The competition was a bit close for comfort at times, but Florida came out on top at the 2016-17 season’s Sunshine Showdown on Thursday, sweeping the men’s and women’s team titles at Florida State. The men (1-0) won by 40 points, 170-130, while the women’s (1-0) meet was tighter at 157-143.
“We fell short but we really did some awesome things today,” FSU head coach Neal Studd said. “It was our first time competing, but there was a lot of grit. We got beat in some places where we swam great. This was about us getting better. This was an incredible first step and it was an incredible first meet for me.”
The women’s meet started with FSU winning the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:40.56 behind the team of juniors Ariel Barber, Natalie Pierce, senior Lydia Ware and junior Alexi Smith.
The Gators haven’t lost to FSU since 2010 on the men’s side and 2012 on the women’s.
Of the 16 events each on both the men’s and women’s sides, the Gator men won 11 (nine individual and two relays) and the women won eight (all individual).
Senior Alyssa Yambor-Maul continued the performance she started back at the All-Florida Invitational, winning the 100 (55.10) and 200 fly (1:59.70) and 200 back (2:00.07) and gathering 27 points.
The majority of the Florida women who took home other titles were underclassmen, earning their first-career dual-meet victories. Freshman Emma Ball won the 100 back (55.61), freshman Savanna Faulconer the 200 IM (2:03.72), freshman Georgia Darwent the 500 free (4:54.74) and sophomore Teya Syskakis the 1-meter dive (276.60). Autumn Finke was the other senior in the bunch, placing first in the 1000 free (10:00.74).
For the men, Thursday’s meet saw the return of Rio Olympians Mitch D’Arrigo, Caeleb Dressel and Jan Switkowski. Each had a hand in a first-place finish.
Dressel totaled 18 individual points for Florida with wins in the 100 back (48.64) and 100 fly (47.32), while also helping to earn 22 relay points for his 19.15 split in the 200 medley relay and 43.06 split in the 400 free relay.
Switkowski also was a part of those two relays, splitting 21.15 on the fly leg of the medley relay and 44.66 on his portion of the free relay.
D’Arrigo was tops in the 200 free at 1:38.93, rounding things out for the three returners.
“The addition of all three of those (swimmers) into our men’s team just changes the complete dynamic of that men’s program,” associate head coach Jeff Poppell said on Monday. “What they bring – not just from a competitive standpoint, but just from a leadership aspect – to the rest of the men on the team is invaluable, so we’re excited about having them rejoin our men’s team in a competitive environment.”
As Dressel was the only multiple-individual-event winner for the Florida men, the rest of the victories were spread out – Mark Szaranek took the 200 IM (1:49.69), Andrew Brady the 500 free (4:29.97) and Blake Manganiello the 1000 free (9:17.97).
Sophomores Ross Palazzo and Stanley Wu won their first-career dual-meet events, with Palazzo touching first in the 200 breast (2:01.00) and Wu in the 100 breast (56.00). Maxime Rooney shared that milestone with a win in the 200 fly (1:49.49).
Although he did not have an individual win, Jack Blyzinskyj played a key role in the 200 medley relay title, leading off the team with a 23.12 back split.
