Six Florida Men Garner All-SEC Accolades
Wednesday, February 25, 2009 | Men's Swimming & Diving
Junior Gemma Spofforth (West Sussex, England) earned SEC Female Swimmer of the Year accolades and 15 other University of Florida swimmers were 2009 All-SEC selections, announced by the league office late Tuesday. The conference honors come several days after the 2009 SEC Swimming and Diving Championships, where the Lady Gators captured their 17th SEC title in school history, the first since 2002. The UF men rallied for a solid second-place finish, marking the eighth year the men's program has finished in the top two.
Among UF's 10 All-SEC selections on the women's side, seven garnered first team All-SEC honors, while three were awarded second team All-SEC accolades. On the men's side, Florida put three each on the first and second teams. First-team All-SEC selections consisted of athletes that garnered first-place finishes at the 2009 SEC Championship meet, while second-team selections were second-place finishers at the league meet.
Spofforth, freshman Lindsay Rogers (Fishers, Ind.), sophomore Julianne Lago (Miami, Fla.) and junior Stephanie Napier (Chattanooga, Tenn.) shattered an SEC and Florida record in the 200-yard medley relay to garner first-team accolades, while Spofforth, Napier, and freshmen Sarah Bateman (Orlando, Fla.) and Shara Stafford (Topeka, Kan.) also captured the SEC title in the 200-yard free relay, good for an SEC and UF record in the event. In addition to her relay contributions, Spofforth won the 100 backstroke in SEC record pace and shattered an NCAA record in the 200-yard backstroke. Gator newcomer Jemma Lowe (Hartlepool, England) rounded out Florida's first-team honorees after capturing the 100 & 200-yard fly races, both UF records.
Freshman Teresa Crippen (Conshohocken, Pa.), junior Stephanie Proud (Durham, England) and senior Laurabeth Guenthner (Wellington, Fla.) were named second team All-SEC for their second-place finishes in the 200-yard fly, 400-yard IM and 1650-yard freestyle races, respectively.
On the men's side, senior Bradley Ally (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.), junior Shaune Fraser (George Town, Cayman Islands) and senior Rex Tullius (Port Orange, Fla.) captured SEC titles in the 200 & 400 IM, 200 free and 200-yard backstroke races, respectively. Tullius swam the fastest time in the NCAA this year, the fourth-fastest all-time, on his way to a new James E. Martin Aquatics Center pool record.
Rounding out UF's All-SEC selections, sophomores Brett Fraser (George Town, Cayman Islands) and Balazs Gercsak (Budapest, Hungary) and junior Omar Pinzon (Bogota, Colombia) garnered second-team awards for achieving second place in the 800-yard free relay, 500-yard free and 200-yard back, respectively.
Women's First Team All-SEC Selections
Sarah Bateman (Orlando, Fla.), 1st, 200-yard free relay
Julianne Lago (Miami, Fla.), 1st, 200-yard medley relay
Jemma Lowe (Hartlepool, England), 1st, 100 & 200-yard butterfly
Stephanie Napier (Chattanooga, Tenn.), 1st 200-yard free & medley relays
Lindsay Rogers (Fishers, Ind.), 1st, 200-yard medley relay
Gemma Spofforth (West Sussex, England), 1st, 100 & 200-yard backstroke, 200 free & medley relays
Shara Stafford (Topeka, Kan.), 1st, 200-yard free relay
Women's Second Team All-SEC Selections
Teresa Crippen (Conshohocken , Pa.), 2nd, 200-yard butterfly
Laurabeth Guenthner (Wellington, Fla.), 2nd, 1650-yard freestyle
Stephanie Proud (Durham, England), 2nd, 400-yard IM
Men's First Team All-SEC Selections
Bradley Ally (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.), 1st, 200 & 400-yard IM
Shaune Fraser (George Town, Cayman Islands), 1st, 200-yard freestyle relay, 2nd 800 free relay
Rex Tullius (Port Orange, Fla.), 1st, 200-yard backstroke, 2nd 800 free relay
Men's Second Team All-SEC Selections
Brett Fraser (George Town, Cayman Islands), 2nd, 800-yard freestyle relay
Balazs Gercsak (Budapest, Hungary), 2nd, 500-yard freestyle & 800-yard free relay
Omar Pinzon (Bogota, Colombia), 2nd, 200-yard backstroke
-UF-
