Swimming & Diving Opens 2026-27 Season

Saturday, September 26

Boca Raton, Fla.

10 a.m.

Florida Gators

FAU

Swimming & Diving Opens 2026-27 Season

Friday, September 25, 2026 | Men's Swimming & Diving, Women's Swimming & Diving

Florida set to open the 2026-27 season on September 26

By: Caroline Kirby

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida Swimming & Diving is set to begin their 2026-27 campaign on Saturday, Sept. 26. The men's team will travel to Boca Raton, Fla., to face Florida Atlantic at the Coral Springs Aquatic Complex. The women's team competes against Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tenn. at the Centennial Sportsplex.

Men's Meet at Florida Atlantic
Date & Time: Saturday, Sept. 26 at 10 A.M.
Venue: Coral Springs Aquatic Complex
Swimming Live Results: Meet Mobile (App)

Florida Atlantic & Florida's All-Time Series Record

This will be the first time Florida will face FAU since the 2022-23 season. Florida men are all-time 23-0 against the Owls.

Preseason Gator Splashes

Anthony Nesty enters his ninth season at the men's head coach and sixth as the women's head coach
Assistant Coach Chelsea Piper joined the Gators coaching staff this past July, arriving to Gainesville from Vanderbilt University
This season, the Gators will compete against Kentucky, Virginia, Georgia, Missouri and Florida State before moving into Championship season. Florida aims to reclaim the SEC title at the SEC Championships, scheduled for February 14-20 in Austin, Texas, where the NCAA Championships will follow in March.

Men

Florida men's swimming and diving enters the 2026-27 season coming off their best NCAA Championships finish in 39 years (since 1985), placing second for only the second time in program history with a program-best 419 points. The men brought home five national titles, 14 more podium finishes and earned 37 All-America honors. They also recorded two NCAA, program, U.S. Open and meet records, four pool records and 11 top-10 program times.
The men's roster includes 23 athletes (19 swimmers and 4 divers) with 16 returners. Notable returners include:
- Senior Jonny Marshall: Earned three First-Team All-American honors and captured silver in the 200 Back, touching the wall in 1:37.15 to earn his best finish in the event at NCAA's. At the 2026 SEC Championships, he played a key role in Florida's runner-up finish, contributing 178 points (62 individual) and adding three medals, highlighted by his third consecutive 200 Back title. He led off Florida's 200 Medley Relay which reset NCAA and SEC program records with a time of 1:20.03 and placed second in the 400 Medley Relay.
- Senior Scotty Buff: Earned four First-Team All-American honors at NCAA's, highlighted by two silver-medal finishes in the 200 Medley and 200 Free Relays. He helped the 200 Free Relay post the No. 2 time in program history and added a bronze medal in the 400 Free Relay, while finishing sixth in the 100 Fly for a solo podium finish on his junior NCAA run. Competed in six events at the 2026 SEC Championships, contributing 250 team points (58 individual) and tallied three relay gold medals. Swam the butterfly leg on Florida's winning 200 Medley Relay team, setting the NCAA, SEC and program record with a time of 1:20.03.
- Senior Conor Gesing: Earned two First-Team All-American honors after placing sixth on the 1-meter and fifth on the 3-meter at NCAA's, contributing a key 27 individual points to Florida's historic finish. He helped Florida to a runner-up finish at the SEC Championships, scoring 53 individual points and reaching the championship finals on both 1-meter and 3-meter, placing seventh and sixth, respectively.
- Senior Jesus Gonzalez: Earned First-Team All-American honors with a third-place finish on platform at the NCAA Championships, adding 16 points with a score of 427.25 in the final. A key contributor on the diving side at SEC's, capturing his first SEC gold medal on the 3-meter with a career-best 423.05 and silver on platform with a season-best score of 431.85.
- Junior Alexander Painter: Earned four All-American honors and three relay podium finishes (one silver and two bronze) at the NCAA Championships. Helped Florida to a runner-up finish at the SEC Championships, capturing gold in the 200 and 400 Free Relays and contributing 247 points to the team total (69 individual). He also posted top-eight finishes in the 50, 100 and 200 Free.
- Sophomore Ahmed Jaouadi: Earned two First-Team All-American honors at the NCAA Championships, becoming just the second Gator to win the 1,650 Free title. As a freshman, he broke NCAA, U.S. Open, meet and program records with a 14:10.03, while adding silver in the 500 Free with the No. 3 time in program history. A key distance freestyle contributor to Florida's runner-up finish at SEC's, he won gold in the 1,650 Free with a pool record 14:25.14 and claimed silver in the 500 Free.
The Florida Gators welcome a new wave of talent to the swimming and diving program, highlighted by an accomplished group of newcomers with experience on some of the sport's biggest international stages. These additions bring a strong mix of depth, experience and potential along with versatility across sprint and distance events to an already decorated program. Some key additions include: David Johnston, Abdalla Youssef, Santiago Alzate, Zoltan Bagi, Tai Pearson and Liam Smith, along with diver Miguel Tovar.

