:54.75
2. Lainy Kruger, Florida, Freshman – 1:58.29
3. Abby Harter, Virginia, Senior – 1:58.53
4. Maggie Schalow, Virginia, Freshman – 2:00.52
5. Zoe Dixon, Florida, Sophomore – 2:00.68
6. Amanda Ray, Florida, Senior – 2:00.91

Another big win for a Virginia freshman helps their depth, with US National Team member Tess Howley dominating the 200 fly in 1:54.75. That’s only two seconds shy of her lifetime best in that event.

It’s also the #1 time in the NCAA so far this season ahead of Lindsay Looney’s 1:55.97 for Arizona State on Thursday. Looney swam for the US at the World Championships last summer.

Last year, nobody swam below 1:55 in the 200 fly until November 4.

Men’s 200 Fly

• NCAA ‘A’ cut: 1:40.16
• NCAA ‘B’ cut: 1:45.89

Top 6:

1. Mason Laur, Florida, Junior – 1:44.14
2. Joaquin Gonzalez Pinero, Florida, Sophomore – 1:45.52
3. Sebastien Sergile, Virginia, Sophomore – 1:46.39
4. Matt Styczen, Virginia, Junior – 1:49.75
5. Josh Parent, Florida, Freshman – 1:49.79
6. Evan Keogh, Florida, Freshman – 1:52.81

Florida Junior and US National Team member Mason Laur picked up his first win of the day in the men’s 200 fly, touching in 1:44.14. He and teammate Joaquin Pinero were a dead-heat at the 100-yard mark (49.75-49.80), but Lauer’s last 50 was a second better to blow the race open.

Women’s 50 Free

• NCAA ‘A’ cut: 21.63
• NCAA ‘B’ cut: 22.67

Top 6:

1. Micayla Cronk, Florida, Junior – 22.79
2. Maxine Parker, Virginia, Senior – 22.88
3. Jasmine Nocentini, Virginia, Senior – 23.04
4. Carly Meeting, Florida, Freshman – 23.33
5. Aimee Crosbie, Virginia, Freshman – 23.43
6. Ekaterina Nikonova, Florida, Junior – 23.49

Florida junior Micayla Cronk, who split 22.27 on Florida’s “B” 200 medley relay, won the 50 free in 22.79. There’s no 200 free relay at this meet, but on paper, it looks like that could be the Gators’ best this season.

She beat out Maxine Parker of Virginia who was 2nd in 22.88.

Men’s 50 Free

• NCAA ‘A’ cut: 19.79
• NCAA ‘B’ cut: 18.82

Top 6:

1. Josh Liendo, Florida, Sophomore – 19.43
2. Matt Brownstead, Virginia, Senior – 19.82
3. Connor Boyle, Virginia, Junior – 20.29
4. Ed Fullum-Hout, Florida, Sophomore – 20.31
5. Scotty Buff, Florida, Freshman – 20.68
6. August Lamb, Virginia, 5th year – 20.83

Josh Liendo, the NCAA runner-up in the 50 free last season, won on Friday in 19.43, beating out Virginia’s best Matt Brownstead (19.82), who was also an All-American (12th) in this race last season.

Connor Boyle, who missed time at the end of last season with an injury, swam 20.29 for 3rd.

Women’s 100 Free

• NCAA ‘A’ cut: 47.18
• NCAA ‘B’ cut: 49.36

Top 6:

1. Gretchen Walsh, Virginia, Junior – 47.19
2. Micayla Cronk, Florida, Junior – 48.90
3. Isabel Ivey, Florida, 5th Year – 49.53
4. Zoe Skirboll, Virginia, Sophomore – 49.95
5. Maxine Parker, Virginia, Senior – 50.52
6. Ekaterina Nikonova, Florida, Junior – 51.30

A second event and a second win for Virginia junior Gretchen Walsh, who won the 100 free in 47.19. That’s an NCAA-leader by half-a-second ahead of Louisville’s Gabi Albiero.

Micayla Cronk followed up her win in the 50 with a runner-up finish in the 100, clocking a 48.90. That’s a huge level-up swim for her, 1.2 seconds faster than she swam at this meet last season.

Isabel Ivey was 3rd in 49.53, a less-promising swim than her 50 split on the 200 medley relay.

Men’s 100 Free

• NCAA ‘A’ cut: 41.50
• NCAA ‘B’ cut: 43.46

Top 6:

1. Macguire McDuff, Florida, Junior – 43.09
2. Matt Brownstead, Virginia, Senior – 43.54
3. Julian Smith, Florida, Junior – 44.69
4. Connor Boyle, Virginia, Junior – 44.88
5. Adam Chaney, Florida, Senior – 45.04
6. Ed Fullum-Hout, Florida, Sophomore – 45.07

While a few swims in this race didn’t live up to early results (Chaney’s 100 free), the 100 free from Florida’s Macguire McDuff certainly did.

