Five Gators Named to SEC Freshman Honor Roll
Thursday, July 19, 2007 | Women's Swimming & Diving
Five members of the UF women's swimming and diving team were named to the 2007 SEC Freshman Academic Honor Roll as announced by the SEC on Thursday. Gator swimmers were honored for their performance in the pool and in the classroom for the 2006-07 school year.
Jenne Ballatore (Gainesville, Fla), Kristen Beales (Arlington, Va.), Elizabeth Kemp (Potomac, Md.), Stephanie Napier (Chattanooga, Tenn.) and Coral Lopez (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico) all saw significant time in the water during the Gators' 2006-07 campaign while also maintaining a high level of dedication in the classroom as well.
Ballatore collected her first career victory against Tennessee, winning the 200 freestyle with an NCAA provisional time of 1:48.68. Her career best in the 200 free came against James Martin in February as she came to the wall in 1:48.50. Ballatore, who is also a solid competitor in the individual medley, is an anthropology major.
A national qualifier in four events last season, Beales is an all around swimmer who earned three All-SEC honors. She earned personal bests times in the 1,650 free and 500 free at the conference meet, finishing the 1,650 free in 16:45.66 to claim 11th place and the 500 free in 4:51.84 to finish 14th. Beales is majoring in history and political science.
Kemp, a sports management major, is a two-time All-American and six-time All-SEC in just one year with the Gators. She has competed on the national level, earning her best placement in the 100 meter freestyle, finishing 27th with a time of 57.07. Kemp posted a career best in the 50 free with a time of 23.18 and a personal best of 50.03 in the 100 free at the NCAA Championships last season.
Napier is a two-time All-American, five-time All-SEC selection and has made a name for herself on the national circuit, qualifying for the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Trials in the 50 free. Napier anchored the 200 medley relay team to a ninth place finish at the 2007 NCAA Championships and also led off the 200 free relay for the Gators, helping the team to a 13th place finish. Individually she finished 17th in the 50 free with a time of 22.64. Napier is a business administration major.
A member of the Puerto Rican National team, Lopez swam to a fifth place finish with a personal best time of 1:54.20 in the 200 freestyle in a win over Florida Atlantic in January. She also holds career best times of 24.14 in the 50 free and 52.78 in the 100 free. Lopez is a marketing major.
UF placed a total of 54 student athletes on the honor roll this year, fourth among all SEC schools. In order to be considered for the honor roll students must be a scholarship or letter winner athlete while also maintaining a 3.0 or better GPA. They must have completed 24 semester hours of non-remedial credit and also have been a member of the varsity team for the sport's entire NCAA Championship segment.