Women's Meet at Vanderbilt
Date & Time: Saturday, Sept. 26 at 11 A.M. CT
Venue: Centennial Sportsplex
Swimming Live Results: Meet Mobile (App)

Vanderbilt & Florida's All-Time Series Record

The season opener marks the first time the women's team will face Vanderbilt since the 2023-24 season. Florida is 6-0 all-time against this opponent.

Women

Florida women's swimming and diving enters the 2026-27 season coming off their fourth consecutive top-10 finish at the NCAA Championships – the first such streak in a decade and the longest since 2001-15. The women brought home hardware and the team recorded five program top-10 times. Ten Gators combined to earn 20 CSCAA All-America honors, including 17 First-Team and 14 Second-Team selections.
The women's roster includes 26 athletes (22 swimmers and 4 divers) with 19 returners. Notable returners include:
- Senior Catie Choate: Earned three All-American honors and tallied her third 200 Back honor after placing 16th in the event at NCAA's. She swam leadoff on both of Florida's medley relay teams, clocking the No. 7 time in program history in the 200 Medley Relay and the 400 Medley Relay No. 5 mark. A member of the SEC Championships third-place team, she earned one gold medal and contributed 246 points (62 individual). Won her first SEC title in the 200 Back with a career-best 1:49.94 and finished fourth in the 100 Back (51.36). Also contributed to Florida's fourth-place finish as leadoff the 400 Medley Relay.
- Senior Lainy Kruger: Earned three All-American honors and recorded the No. 5 and No. 7 times in program history in the 400 and 200 Medley Relays, respectively. Also competed in the 800 Free Relay, 200 IM and 200 Fly. A member of the SEC Championships third-place team she appeared in seven events and contributed 253 points (69 individual). Finished fifth in the 200 IM and sixth in the 200 Fly, while helping Florida's 800 Free Relay to a fourth-place finish with a 1:44.13 split.
- Senior Michaela Mattes: Earned All-American honors and the Gators' first top-16 finish of the week with a 10th-place finish in the 1,650 Free at the NCAA Championships. A member of the third-place SEC Championships team, she competed in three events and contributed 40 individual points to the team total, including a fourth-place finish in the 1,650 Free.
- Senior Camyla Monroy: Landed on the podium in the 1-meter and platform events at NCAA's earning two All-American honors. A member of the SEC Championships third-place team, appeared in all three diving events and contributed 71 individual points. Won the platform title with a program-record 350.70 and placed eighth on 1-meter and 10th on 3-meter.
- Junior Julie Brousseau: Finished on the NCAA podium at fifth in the 500 Free, securing First-Team All-American honors. Placed 11th overall in the 800 Free Relay to earn Second-Team All-American honors. Contributed 110 points (58 individual) at the 2026 SEC Championships, appearing in four distance events. Finished fourth in the 400 IM with a season-best 4:06.61 and fourth in the 500 Free. Led off Florida's fourth place 800 Free Relay and placed 19^th in the 1,650 Free.
- Sophomore Grace Rabb: Earned First-Team All-American honors for her sixth place 200 Breast performance, clocking the No. 2 time (2:06.85) in program history. Moved to No. 8 all-time with her 100 Fly performance and also competed in the 200 IM. In her collegiate SEC Championships debut, she contributed 126 points, including a team-high 74 individual points. She earned a silver medal in the 200 Breast with a collegiate-best finish of 2:08.48. She also finished seventh in the 100 Fly and 200 IM and contributed on the butterfly leg of Florida's fourth-place 400 Medley Relay.
The Florida Gators welcome a new wave of talent to the swimming and diving program, highlighted by an accomplished group of newcomers with experience on some of the sport's biggest international stages. These additions bring a strong mix of depth, experience and potential along with versatility across sprint and distance events to an already decorated program. Some key additions include: Maeline Bessard, Bomin Kim, Maddie Moreth, Valentina Procaccini, Carla Serra and Francesca Zucca along with freshman diver Juliana Giron Trochez.

Stay Connected
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