Even unsuited, that swim is .73 better than he was at this meet last season and almost matched his dual meet best of 43.03.

While he had a good 200 at this meet as well, McDuff is at his core a speed guy, and he showed that here. Most of the margin between him and Virginia’s Matt Brownstead were in the opening 50, where he split 20.59. Brownstead split 20.92 before en route to his 43.54 2nd-place finish.

Women’s 200 Back

• NCAA ‘A’ cut: 1:50.50
• NCAA ‘B’ cut: 1:57.07

Top 6:

1. Bella Sims, Florida, Freshman — 1:52.49
2. Reilly Tiltmann, Florida, Junior — 1:55.52
3. Catie Choate, Florida, Freshman — 1:55.94
4. Tess Howley, Virginia, Freshman — 1:57.14
5. JoJo Ramey, Florida, Freshman – 1:57.14
6. Ella Bathurst, Virginia, Junior — 1:59.08

First-years dominated the women’s 200 back, taking up four out of the top five places in the event. Sims won by over three seconds, overtaking Louisville’s Paige Hetrick and her 1:54.13 to become the top performer of the 2023-24 season in the 200 back.

In addition, Sims’ time would have been fast enough to score at 2023 NCAAs.

Behind Sims was Virginia’s Reilly Tiltmann and Florida’s Catie Choate, who were separated by just a few tenths for second and third respectively. Notably, Choate was just over a second off her personal best time of 1:54.90 set at Winter Juniors last summer.

Tiltmann and Choate now rank 3rd and 5th in the nation, respectively.

Men’s 200 Back

• NCAA ‘A’ cut: 1:39.13
• NCAA ‘B’ cut: 1:44.60

Top 7:

1. Jonny Marshall, Florida, Freshman — 1:45.82
2. Caleb Maldari, Florida, Freshman – 1:47.35 (Exhibition)
3. Sean Sullivan, Florida, Freshman – 1:47.84 (Exhibition)
4. Will Cole, Virginia, Senior — 1:47.97
5. Sam O’Brien, Virginia, Junior — 1:49.22
6. Jack Berube, Virginia, Freshman — 1:49.60
7. Teddy Cross, Virginia, Sophomore — 1:50.71

Jonny Marshall continued the trend of Florida freshmen winning the 200 back, touching the wall first in the men’s edition of the event by over two seconds. Behind Marshall were four Virginia swimmers, though it’s worth noting that Florida’s Maldari and Sean Sullivan both finished higher than UVA second-place finisher Will Cole but swam exhibition.

It’s worth noting that Marshall, who holds a best time of 1:41.99, is one of the four sub-1:42 200 backstrokers in the freshman class.

Women’s 200 Breast

• NCAA ‘A’ cut: 2:05.73
• NCAA ‘B’ cut: 2:13.86

Top 6:

1. Ella Nelson, Virginia, Fifth Year — 2:09.68
2. Grace Rainey, Florida, Freshman — 2:12.62
3. Aimee Canny, Virginia, Sophomore — 2:13.33
4. Emma Weber, Virginia, Sophomore — 2:14.80
5. Julia Podokoscielny, Florida, Freshman — 2:15.92
6. Molly Mayne, Florida, Freshman — 2:16.08

Following two consecutive events that were won by freshmen, the women’s 200 breast moved to the opposite end of the spectrum, as it was won by 5th year Ella Nelson. Nelson dropped the hammer on this event and was the only swimmer under 2:10. Notably, her time of 2:09.68 was faster than her season-opening 200 breast time (2:10.19) from last season.

Nelson now ranks as the third-fastest 200 breaststroker of the 2023-24 season, behind USC’s Dobler and Texas’s Anna Elendt.

Behind Nelson in second was Florida’s Grace Rainey, while Virginia Aimee Canny finished third in her first time swimming the event. The 200 breast is an unconventional event for Canny, who typically does sprint/mid-distance freestyle.

Men’s 200 Breast

• NCAA ‘A’ cut: 1:51.09
• NCAA ‘B’ cut: 1:57.44

1. Aleskas Savickas, Florida, Sophomore — 1:58.67
2. Peter Bretzmann, Florida, Junior – 2:00.65 (Exhibition)
3. Max Iida, Virginia, Junior — 2:01.52
4. Giovanni Linscheer, Florida, Sophomore – 2:02.65 (Exhibition)
5. Matt Syczen, Virginia, Junior — 2:03.93
6. Billy Jones, Florida, Senior – 2:04.95 (Exhibition)
7. Matt Heilman, Virginia, Sophomore — 2:06.51

This meet on the men’s side is so lopsided to the point where nearly half the heat (aka, three Florida swimmers) swam exhibition, so there were only four contestants in the men’s 200 breast.

