Florida State Tops Miami, FGCU
The Florida State women’s swimming and diving team continued their dominance this season as they defeated Florida Gulf Coast and intra-state rival Miami on Saturday in Fort Myers, Fla.
The team faced their toughest competition to date as FGCU won five events and Miami claimed first place in four events. Florida State dug deep however, and came up with wins in seven events, including a sweep of the top three spots in both the one-meter and three-meter dive competitions.
Once again the Seminoles were led in the pool by sophomore Stephanie Sarandos who took first in the 100 back (57.76) and the 200 back (2:02.86). Senior Shanda Casella finished first in the 50 free (23.94), while junior C.J. Hendry was victorious in the 100 fly (56.42). Casella and Hendry were also a part of the winning 200 free relay team (1:34:87) which also included seniors Stevi Steinhauer and Carly Cavalieri.
On the boards, Florida State continues to show their depth. Junior Kat Adham claimed first in both the one-meter (275.32) and three-meter (283.05) dive events. Senior Aleia Monden and junior Jaq Schroeder claimed second and third, respectively, in both events.
Up next the men’s team will join the women’s team back in the pool as they set to face off against cross town rival Florida A&M next Friday, October 23.
Annika Saarnak and Sofia Johansson each posted wins on Saturday as the University of Miami swimming and diving team took part in a tri-meet against Florida Gulf Coast and Florida State at the Lee County/FGCU Aquatics Center on the FGCU campus in Ft. Myers, Fla.
UM head swimming coach Christie Shefchunas, now in her fourth year in Coral Gables, stated the Hurricanes look more impressive than any she’s had so far at UM. The team is accumulating better times with each meet, and she’s happy about the progress the team is making without the diving team helping with valuable points.
Miami (0-5, 0-3 ACC) fell in both duals at FGCU, falling to the host Eagles and ACC foe FSU Seminoles.
“The girls had a really tough week of training and it showed,” Shefchunas said. “They definitely had to give more fight to finish their races strong this week. They definitely looked fatigued, but it’s all about being a warrior and fighting through it.”
One of the people Shefchunas saw fight through fatigue was Sofia Johansson, a freshman from Ramlösa, Sweden. Johansson collected wins in the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke. For Johansson, Saturday’s meet marked just her second-ever short course event. The win was Johansson’s second consecutive in the 100 breast, and her second top three performance in the 200 breast.
Also performing well was junior Annika Saarnak (Puhaleda, Estonia), claiming winning times in both the 100- and 200-yard freestyle. Saarnak has now registered five top three times in multiple events in just two meets thus far on the year.
“Annika [Saarnak] and Sofia [Johansson] were double event winners,” stated Shefchunas. “They're really leading the team, looking great physically and mentally.”
The Hurricanes will have time to rest and continue rigorous training before venturing to their next event, a tri-meet at ACC opponent Virginia Tech where they will also face ACC foe Duke. The meet is set for Nov. 7 in Blacksburg, Va., beginning at 1 p.m.
“We have three weeks to get ready for Virginia Tech and Duke, and I know the girls will be ready,” continued Shefchunas. “Then, off to Ohio State to finish out our fall schedule where we will finally rest and try to get some NCAA cuts out of the way early.”
