Florida Gators
SEC Championships
UF Swimming and Diving Teams Both Finish Third
Sunday, February 25, 2001 | Women's Swimming & Diving
The University of Florida men's and women's swimming and diving teams SEC Championships Feb. 24 in Tuscaloosa, Ala at the Alabama Aquatic Center both finished third. The women were in third with 604 points trailing SEC Champion Georgia and Auburn. The men finished third with 584 points behind Auburn and Tennessee.
Florida rebounded from an off day on Friday to conclude the SEC Championship and place several finalists into the finals. In the first two heats of the men's 200-yard backstroke, the first event of the day, the Gators took first in both events set two automatic qualifying times for the NCAA Championships. The womens were equally impressive in the 200-yard backstroke as they had three of their four entries post provisional qualifying times and three of the four post collegiate bests.
The women got out of the starting blocks fast as freshman Janelle Atkinson (Jamaica/The Bolles School) won the 1650-yard freestyle with a time of 16:04.42. It was a collegiate best time as she was able to finish a full lap ahead of the rest to the field.
"Physically this was just another meet for me. I am not shaved and tapered, I am more focused on the NCAA's," said Atkinson. "The first day I was really nervous, but I calmed down the last few days. I am really looking forward to the NCAA's."
Freshman Jaime Ellis (Spring, Texas, Klein Oak H.S.) competed in her first SEC Championships this year and came away with many spectacular performances. She competed in three individual events and on three relay teams. Individually she finished in second in the 400-yard individual medley with a time of 4:11.98. She beat her collegiate best by over 10 seconds and automatically qualified for the NCAA Championships. She finished third in the 200-yard IM with a time of 1:59.22 to again set a new collegiate best and qualify for the NCAA's. On the final night she finished with a finishing time of 1:58.82 to place fourth in the 200-yard backstroke. She set new collegiate bests in every event she competed in.
As a member of three relay teams she recorded a second, third, and fifth. She anchored the 200-yard freestyle relay team that finished with a time of 1:30.81 and a second place finish the first night of competition. Ellis led every relay team to the seasons top time.
Senior Robyn Grimes (Pennington N.J./ Hopewell Valley Central H.S.) become the first women since former swimmer Dawn Heckman (1996-1997) to win be crowned an SEC Champion in two straight years. Last year Grimes was the champion in the one-meter springboard and finished fourth this year. At the 2001 championships, she won the three-meter springboard with a score of xxxx.
On the men's side senior Ricardo Monasterio (Caracas, Venezuela/Institutos Edu. Associados) started came out of the blocks strong winning the 1,650-yard freestyle. He won in a time of 15:01.92 to post the Gators first victory of the evening.
"I basically did all I could. I wanted to come out and get a first place for Gators," said Monasterio. "I accomplished my goal because I wanted to win and I did that."
"We had a really good meet. We are disappointed to finish third, but we had some really outstanding swimming," said head Coach Gregg Troy. "The freshman class for the women was strong the senior class for the men came up big for us."
The UF women's swimming and diving team will stay in Tuscaloosa for a Last Chance Meet Sunday, Feb. 25. The NCAA Championships will be in Long Island, NY, March 15-17 for the women. The men will return to the pool March 2-3 when they travel to Athens, Geo. for a Last Chance Meet. The NCAA Championship will be in Austin, Texas, March 22-24.
FINAL STANDINGS
Women
Men
FLORIDA RESULTS
WOMEN'S RESULTS
1650-yard freestyle
1. Janelle Atkinson 16:04.42; 4. Sharon Rzadkowolsky 16:19.22; 6. Laura Cross 16:34.72; 7. Andrea Bennett 16:36.93
200-yard backstroke
4. Jamie Ellis 1:58. 82; 6. Mary Beth Mounce 2:00.87; 8. Cara Teague 2:03.59;
100-yard freestyle
2. Leah Martindale 49.10; 12. Chantal Gibeny 50.89; 15. Rebekah Olsen 51.23
200-yard breaststroke
13. Desiree Frega 2:18.93; 14. Cerian Gibbes 2:19.28
200-yard butterfly
6. Sara McLarty 2:01.48; 7. Diane Tennison 2:02.07; 12. Casey Seland 2:02.82; 14. Natalie Nickson 2:04.01
400-yard freestyle relay
3. Tennison, Martindale, Olsen, Gibbes 3:19.28
Platform Diving
13. Robyn Grimes 339.70; 17. Nicole Bolt 293.50
MEN'S RESULTS
1650-yard freestyle
1. Ricardo Monasterio 15:01.92; 7. Bryan Kim 15:25.68; 10. Matt Yacco 15:32.23
200-yard backstroke
3. Mike Jansen 1:44.38; 5. Chris Kellam 1:45.31; 10. Bryan Foster 1:47.85
100-yard freestyle
3. Nathan Summers 43.45; 4. Carlos Jayme 43.85; 11. Hendrik Odendaal 44.57; 13. Jim Kostowicz 44.75
200-yard breaststroke
7. Philip Norris 1:58.81; 11. Ian Chadsey 2:00.63; 12. Ansel Tjin-A-Tam 2:01.04
200-yard butterfly
2. Greg Reeves 1:43.90; 4. Eric Donnelly 1:45.45; 5. Duncan Sherrard 1:45.62
400-yard freestyle relay
8. Odendaal, Summers, Kostowicz, Jayme DQ
Platform Diving
2. Hank Richardson 551.35; 12. Reggie Coote 371.45