The winner was Florida’s Aleksas Savickas, who clocked a 1:58.67 and was the only swimmer under two minutes. Savickas, who is the second-fastest returning 200 breaststroker in the NCAA behind Leon Marchand, swam a few seconds slower than last season’s Virginia-Florida meet, where he went 1:55.63.

Women’s 500 Free

• NCAA ‘A’ cut: 4:37.89
• NCAA ‘B’ cut: 4:47.20

Top 6:

1. Emma Weyant, Florida, Junior – 4:39.22
2. Cavan Gormsen, Virginia, Freshman – 4:42.37
3. Sophia Knapp, Virginia, Sophomore – 4:47.08
4. Anna Auld, Florida, Junior – 4:51.94
5. Caroline Pennington, Florida, Junior – 4:54.88
6. Camille DeBoer, Florida, Sophomore – 4:55.02

Florida junior Emma Weyant, who began her career at Virginia, dropped her best non-taper swim since coming to the Gators in the women’s 500 free, winning in 4:39.22. That swim is faster than she swam in prelims at last year’s SEC Championships (where she finished 3rd) and almost as fast as she swam at NCAAs. The time would have qualified for the A-Final there.

Virginia’s Cavan Gormsen was 2nd in 4:42.37 and Sophie Knapp was 3rd in 4:47.08 – another dual-meet best time for her.

Anna Auld and Caroline Pennington finished 4th and 5th, respectively, to keep the meet competitive, giving the Gators an event win 12-7. Virginia was up 140-105 at this point.

Men’s 500 Free

• NCAA ‘A’ cut: 4:10.74
• NCAA ‘B’ cut: 4:21.99

Top 6:

1. Jake Mitchell, Florida, Senior – 4:21.35
2. Eric Brown, Florida, Sophomore – 4:24.35 (Exhibitioned)
3. Andrew Taylor, Florida, Freshman – 4:28.69 (Exhibitioned)
4. Jack VanDeusen, Florida, Senior – 4:30.21 (Exhibitioned)
5. Tanner Hering, Virginia, Senior – 4:31.25
6. Aryan Nehra, Florida, Junior – 4:33.44 (Exhibitioned)
7. Bobby Dinunzio, Florida, Freshman – 4:33.45 (Exhibitioned)
8. Alex Hotta, Virginia, Sophomore – 4:37.09
9. Brendan Peacock, Florida, Senior – 4:40.00 (Exhibitioned)
10. Evan Keogh, Florida, Freshman – 4:40.39 (Exhibitioned)
11. Zach Larrick, Virginia, Freshman – 4:40.40

Florida again dominated the distance races, earning the top four finishers (before exhibitions). That was led by Olympian Jake Mitchell, who won in 4:21.35, his second victory of the meet.

Women’s 100 Fly

• NCAA ‘A’ cut: 50.69
• NCAA ‘B’ cut: 53.63

Top 6:

1. Alex Walsh, Virginia, Senior – 51.87
2. Bella Sims, Florida, Freshman – 52.09
3. Olivia Peoples, Florida, Junior – 52.48
4. Abby Harter, Virginia, Senior – 54.85
5. Aris Runnels, Florida, Junior – 54.85
6. Lainy Kruger, Florida, Freshman – 55.53

Another marquee matchup resulted in another Virginia win, with Alex Walsh taking the 100 fly in 51.87, just two tenths ahead of Bella Sims in 52.09.

Sims was out a tenth better (24.6 vs 24.7) than Walsh, but Walsh’s superior back half gave her the win.

It’s worth again acknowledging that Olivia Peoples is having a big breakthrough. She was out in 24.3, faster than even the two stars, and finished in 52.48. That’s 1.8 seconds better than she was at this meet last year.

Men’s 100 Fly

• NCAA ‘A’ cut: 44.64
• NCAA ‘B’ cut: 47.08

Top 5:

1. Josh Liendo, Florida, Sophomore – 46.99
2. Jace Crawford, Florida, Senior – 47.69 (Exhibitioned)
3. Scotty Buff, Florida, Freshman – 47.70 (Exhibitioned)
4. Kamal Muhammad, Virginia, Sophomore – 48.12
5. Hayden Bellotti, Virginia, freshman – 48.40

Florida’s Josh Liendo picked up her second individual win of the day with a 46.99 in the 100 fly. That’s a new fall-dual personal best for him.

Virginia’s top finisher was Kamal Muhammad, returning to his roots after a sojourn into breaststroke. He had a rocky freshman season, but was still 47.52 in his lone fall dual meet last year.

