No. 5/8 Florida Swimming Welcomes No. 14/12 LSU for Friday Twin Meet

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 5/8 ranked Florida males’s and girls’s swimming program will kick off the brand new 12 months at dwelling on Friday, Jan. 9, taking up No. 14/12 LSU. The Gators will honor their seniors at 10:00 a.m. with swimming occasions following at 10:30 a.m.   

#5/8 Florida (Men’s: 3,1, Women’s: 3-1) vs. #14/12 LSU (Men’s 6-0, Women’s 8-0)

Date: Friday, Jan. 9

Senior Celebration: 10:00 a.m.

Swimming Events: 10:30 a.m.

Site: Stephen C. O’Connell Center Natatorium

Live Results: MeetMobile (App) | @GatorsSwimDv on Socials

Admission: Free

Parking / Fan Entrance: Fans can use Gate 2 as the doorway to the meet, which is able to open at 9:30 a.m. The Flat Lot of the O’Dome North parking zone shall be accessible for parking.

 

All-Time Series towards LSU

Friday’s twin meet marks the primary assembly with the Tigers for the reason that 2018-19 season. The males maintain a 25-0 benefit, whereas the ladies sitting 15-0.

 

About LSU

Led by Rick Bishop, each the boys’s and girls’s applications stay undefeated heading into their first twin meet of the season and have been ranked within the CSCAA Top 25 for the reason that starting of the 12 months. The Tigers are additionally making their first look of the brand new 12 months, as the ladies completed second and the boys positioned fourth on the Georgia Fall Invitational. In SEC twin meet motion, LSU has tallied wins over Kentucky and Alabama.

 

LSU’s males enter the matchup with 11 swimmer people ranked among the many SEC top-25 performers. Led by dash standout Jere Hribar, the junior ranks third in each the 50 and 100 free and eighth within the 200 free. Stepan Goncharov sits second within the 50 again and fifth within the 100 again, whereas additionally rating fifteenth within the 50 free and eleventh within the 100 free. Dillingham and Simon Meubry are additionally ranked within the 50 free, whereas Meubry sits twenty fourth within the 100 free and nineteenth within the 200 free. LSU’s middle-distance group options Jovan Lekic (18th within the 200 free, eighth within the 500 free), alongside Nikola Simic (twenty first) and Jacob Pishko (twenty second) within the 500 free. On the backstroke aspect, Albert Bouley checks in at twenty fourth within the 50 again, whereas Volodymyr Lisovets ranks seventh within the 100 breast and sixteenth within the 200 breast. Stuart Higdon (twentieth, 200 fly) and Caleb Ellis (twenty second, 200 fly) who symbolize the Tigers within the fly.

 

On the ladies’s aspect, Michaela De Villiers (sixth 50 free, ninth, 100 free) and Avery Littlefield (7^th 50 free,  tenth 100 fly) headline the dash group in addition to Sabrina Lyn. Megan Barnes (12^th 200 free, tenth 500 free) and Nicole Santuliana, who ranks eighth within the 1650 free and 14th within the 500 free symbolize LSU within the center distance occasions. Giulia Zambelli ranks fourth within the 200 fly, whereas LSU’s again is led by Sofia Sartori, who owns top-10 marks in all three backstroke occasions and ranks third within the 200 fly. Breaststroke depth is rounded out by Martina Bukvic (sixth 200 breast, eighth, 100 breast) and Grace Palmer.

 

Gators Last Time Out

Both the women and men are making their first look since Nov. 21, 2025, when the Gators swept the Georgia Fall Invitational for the third-consecutive 12 months. The males totaled 947 factors, whereas the ladies completed with 1,044.5 factors. Across 4 days of competitors, the Gators mixed for 69 NCAA qualifying instances, 36 top-three finishes and 12 program top-10 marks.

 

Gator Splashes

Florida’s males are highlighted by Josh Liendo, who ranks first within the 50 free and 100 fly and second within the 100 free. The Gators’ dash group additionally options Scotty Buff, Alexander Painter and Devin Dilger. In the space occasions, Ahmed Jaouadi tops the convention in each the five hundred and 1650 free, with Gio Linscheer, Charlie Hutchison and Eric Brown additionally ranked. Florida is equally robust on the backstroke aspect behind Jonny Marshall and Aiden Norman, whereas Aleksas Savickas, Nil Cadevall and Jordan Willis seem within the breaststroke rankings.

 

ON the ladies’s aspect, Anita Bottazzo, tops the convention in each the 100 and 200 breast, alongside Molly Mayne, Grace Rainey and Sofia Plaza. The Gators’ freestyle and distance group is highlighted by Julie Brousseau (third 500 free, sixth 1650 free, fifth 400 IM), Michaela Mattes (third 1650 free, ninth, 500 free), Lainy Kruger and Camille DeBoer, together with dash depth from Beatriz Bezerra and Sylvia Statkevicius. Florida’s again is led by Catie Choate (first 200 again, third, 100 again), JoJo Ramey, Aspen Gersper and Zoe Dixon. Grace Rabb, Addison Reese and Sofia Plaza additionally seem within the rankings, with Rabb showing in six occasions.

 

Senior Day

Florida honors the careers of eight Gators on Friday earlier than the principle portion of the meet at 10:00 a.m. This senior class has accounted for 36 All-American honors, 35 Top-10 program instances, 17 SEC titles and 12 nationwide titles and 4 SEC Championships. Two seniors represented their nation on the 2024 Paris Olympics, with one incomes a silver medal. In the classroom, this group has been named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll 19 instances in addition to have had over 10 C-S-C-A-A Scholar All-American accolades.

 

ORDER OF EVENTS
Florida even lanes, LSU Odd lanes
10:00 a.m. – Senior Ceremony
10:30 p.m. – Swimming Events

• 200y Medley Relay
• 1,000y Freestyle
• 200y Freestyle
• 100y Backstroke
• 100y Breaststroke
• 200y Butterfly
• 50y Freestyle

11:45 a.m. – Break
12:00 pm – Swimming Events

• 100y Freestyle
• 200y Backstroke
• 200y Breaststroke
• 500y Freestyle
• 100y Butterfly

12:30 p.m. – Break
12:45 p.m. – Swimming Events

Stay Connected

Fans can keep updated with the Florida Gator swimming & diving groups by following @GatorsSwimDv on X and meet up with the most recent information and content material of the group. Like the group’s Facebook web page at Florida Gators Swimming & Diving Fans also can sustain with the group by following them on Instagram at @Gatorsswimdv