Florida Women's Swimming Looking to Repeat as National Champions Starting Thursday
Tuesday, March 15, 2011 | Women's Swimming & Diving
WHO: No. 8 Florida women's swimming and diving team
WHAT: 2011 NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships
WHEN: Thursday, March 17 – Saturday, March 19
WHERE: Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center, Austin, Texas
LIVE STATS (FRIDAY AND SATURDAY FINALS ARE ALSO ON ESPN3.com)
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 8 University of Florida women's swimming and diving team will look to defend their 2010 title as they travel Austin, Texas to compete in the 2011 NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center. The meet will take place from Thursday, March 17 – Saturday, March 19, with the trials beginning in the morning at 11:00 a.m. CT and the finals being held in the evening at 7:00 p.m. CT each day.
The UF women are looking to defend their NCAA title, as they won the second NCAA Championship in school history last season. The women have won a total of 67 individual titles along with 20 relay titles at the NCAA Championships. The Gators are returning two National Champions in juniors Sarah Bateman (Orlando, Fla.) and Shara Stafford (Topeka, Kan.), as they were members of the winning 200-yard freestyle relay squad last season.
Joining them will be junior Angelina Ballatore (Gainesville, Fla.), freshman Elizabeth Beisel (North Kingstown, R.I.), sophomore Jamie Bohunicky (Gainesville, Fla.), junior Teresa Crippen (Conshohocken, Pa.), sophomore Sarra Lajnef (Tunis, Tunisia), freshman Hilda Luthersdottir (Hafnarfjordur, Iceland), freshman Alicia Mathieu (Marlborough, Conn.), freshman Alana Pazevic (Mill Creek, Wash.), sophomore Corinne Showalter (Sarasota, Fla.), junior Kirsten Smith (Cary, N.C.), freshman Ellese Zalewski (Melbourne, Australia) and senior diver Monica Dodson (Franklin, Ind.). In total, the Gators had 13 invited swimmers which is tied for third-most nationally. Five of them will be making their NCAA debut as freshmen.
The Gator women currently hold 12 top-10 NCAA times in 11 different events. Beisel is heading into the meet with five of those times. She was named Southeastern Conference Swimmer of the Week four times, the first freshmen ever do so, and was the 2011 SEC Female Freshmen Swimmer of the Year for her efforts at the SEC Championships. She currently has 24 individual and three relay victories on the season. Beisel was also the SEC Champion in the 200 back and 400 IM, setting the SEC record in the 400 IM.
Crippen enters the meet with a team-best seven All-American honors. The junior will be competing in four events for the Gators. Crippen holds two top-10 NCAA times, one in the 200 back and the other in the 200 fly. She is the 2011 SEC Champion in the 200 fly. Crippen, along with Beisel, is also a member of the 2011 U.S. FINA World Championship Team.
Dodson will represent the Gators on the diving boards. Dodson is a two-time SEC Diving Champion and record holder and was named the 2011 SEC Diver of the Year. The Indiana native has nine total victories on the season.
Florida's women are coming off of a second-place finish at the 2011 SEC Championships. They won two titles and had eight women earn All-SEC honors. They also set one SEC record and three school records at the meet. Gator fans are also encouraged to follow the swimming and diving program via Twitter or Facebook.
