UF Hosts Tennessee Friday, Honors 13 Seniors in Saturday Match-Up
Thursday, January 29, 2009 | Men's Swimming & Diving
After their fourth SEC dual meet Jan. 24 with Auburn, the Gators return to the friendly confines of the Stephen C. O'Connell Center Friday, Jan. 30, and Saturday, Jan. 31, to host their last three home dual meets of the season. Florida will honor its 13 seniors at 12:30 p.m. prior to the start of competition against Indian River Community College and Florida Gulf Coast University Saturday.
Friday, Florida welcomes SEC rival Tennessee to town in two separate showdowns. The men's squads from each team will take to the water at 2 p.m., while the women are set to meet at 7 p.m. to wrap up SEC dual meet competition for both UT and UF.
On the women's side, No. 5 UF (7-2, 3-1 SEC) is coming off a 180-120 upset over then No. 5 Auburn. The Gators look to improve to 4-1 in SEC play after jumping to No. 5 in the Jan. 29 CSCAA Top-25 Poll. The Lady Vols (8-1, 3-1 SEC) enter the UF-UT match-up after dropping a close decision against the No. 1 squad in the country, Georgia, Jan. 24. UT was edged,158-142, by UGA in a meet that came down to the final relay in Knoxville.
In the men's match-up, No. 8 Florida (6-2, 3-1 SEC) is looking for its fourth SEC victory after dropping a 166-132 decision to then No. 7 Auburn last Saturday. The Volunteers (5-2, 2-0 SEC) arrive in Gainesville on a high after defeating Georgia Jan. 24, a feat that hasn't been accomplished for the Vols' men's squad in six seasons. UT escaped with a 169-129 victory as the seniors from both UT squads were honored at their last home dual meet of the season.
The Gators and Volunteers were last in action in Tennessee territory Feb. 1, 2008. Keeping a clean slate, the Lady Gators defeated UT, 156-124, while the men lost a close one, 160-140. In the last showdown, junior Gemma Spofforth led the women with the win in the 100 back, while Laurabeth Guenthner rallied for second in the 1,000-yard free. In men's action, Omar Pinzon captured both the 100 & 200-yard backstroke events for Florida.
The Florida-Tennessee conference rival tells an interesting, yet different, story on both the men's and women's sides. While the women hold an undefeated record over the Lady Vols, the Tennessee men lead the series of meetings by a five-meet advantage.
Men: Tennessee leads, 20-15
Women: Florida leads, 22-0
1/30 – Tennessee Order of Events (M&W same order, M: 2 p.m., W: 7 p.m.)
(M) 2:00 pm, (W) 7:00 pm 200 Medley Relay
1000 Freestyle
200 Freestyle
100 Back
100 Breast
200 Fly
50 Free
(M) 2:30 pm, (W) 7:30 pm 1 Meter Diving - BREAK
(M) 3:00 pm, (W) 8:00 pm 100 Free
200 Back
200 Breast
500 Free
100 Fly
(M) 3:25 pm, (W) 8:25 pm 3 Meter Diving - BREAK
(M) 3:45 pm, (W) 8:45 pm 200 IM
400 Free Relay
1/31 – IRCC/FGCU Order of Events, “Senior Day”
11:30 am 1M Diving
12:30 pm Senior Awards
1:00 pm 400 Medley Relay
1,000 Freestyle
200 Freestyle
50 Freestyle
400 IM
1:30 am (approximate) 3M Diving – BREAK
2:00 pm (approximate) 200 Fly
100 Free
200 Back
500 Free
2:20 pm (approximate) BREAK
2:40 pm (approximate) 200 Breaststroke
400 Free Relay
2008-09 Gator Swimming and Diving Seniors
Jeana Bartell
Diving * Boca Raton, Fla.
Bartell, a Boca Raton native, has helped lead the Gators on the diving boards in her four years as a Gator. This season, she captured new career-best scores on both the one and three-meter boards. Bartell made her career debut at the NCAA Championships last spring, placing in the top-25 in the three-meter and platform competitions and has also qualified for the 2009 NCAA Zone meet. A two-time SEC Academic Honor Roll selection, Bartell will graduate with a degree from UF in event management.
Laurabeth Guenthner
Free * Wellington, Fla.
Laurabeth hails from Wellington, Fla., and is a three-time All-SEC Selection, an All-American and a 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials Finalist. A team captain, she holds a spot on four different UF All-time ranking lists. In her first year, Guenthner was one of three freshmen to qualify for and compete in the NCAA Championships and has competed every year since, with a sixth place finish in last years meet in the 1650. She has secured NCAA provisional marks in two individual events this year. A three-time SEC Academic Honor Roll student, Guenthner will graduate from UF with a degree in Health Education and Behavior, pre-nursing.
Kelsy Smith
Back/Free * Cary, N.C.
