MIAMI, Fla.— The Florida Gators opened their 2019-20 campaign with an all-around team win against the Florida International Panthers on Thursday at the Biscayne Bay Aquatic Center.
The Gators defeated the Panthers by a tally of 194-101 and won 15 of the 16 total events with 34 Gators competing.
The meeting marked the first time the two programs have competed against each other.
The 200 medley relay team of
Sherridon Dressel,
Vanessa Pearl,
Chade Nersicio and
Bella Garofalo paced Florida by winning the first event of the meet in a combined time of 1:41.63. Another group of Gators (
Emma Ball,
Adrianna DeBoer,
Talia Bates and
Gabby Hillis) finished in second place in a combined effort of 1:42.68. The 200 free relay squad of Hillis, Dressel,
Emma Ball and Nersicio beat the field by five seconds in the final relay of the meet.
Leah Braswell set a Biscayne Bay Aquatic Center Record after hitting the wall in 9:58.25 in the 1,000 free. Three more pool records would be set by Gators as
Talia Bates finished with a swim of 23.25 in the 50 free,
Kelly Fertel registered a time of 2:15.01 in the 200 breast and
Vanessa Pearl winning the 400 IM with a time of 4:16.78.
Savanna Faulconer finished right behind Pearl, hitting the wall in 4:17.78 for the second-fastest time in the 400 IM.
Three Freshmen would reel in five individual victories in their first collegiate meet.
Kathleen Golding won the 200 free with a swim of 1:49.22. Later, she would go on and win the 500 free. Bates would join in her winning her first two collegiate meets of her career in the 50 free and 100 fly.
Allie Piccirillo earned her first win of her career in the 200 fly in an effort of 2:02.06
The Gators would take the top three spots in the 100 back and 200 back.
In the 100 back, Dressel picked up her second win of the day with an effort of 52.87. Teammates
Rosie Zavaros (56.72) and
Celi Guzman (56.81) were right behind her to finish in second and third, respectively.
Zavaros paced the 200 back, registering a swim of 1:58.97. Faulconer hit the wall for the second-fasted time in 2:03.48 and Guzman would right behind her, finishing exactly one second later.
In the diving events,
Ashley McCool won the 1-meter with a final score of 302.33 in her first meet as a Gator.
Elizabeth Perez picked up two points with her fourth-place finish (265.43).
McCool would follow-up her 1-meter performance with a runner-up bid on the 3-meter with a final score of 285.83. Perez would again finish in fourth with Abby Howell and
Emma Whitner finishing behind her in fifth and sixth-place.
Wins:
200 Medley Relay: Dressel, Pearl, Nersicio, Garofalo
1,000 Free: Braswell (Pool record)
200 Free: Golding
100 Back: Dressel
100 Breast: Pearl
200 Fly: PIccirillo
50 Free: Bates (Pool record)
100 Free: Garofalo
200 Back: Zavaros
200 Breast: Fertel (Pool record)
500 Free: Golding
100 Fly: Bates
400 IM: Pearl (Pool record)
200 free relay: Hillis, Dressel, Ball, Nersicio
1-Meter: McCool
Personal-Bests:
Kalie Novosedliak- 1,000 free (10:41.44)
Quotables:
Head Coach
Jeff Poppell: "I was very pleased with our swims for the very first meet of the season. Several of our returning athletes were faster than they were at any point of the season last year. Furthermore, I thought out freshmen did a fantastic job, which included event wins by
Talia Bates,
Kathleen Golding and
Allie Piccirillo."
Diving head coach
Bryan Gillooly: "The meet today was a success. I thought the girls did well on the 1-meter for this time of the year. I can definitely see we are heading in the right direction as a team. Ashley's (McCool) first meet as a Gator showed a lot of potential. As always for this time of year there is a lot of work to be done but I am really optimistic about the season ahead."
Up Next:
The team will stay in South Florida for meets on Friday and Saturday. The Gators will hit the pool tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. against the Miami Hurricanes and then wrap-up the week in Boca Raton, squaring-off with the Florida Atlantic Owls at 10:00 a.m.
Meet Results
Follow the Gators:
|
FloridaGators.com |
Twitter |
Instagram |
Facebook |
