Josh Liendo, Florida Newcomers Lead Double Dual Win in Opener
Josh Liendo and Florida’s other new faces helped the Gators start the season with three victories Friday, topping Nova Southeastern and Arkansas in Gainesville.
Both women’s scores were lopsided: 244-44 over Nova Southeaster, and 219-79 over Arkansas. Florida’s men’s team beat Nova Southeastern, 252-42.
Florida won all but one event across both meets and nabbed seven NCAA B cuts.
Leading the way was the freshman Liendo, the Canadian Olympian. He helped the men’s medley relay (with Adam Chaney, Dillon Hillis and Alberto Mestre) win in 1:28.04. Liendo won the 50 freestyle in 19.69, a B cut ahead of teammates Mestre (19.97) and Eric Freise (20.47). Liendo also captured the 100 butterfly in 49.06, three tenths up on Jace Crawford.
Fellow Olympian Jake Mitchell picked up his first win as a Gator, going 4:24.92 to capture the 500 free. The Michigan transfer also finished second in the 200 free, .01 behind Julian Smith and .02 up on Oskar Lindholm. Smith also won the 100 free in a B cut of 43.53 and a 1-2 with Mestre.
Chaney dominated the 100 back in 49.45 and the 200 back in 1:49.11. Hillis went 55.39 in the 100 breast to edge teammate Aleksas Savickas by .12 seconds. Savickas was second to teammate Raphael Rached Windmuller in the 200 breast. Kevin Vargas, second to Chaney in the 200 back, won the 200 IM in 1:46.80, denying Smith his third win.
Brennan Gravley claimed the 1,000 free, Bill Jones notched the 200 fly win and Anton Svirskyi won both diving events for the Gators. Lindholm, Alfonso Mestre, Ed Fullum-Hout and Trey Freeman went 2:59.41 to wrap up the meet with a 400 free relay win.
A familiar face led the way for the women’s team in Talia Bates. The senior anchored a win in the 200 medley relay, captured the 100 back in 54.23 and led a 1-2 in the 100 fly with teammate Olivia Peoples in 53.84. Bates also led off the winning 400 free relay to finish the meet.
Ekaterina Nikonova and Katie Mack went 1-2 in both sprint freestyle events for the Gators. Both earned NCAA B cuts in the 50 free – 22.45 and 22.56, respectively – while Nikonova’s 48.95 was a B cut in the 100.
Hayden Miller swept the distance events, winning the 1,000 free and 500 free. The former was a 1-2 with Anna Auld, the latter with Elise Bauer.
Florida State transfer Nina Kucheran won the 100 breast and 200 breast and was third in the 200 IM in her first meet as a Gator. Tylor Mathieu and Kathleen Golding went 1-2 in the 200 free, as did Mabel Zavaros and Zoe Dixon in the 200 back and Zavaros and Golding in the 200 IM. Carina Lumia won both diving events for Florida.
Arkansas’s lone win was one of the fastest races of the day, with Luciana Thomas winning the 200 fly in 1:59.01. That’s an NCAA B cut, as was the time of runner-up Amanda Ray of Florida (1:59.12).
Arkansas pushed Florida’s A 200 medley relay, the foursome of Kobie Melton, Vanessa Herrmann, Andrea Sansores and Bella Cothern finishing just .27 seconds back in 1:40.99. Hermann was second in both breaststroke events. Sansores was second to Bates in the 100 back. Arkansas’s Grace Walker was second on 3-meter diving.