A five time All-SEC selection and three-time SEC Academic Honor Roll selection, Kelsy Smith has set three career-best marks this season. The Cary, N.C., product swam at the 2008 U.S. Olympic trials last summer. Smith, a team captain, additionally set career-best times in the 100 and 200-meter backstroke events in July at the 2008 U.S. Open and secured an NCAA provisional qualifying mark in the 200 backstroke at the Princeton Invite in December, which ranks ninth on the UF All-Time list. Smith will earn her degree in Health Education and Behavior, pre-nursing from UF.
Rachel Sowers
Diving * Longwood, Fla.
Sowers, a Longwood, Fla., native, has been a solid contributor to the Gators on the diving boards during her time at Florida. After an injury held her out during the 2006-07 season, Sowers returned and scored a career-best mark on the one-meter board against Florida Atlantic this year. Sowers will graduate from the University of Florida with a degree in mathematics.
Whitney Stern
Diving * Ft. Myers, Fla.
Stern is an All-SEC Selection who has been a leader on the diving boards for the Gators the past four seasons. A Ft. Myers, Fla., diver, Stern notched a career-best score this season on the three-meter board against Virginia. In 2007, Stern earned All-SEC honors at the conference championships and competed at the NCAA Zone Diving meet. Stern has qualified for the 2009 NCAA Zone Diving Championships on both boards. A three-time SEC Academic Honor Roll selection, Stern will graduate this year with a degree in Zoology, pre-med.
Lindsay Woodward
Fly/Free * Assonet, Mass.
A five-time All-SEC selection, Lindsay represented UF at the 2008 U.S. Open and set a career-best mark in the 200-meter fly last summer. After transferring to UF for the 2006-07 season, Woodward then competed in the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials in June and was named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll following last season. Lindsay has already set career-best marks in the 100 & 200 fly events this season and will graduate from UF with a degree in biological illustration this year.
Bradley Ally
Breast/IM * Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
Ally, a Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., product, is an 18-time All-American, a 14-time All-SEC selection, a three-time SEC Champion and is a decorated swimmer for the Barbados national team, whom he represented in the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. Ally holds spots on 11 different UF All-Time ranking lists, and swam career-best times in four events this year. In 2006, Ally became the 5th Gator to be named SEC Freshman Swimmer of the Year and will graduate from UF this year with a degree in geology.
Cody Kauffman
Free * Harrisburg, Pa.
A Pennsylvania native, Kauffman is a two-time All-SEC selection and a three-time SEC Academic Honor Roll selection. Cody competed in his first NCAA Championship meet last season in Seattle and also represented the Gators at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials last summer. He ranks ninth on the UF All-Time Rankings list in the 1,500-meter free. Cody will graduate from UF this year with a degree in marketing.
Aaron Leech
Diving * Naperville, Ill.
Leech, a Naperville, Ill. native, has been a solid contributor for the Gator diving corps during his UF career. Aaron represented the Gators at the NCAA Zone diving meet his sophomore and junior years, and as a freshman, Leech earned SEC Diver of the Week for his performance against IRCC. Leech has already qualified for the 2009 NCAA Zone Diving meet on the one-meter board. A three-time SEC Academic Honor Roll selection, Leech will graduate from UF with a degree in building construction.
Eric Shrestha
Free * Tallahassee, Fla.
A Florida native from Tallahassee, Eric Shrestha has provided leadership for the Gator distance freestyle corps the last three years. A 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials and 2008 U.S. Open competitor, Shrestha has already shattered four career-best times this season in the 500 and 1650-yard free races, as well as the 200 fly and 400-yard IM events. A two-time SEC Academic Honor Roll selection, Shrestha will earn his degree from Florida in biochemistry and molecular biology.
Jos Smith
Free * Milledgeville, Ga.
Jos, a four-time All-American from Milledgeville, Georgia, collected All-America honors at both the 2007 and 2008 NCAA Championship meets, and also represented the Gators at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials last summer. Smith ranks on UF's All-Time list in four different freestyle relays and currently holds the second-fastest 50 free time for the Gators this season, also a career-best time set at Auburn. An SEC Academic Honor Roll selection, Smith will graduate from UF with a degree in animal sciences, pre-dentistry.
Scott Thompson
Back/Free/IM * Birmingham, Mich.
Thompson, a Birmingham, Mich., product, has been a leader for the Gators after transferring to Florida before his junior season. This year, Scott swam career-best times in three events, including two NCAA provisional marks in the 500 and 1650 free events. Thompson, a team captain, achieved career-best times in the 1500-meter free and 400-meter IM races at the 2008 U.S. Open last summer and will graduate from UF with a degree in political science this year.
Rex Tullius
Back/Free * Port Orange, Fla.
Hailing from Port Orange, Fla., Tullius is an All-American and a two-time All-SEC selection. He has achieved three career-best times this year, and holds a spot on four UF All-Time Rankings lists. A team captain, Tullius represented Florida at the NCAA meet in both 2007 and 2008 and has secured NCAA provisional marks in three events this year. After his outstanding performance at the U.S. Open last summer, Tullius was named to the 2009 World University Games team and will compete in Serbia this coming July. Named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll his junior season, Tullius will graduate from UF with a degree in business administration.
-UF-
