2008-09 Year in Review: One for the Record Books
Monday, May 11, 2009 | Women's Swimming & Diving
Three individual national champions and five national championship races at the 2009 NCAA Championship meet highlighted one of the most successful seasons in recent University of Florida swimming and diving history. Among Florida's national champions, Bradley Ally (200 IM), Shaune Fraser (200 free & 200 fly) and SEC Female Swimmer of the Year Gemma Spofforth (100 & 200 backstroke), two swimmers, Fraser and Spofforth, return to lead the Gators on their quest for another victorious run in 2009-10.
While Florida's talent in the swimming pool and on the diving boards carried the lady Gators to an SEC Championship and the men to a fifth-place NCAA showing, the hard work didn't stop at poolside. Thirty-one Gators were named to the 2009 SEC Academic Honor Roll for their work in the classroom during the academic year. Additionally, the Gators bid farewell to 12 graduates who took part in commencement ceremonies the first weekend in May. Six former Florida men and six former Lady Gators earned their undergraduate degrees from UF, among them 2008 U.S. Olympic bronze medalist Caroline Burckle.
A total of 24 Gator All-Americans set 13 school records at the 2009 NCAA Championships in College Station, Texas, while the Orange and Blue rallied for a total of 23 school records throughout the duration of the season.
On top of a top-10 finish at NCAAs (7th), the Lady Gators' 2009 SEC Title was UF's 17th overall team SEC Championship, and its first since 2002 when the Gators also took first. In a meet that came down to the very last relay, the win for UF was the third-closest competition in SEC history, Florida with 744 points, Auburn with 730.5 and Georgia with 725.
On the men's side, the Gators' fifth-place NCAA finish marked the fourth time in the last five years UF has finished in the top five, and the tenth-straight year UF has placed in the top 10 at the NCAAs. For the first time since 2006, Florida reeled in three individual national championship titles with Ally's one and Fraser's two. In addition to a stellar NCAA meet, Florida finished second at the 2009 SEC Championship showdown for the eighth-consecutive season.
QUICKLY
Men:
o Dual Meet Record: 8-2 (4-1 SEC)
o SEC Finish: 2nd, 626 points
o NCAA Finish: 5th, 324 points
o All-Americans: 11, 37 honors
o All-SEC selections: 6 (1st Team – Bradley Ally, Shaune Fraser, Rex Tullius; 2nd Team – Brett Fraser, Balazs Gercsak, Omar Pinzon)
o Freshman All-SEC: 4 (Colin Bell, Brian Howell, Robby Kennedy, Jeff Raymond)
o SEC Champions: 3 individuals, 4 titles (Bradley Ally – 200&400 IM, Shaune Fraser – 200 free, Rex Tullius – 200 back)
o National Champions: 2 individuals, 3 titles (Bradley Ally – 200 IM, Shaune Fraser – 200 free, 200 fly)
o NCAA records: 2 (Bradley Ally – 200 IM, Shaune Fraser – 200 butterfly)
Women:
o Record: 10-2 (4-1 SEC)
o SEC Finish:1st, 744 points
o NCAA Finish: 7th, 239.5 points
o All-Americans: 13, 34 honors
o All-SEC selections:10 (1st Team – Sarah Bateman, Julianne Lago, Jemma Lowe, Stephanie Napier, Lindsay Rogers, Gemma Spofforth, Shara Stafford; 2nd Team – Teresa Crippen, Laurabeth Guenthner, Stephanie Proud)
o Freshman All-SEC: 3 (Teresa Crippen, Jemma Lowe, Kirsten Smith)
o SEC Champions: 6 total, two relays & four individuals (200MR, 200 FR, Jemma Lowe – 100&200 fly, Gemma Spofforth – 100&200 back)
o SEC Records: 5 (200 MR, 200 FR, Jemma Lowe – 200 fly, Gemma Spofforth – 100&200 back)
o National Champions:1 individual, 2 titles (Gemma Spofforth – 100&200 back)
o NCAA Records: 1 (Gemma Spofforth – 200 back)
MEN'S 2008-09 WRAP UP
*11 School Records (all set at 2009 NCAA championships)
50-YARD FREESTYLE
1. Shaune Fraser (2009) 19.30s, NCAAs
100-YARD FREESTYLE
1. Shaune Fraser (2009) 42.41s, NCAAs
200-YARD FREESTYLE
1. Shaune Fraser (2009) 1:31.70, NCAAs
500-YARD FREESTYLE
1. Balazs Gercsak (2009) 4:14.67, NCAAs
200-YARD BUTTERFLY
1. Shaune Fraser (2009) 1:40.75, NCAAs
100-YARD BREASTSTROKE
1. Clark Burckle (2009) 53.27, NCAAs
200-YARD BREASTSTROKE
1. Clark Burckle (2009) 1:53.89, NCAAs
