Florida Hits the Road for U.S. Nationals and Princeton Invite
Wednesday, December 3, 2008 | Men's Swimming & Diving
After swimming past in-state rival Florida State Nov. 25 and returning to Gainesville with wins on both the men's and women's side, the Gators will split for two crucial meets as head coach Gregg Troy begins to craft the Orange and Blue SEC team. Most of the younger swimmers will head to Princeton, N.J., Dec. 5-7, for competition in the Princeton Invite, while the older, nationally experienced bunch will head to the 2008 ConocoPhillips USA Swimming Short Course National Championship meet in Atlanta, Ga., Dec. 4-6.
Among the Gators' contingent for the U.S. National meet are several UF squad members who gained international experience at the 2008 Olympic Games, as well as at the 2008 U.S. Open this past summer.
The Lady Gators have accumulated a 4-2 (2-1 SEC) overall record this season with the aid of a stellar freshman class and through the leadership of its seniors. The No. 5 women will take a squad of 14 to the U.S. Nationals Short Course meet in Atlanta. The 14-woman team, consisting of seven freshmen and three 2008 Olympians in freshmen Sarah Bateman (Orlando, Fla.), Anna-Liisa Pold (San Diego, Calif.) and junior Gemma Spofforth (West Sussex, England), will look to swim some of their fastest times of the season so far as they head into the winter training period.
Twenty-one members of the women's squad will head to Princeton for competition in the Princeton Invite, including six Lady Gator divers, a couple of who will be looking for NCAA Zone Diving qualifying standards.
On the men's side, No. 6 Florida (4-1, 3-0 SEC) will travel a squad of 13 to U.S. Nationals, while 18 men will head to the Princeton Invite to represent the Orange and Blue. The men's divers will join the Princeton group to hit the boards this weekend. Only two members of the men's swim and dive squad have hit NCAA qualifying standards. Sophomore Balazs Gercsak (Budapest, Hungary) has stepped it up for the Gators in his first year of eligibility with an NCAA provisional mark in the 500-yard free. On the diving front, freshman Anthony Lewark (Davie, Fla.), has established NCAA Zone Diving cuts on both the one and three-meter boards for the Gators.
Look for successful swims at U.S. Nationals from men's 2008 Olympians in Bradley Ally (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.), Brett and Shaune Fraser (George Town, Cayman Islands), Roland Rudolf (Budapest, Hungary) and Gercsak. Also among the U.S. Nationals squad are two Gator swimmers in Clark Burckle (Louisville, Ky.) and Rex Tullius (Port Orange, Fla.) who have already solidified their place on the 2009 U.S. World University Games roster after their performances at the 2008 U.S. Open over this past summer.
The following outlines the Gator squads for both the 2008 ConocoPhillips USA Swimming Short Course National Championship meet and the Princeton Invite. Check www.GatorZone.com for complete results following each day of competition.
Florida U.S. Nationals Squad
| Men Bradley Ally Clark Burckle Ryan Crete Brett Fraser Shaune Fraser Balazs Gercsak Michael Joyce Cody Kauff man Raul Martinez Roland Rudolf Jos Smith Logan Storie Rex Tullius | Women Sarah Bateman Kristen Beales Teresa Crippen Laurabeth Guenthner Elizabeth Kemp Julianne Lago Stephanie Napier Anna-Liisa Pold Stephanie Proud Lily Ramirez Lindsay Rogers Kirsten Smith Gemma Spofforth Shara Stafford |
Florida Princeton Invite Squad
| Men Jarrod Brinker Kyle Coan Jose Crecimbeni Austin Detra Brian Howell Gabriel Huen Robert Kennedy Aaron Leech (D) Anthony Lewark (D) Alexander Martin Matthew Norton Grayson Patten (D) Jeff Raymond Eric Shrestha Scott Thompson James Turner Bobby Walsh Michael Yaun | Women Katie Ambridge Angelina Ballatore Jeana Bartell (D) Blair Collins Kaylee Doback (D) Monica Dodson (D) Rebekah Epley Coral Lopez Julia Nagy Madison Parker Claire Paige (D) Sarah Peterson Carly Pike Kara Salamone (D) Natalie Smith Kelsy Smith Whitney Stern (D) Maida Turnadzic Taylor Vander Ark Daniela Victoria Lindsay Woodward |
-UF-
