Florida Swimming & Diving Provides Dutch Standout Koen de Groot to 2025-26 Roster

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The University of Florida’s Swimming & Diving program welcomes Dutch swimmer Koen de Groot to the boys’s 2025-26 roster.

“We are thrilled to welcome Koen to our program,” mentioned Florida’s Head Coach Anthony Nesty. “We’re confident he’ll thrive in our environment and make an immediate impact.”

A local of Eindhoven, Netherlands, de Groot joins the Gators with a listing of spectacular performances on the worldwide stage. Most lately, he broke the Dutch nationwide document within the 50-meter breaststroke on the World Championships in Singapore, profitable his semifinal warmth in 26.71 and ending seventh total within the closing with a time of 26.81.

In complete, de Groot has earned over a dozen podium finishes throughout Europe since 2019, claiming a number of nationwide titles throughout short-course and long-course codecs within the Netherlands, together with:

• Nederlandse Kampioenschappen (25m) – Dec 2024
  
  • 1st – 100m Breaststroke – 56.86
  • 1st – 50m Breaststroke – 26.29

• Nederlandse Kampioenschappen (LCM) – Jun 2024
  • 1st – 50m Breaststroke – 27.39
  • 2nd – 100m Breaststroke – 1:00.30
  • third – 50m Freestyle – 22.83

His 2023 season featured a 4th-place end within the 50m breaststroke on the European Short Course Championships, silver medals in each the 50m and 100m breast on the LEN European U23 Championships, and a nationwide title on the Sommer Schweizermeisterschaft in Switzerland.
 
De Groot turns into the eighth newcomer to affix Florida for the reason that program introduced its preliminary signees final November. At that point, 5 feminine swimmers, two male swimmers, and two divers dedicated to the 2025-26 season. Since then, Maria Fernanda Garcia Sixtos, Beatriz Bezzera, Nil Cadevall, Alex Cohoon, Charlie Hustison, Alexa Fung  and Aspen Gerspers have additionally pledged to affix the Gators in August.
 
FOLLOW THE GATORS
SOCIAL: X | Facebook | Instagram
JOIN THE CONVERSATION: #GoGators