200-YARD INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY
1. Bradley Ally (2009) 1:40.49
200-YARD FREESTYLE RELAY
1. Fraser (S), Fraser (B), Ally, Gomez (2009) 1:16.76p, NCAAs
200-YARD MEDLEY RELAY
1. Pinzon, Burckle, Ally, Fraser (B) (2009) 1:24.94, NCAAs
400-YARD MEDLEY RELAY
1. Pinzon, Burckle, Ally, Fraser (S) (2009) 3:04.81, NCAAs
*Two NCAA Records (both set at NCAAs)
200 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY: Bradley Ally, 1:40.49, NCAAs
Previous Record: Ryan Lochte, Florida, 1:40.55, 2006
200 FLY: Shaune Fraser, 1:40.75, NCAAs
Previous Record: Gil Stovall, Georgia, 1:41.33, 2008
*Four SEC Championships
1. Men's 200-yard IM: Bradley Ally, 1:41.96
2. Men's 400-yard IM: Bradley Ally, 3:41.35
3. Men's 200-yard freestyle: Shaune Fraser, 1:33.73
4. Men's 200-yard backstroke: Rex Tullius, 1:39.88
*11 All-Americans, 37 Honors (including honorable mention)
1. Brett Fraser (6 honors): 200 FR, 200 MR, 400 FR, 100 free (HM), 200 free (HM), 800 FR (HM)
2. Shaune Fraser (6 honors): 200 free, 200 fly, 200 IM, 400 FR, 400 MR, 800 FR (HM)
3. Omar Pinzon (5 honors): 100 back, 200 back, 200 IM, 200 MR, 400 MR
4. Rex Tullius (4 honors): 100 back, 200 MR, 200 FR, 200 back (HM)
5. Bradley Ally (5 honors): 200 IM, 400 IM, 400 FR, 400 MR, 200 fly (HM)
6. Clark Burckle (4 honors): 400 IM, 200 breast, 200 MR, 400 MR
7. Balazs Gercsak (2 honors): 500 free, 800 FR (HM)
8. Roberto Gomez (2 honors): 400 FR, 200 FR (HM)
9. Jeff Raymond (1 honor): 800 FR (HM)
10. Raul Martinez (1 honor): 200 FR (HM)
11. Ryan Crete (1 honor): 1650 free (HM)
| *15 2009 SEC Academic Honor Roll Selections | |||
| Clark Burckle | JR | Food and Resource Economics |
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| Ryan Crete | JR | Building Construction |
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| Brett Fraser | SO | Business Administration |
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| Shaune Fraser | JR | Finance |
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| Mike Joyce | SO | Event Management |
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| Cody Kauffman | SR | Marketing |
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| Aaron Leech | SR | Building Construction |
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| Alex Martin | SO | Telecommunications |
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| Matthew Norton | SO | Civil Engineering |
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| Grayson Patten | SO | Sport Management |
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| Eric Shrestha | JR | Biochemistry and Molecular Biology |
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| Logan Storie | SO | Natural Resource Management |
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| Scott Thompson | SR | Political Science |
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| Bobby Walsh | SO | Marketing |
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| Michael Yuan | SO | Food Science and Human Nutrition |
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WOMEN'S WRAP UP
*12 School Records (two set at NCAAs, 10 set at SECs)
50-YARD FREESTYLE
1. Stephanie Napier (2009) 22.17, SECs
100-YARD BUTTERFLY
1. Jemma Lowe (2009) 51.65, SECs
200-YARD BUTTERFLY
1. Jemma Lowe (2009) 1:52.53, SECs
100-YARD BACKSTROKE
1. Gemma Spofforth (2009) 50.46s, SECs
200-YARD BACKSTROKE
1. Gemma Spofforth (2009) 1:48.34, SECs
200-YARD INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY
1. Gemma Spofforth (2009) 1:54.73, NCAAs
400-YARD INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY
1. Teresa Crippen (2009) 4:05.00p, NCAAs
200-YARD FREESTYLE RELAY
1. Napier, Spofforth, Stafford, Bateman (2009) 1:28.15, SECs
400-YARD FREESTYLE RELAY
1. Kemp, Spofforth, Stafford, Napier (2009) 3:14.37, SECs
200-YARD MEDLEY RELAY
1. Spofforth, Rogers, Lago, Napier (2009) 1:36.22, SECs
400-YARD MEDLEY RELAY
1. Spofforth, Rogers, Lowe, Stafford (2009) 3:31.41, SECs
3M DIVING
1. Kara Salamone, 346.75
*One NCAA Record
1. Women's 200-yard backstroke: Gemma Spofforth, 1:48.34