Women’s 3M Diving

• Zones qualifying score: 280/235 (6 dives vs. 5 dives)

Top 6:

1. Camyla Monroy, Florida, Freshman – 418.38
2. Elizabeth Kaye, Virginia, Junior – 307.35
3. Carina Lumia, Florida, Sophomore – 301.65
4. Maddy Grosz, Virginia, Senior – 373.23
5. Casey Greenberg, Florida, Sophomore – 259.58
6. Caroline Pagac, Florida, Junior – 253.50

Women’s 400 IM

• NCAA ‘A’ cut: 4:03.62
• NCAA ‘B’ cut: 4:17.30

Top 6:

1. Emma Weyant, Florida, Junior – 4:07.51
2. Ella Nelson, Virginia, 5th year – 4:12.26
3. Julia Podkoscielny, Florida, Freshman – 4:14.68
4. Zoe Dixon, Florida, Sophomore – 4:18.44
5. Ella Bathurst, Virginia, Junior – 4:20.46
6. Anna Auld, Florida, Junior – 4:21.40

Not long after her win in the 500 free, Emma Weyant won the 400 IM in another very good dual meet time of 4:07.51. She’s the 2021 Olympic silver medalist in this event, and just sneaks past USC’s Justina Kozan as the best time in the country this season.

Weyant swam the 400 IM sparingly in her first season with Florida. She raced the event only once, in a January dual against Florida Atlantic, before the SEC Championships. This early swim is more indication that she’s ‘back’ in her groove.

Ella Nelson of Virginia, meanwhile, took 2nd in 4:12.26.

Men’s 400 IM

• NCAA ‘A’ cut: 3:38.90
• NCAA ‘B’ cut: 3:50.68

Top 5:

1. Mason Laur, Florida, Junior – 3:49.64
2. Josh Parent, Florida, Freshman – 3:54.32 (Exhibitioned)
3. Giovanni Linscheer, Florida, Sophomore – 3:55.21 (Exhibitioned)
4. Ben Cote, Florida, Junior – 3:56.86 (Exhibitioned)
5. Matt Styczen, Virginia, Junior – 3:57.50

Mason Laur picked up his second win of the meet, this time with a 3:49.64 in the 400 IM, leading a 1-2-3-4 finish for the Gators.

He was aggressive in the swim, opening in 51.81 in his preferred butterfly stroke.

Women’s 400 Free Relay

• NCAA ‘A’ cut: 3:14.10
• NCAA ‘B’ cut: 3:16.25

Top 3:

1. Virginia “A” (Gretchen Walsh 46.90, Alex Walsh 48.87, Aimee Canny 48.74, Zoe Skirboll 50.22) – 3:14.73
2. Florida “A” (Isabel Ivey 49.58, Ekaterina Nikonova 50.16, Micayla Cronk 48.07, Bella Sims 47.99) – 3:15.80
3. Virginia “B” (Jasmine Nocentini 49.08, Reilly Tiltmann 49.79, Maxine Parker 49.55, Tess H0wley 49.56) – 3:17.98

Gretchen Walsh ended the meet with a gigantic bang, splitting 46.90 to lead off Virginia’s 400 free relay. That’s a time that only six swimmers exceeded all of last season.

According to USA Swimming’s database, that’s the second-best dual meet time ever, behind only Kate Douglass’ 46.86 from 2020 (UT Double Dual Finals).

She led a deep Florida sprint group at the end of a long meet that featured two 48s and four 49s. Nocentini, the breaststroker, split 49.08 leading off the “B” relay, so she would have dropped that “A” relays time to about a 3:13-low if they stacked it.

Men’s 400 Free Relay

• NCAA ‘A’ cut: 2:50.44
• NCAA ‘B’ cut: 2:51.86

Top 3:

1. Florida “A” (Josh Liendo 43.24, Adam Chaney 43.92, Julian Smith 43.28, Macguire McDuff 44.17) – 2:54.61
2. Virginia “B” (Matt Brownstead 43.81, Connor Boyle 43.63, Sebastien Sergile 43.91, Tim Connery 44.03) – 2:55.38
3. Virginia “B” – 2:59.74

Both teams had up-and-down swims at this meet, but both ended with 400 free relays to be happy with.

Florida’s quartet ranks 3rd so far in the NCAA (behind Arizona State and Georgia), while Virginia ranks 4th.

Florida’s relay included a 43.92 from Adam Chaney, a much better swim than he had in the individual (45.04), and both relays were all 43s aside from their anchors.

Final Team Scores

• Women: Virginia 164-Florida 136
• Men: Florida 202-Virginia 93 (Exhibition aided)