*Six SEC Championships
1. Women's 200-yard medley relay: Spofforth, Rogers, Lago, Napier, 1:36.22
3. Women's 200-yard free relay: Napier, Spofforth, Stafford, Bateman, 1:28.15
5. Women's 100-yard butterfly: Jemma Lowe, 51.65
7. Women's 100-yard backstroke: Gemma Spofforth, 50.56 (went 50.53 in prelims)
8. Women's 200-yard backstroke: Gemma Spofforth, 1:48.34
10. Women's 200-yard fly: Jemma Lowe, 1:52.53
*Five SEC Records
1. Women's 200-yard medley relay: Spofforth, Rogers, Lago, Napier, 1:36.22
2. Women's 200-yard free relay: Napier, Spofforth, Stafford, Bateman, 1:28.15
3. Women's 100-yard backstroke: Gemma Spofforth, 50.46 (leadoff of 400 medley relay)
4. Women's 200-yard backstroke: Gemma Spofforth, 1:48.34
5. Women's 200-yard fly: Jemma Lowe, 1:52.53
*13 All-Americans, 34 Honors (including honorable mention)
1. Gemma Spofforth (7 honors): 200 IM, 100 back, 200 back, 200MR, 200 FR (hon. mention), 400 MR (hon. mention), 400 FR (hon. mention)
2. Jemma Lowe (4 honors): 100 butterfly, 200 butterfly, 200 MR, 400 MR (hon. mention)
3. Stephanie Proud (4 honors): 400 IM, 200 back, 400 FR (hon. mention), 800 FR (hon. mention)
4. Teresa Crippen (3 honors): 200 back, 400 IM, 800 FR (hon. mention)
5. Stephanie Napier (3 honors): 200 MR, 200 FR (hon. mention), 400 FR (hon. mention)
6. Liz Kemp (3 honors): 400 MR (hon. mention), 400 FR (hon. mention), 800 FR (hon. mention)
7. Laurabeth Guenthner (2 honors): 1,650 free, 500 free (hon. mention)
8. Lindsay Rogers (2 honors): 200 MR, 400 MR (hon. mention)
9. Sarah Bateman (1 honor): 200 FR (hon. mention)
10. Kara Salamone (2 honors): Platform, 1M (hon. mention)
11. Monica Dodson (1 honor): Platform (hon. mention)
12. Melani Costa-Schmid (1 honor): 800 FR (hon. mention)
13. Lily Ramirez (1 honors): 200 FR (hon. mention)
| * 16 2009 SEC Academic Honor Roll Selections | |||
| Jeana Bartell | SR | Event Management |
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| Kristen Beales | JR | History |
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| Monica Dodson | SO | Telecommunications |
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| Rebekah Epley | SO | Criminology |
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| Laurabeth Guenthner | SR | Health Education & Behavior |
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| Julianne Lago | SO | Telecommunications |
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| Coral Lopez | JR | Telecommunications |
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| Stephanie Napier | JR | Tourism and Hospitality Management |
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| Stacey Nedrud | JR | Zoology |
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| Sarah Peterson | JR | Advertising/Business Administration |
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| Stephanie Proud | SO | Health Education & Behavior |
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| Kelsy Smith | SR | Health Education & Behavior |
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| Gemma Spofforth | JR | Family, Youth and Community Sciences |
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| Whitney Stern | SR | Zoology |
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| Taylor Vander Ark | SO | Animal Sciences |
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| Lindsay Woodward | SR | Biological Illustration |
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| 2009 Gator Swimming and Diving Graduates | |||
| W. Swim & Dive | Burckle | Caroline | BA - Sociology |
| Drab | Caroline | BS - Telecommunications | |
| Ellerby | Sarah | BS - Applied Physiology & Kinesiology | |
| Larson | Kimberly | BS - Recreation, Parks & Tourism | |
| Stern | Whitney | BS - Zoology | |
| Woodward | Lindsay | BS - Interdisciplinary Studies | |
| M. Swim & Dive | Johnson | Grant | BA - Anthropology |
| Kauffman | Cody | BS - Marketing | |
| Leech | Aaron | BS - Building Construction | |
| Penniman | Daniel | BS - Food & Resource Economics | |
| Thompson | Scott | BS - Political Science | |
| Work | Tobias | BS - Computer Science | |
-UF-
