No. 4 Florida Men Secure Home-Opener Win, No. 6 Women Fall to Top-Ranked Virginia
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 4 Florida men’s swimming and diving team opened its 2025-26 home slate with a 191.50-159.50 win over No. 13 Virginia, while the No. 6 women fell to the nation’s top-ranked Cavaliers on Friday afternoon at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center Natatorium.
Florida totaled 13 NCAA cuts, with the women recording 10 and the men three.
The Gator men posted eight event victories and 26 top-three finishes, with 16 different swimmers contributing points in the win. Freshmen Ahmed Jaouadi and Nil Cadevall scored team-high 22 points apiece, each earning two first-place finishes and one second-place finish in their respective events. Jaouadi won the 1000-yard free (8:44.85), the 500-yard free (4:14.94) and finished second in the 200-yard free (1:35.79). Cadevall tallied wins in the 100-yard breast (53.87) and the 200-yard breast (1:57.32), while earning second in the 50-yard breast (25.22).
Junior Jonny Marshall followed totaled 21 points after winning the 50-yard back (21.45) and the 100-yard backstroke 45.68). He placed third in the 200 back (1:43.99) and swam a 45.51 back split for Florida’s 400 medley relay, which finished second. Devin Dilger anchored that same relay with a 41.41 free split and led off the 400 free relay with a 42.79 free split for second place. Individually, the sophomore won the 50-yard free (19.68) and 100-yard free (42.48), while adding a fourth-place finish in the 50-yard fly (21.50) to total 20 points for the Gators.
On the women’s side, Florida totaled four event victories and 13 top-three finishes, which was highlighted by historic performance from the 400 medley relay team of Catie Choate, Anita Bottazzo, Beatriz Bezerra and Lainy Kruger, who posted the program’s third-fastest time (3:28.67). Bottazzo, who recorded a 55.96 split on the breast leg, led the Gators with 18 points after winning both the 50-yard breast (26.58) and 100-yard breast (56.87).
Additionally, Kruger notched a team-high two NCAA cuts in the 200-yard fly (1:51.58) and 200-yard free (1:55.71), while Choate also finished with two qualifying times in the 100-yard back (51.58) and 200-yard back (1:51.58).
Gator diving made a strong impact, contributing 32 points on both the men’s and women’s sides since Virginia no longer has a diving program. Every diver recorded an NCAA Zone qualifying score, with Jesus Gonzalez sweeping the springboard events on the men’s side after recording a 352.28 on the 1-meter and a 385.20 on the 3-meter. For the women, Camyla Monroy claimed first on the 1-meter (310.65) and placed second on the 3-meter (345.23), while Maria Garcia won the 3-meter with a score of 347.63 and was second on the 1-meter (308.10).
Up Next
The Gators remain home for their first conference matchup of the season, hosting Georgia on Thursday, Oct. 30 and Friday, Oct. 31 at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center Natatorium. Florida diving kicks the home festivities off on Thursday at 5 p.m. ET, with swimming events taking place on Friday at 11 a.m. ET. The dual meet will stream on SEC+ as well as can be followed on the meetmobile app for live updates.
Florida totaled 13 NCAA cuts, with the women recording 10 and the men three.
The Gator men posted eight event victories and 26 top-three finishes, with 16 different swimmers contributing points in the win. Freshmen Ahmed Jaouadi and Nil Cadevall scored team-high 22 points apiece, each earning two first-place finishes and one second-place finish in their respective events. Jaouadi won the 1000-yard free (8:44.85), the 500-yard free (4:14.94) and finished second in the 200-yard free (1:35.79). Cadevall tallied wins in the 100-yard breast (53.87) and the 200-yard breast (1:57.32), while earning second in the 50-yard breast (25.22).
Junior Jonny Marshall followed totaled 21 points after winning the 50-yard back (21.45) and the 100-yard backstroke 45.68). He placed third in the 200 back (1:43.99) and swam a 45.51 back split for Florida’s 400 medley relay, which finished second. Devin Dilger anchored that same relay with a 41.41 free split and led off the 400 free relay with a 42.79 free split for second place. Individually, the sophomore won the 50-yard free (19.68) and 100-yard free (42.48), while adding a fourth-place finish in the 50-yard fly (21.50) to total 20 points for the Gators.
On the women’s side, Florida totaled four event victories and 13 top-three finishes, which was highlighted by historic performance from the 400 medley relay team of Catie Choate, Anita Bottazzo, Beatriz Bezerra and Lainy Kruger, who posted the program’s third-fastest time (3:28.67). Bottazzo, who recorded a 55.96 split on the breast leg, led the Gators with 18 points after winning both the 50-yard breast (26.58) and 100-yard breast (56.87).
Additionally, Kruger notched a team-high two NCAA cuts in the 200-yard fly (1:51.58) and 200-yard free (1:55.71), while Choate also finished with two qualifying times in the 100-yard back (51.58) and 200-yard back (1:51.58).
Gator diving made a strong impact, contributing 32 points on both the men’s and women’s sides since Virginia no longer has a diving program. Every diver recorded an NCAA Zone qualifying score, with Jesus Gonzalez sweeping the springboard events on the men’s side after recording a 352.28 on the 1-meter and a 385.20 on the 3-meter. For the women, Camyla Monroy claimed first on the 1-meter (310.65) and placed second on the 3-meter (345.23), while Maria Garcia won the 3-meter with a score of 347.63 and was second on the 1-meter (308.10).
Up Next
The Gators remain home for their first conference matchup of the season, hosting Georgia on Thursday, Oct. 30 and Friday, Oct. 31 at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center Natatorium. Florida diving kicks the home festivities off on Thursday at 5 p.m. ET, with swimming events taking place on Friday at 11 a.m. ET. The dual meet will stream on SEC+ as well as can be followed on the meetmobile app for live updates.
Friday Fun 😊🐊
Presented by @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/cd6Xx7z5Z2
— Gators Swimming & Diving (@GatorsSwimDv) October 10, 2025
Complete results from today’s dual meet can be found below. Underlined times denote an NCAA cut.
Men’s Results
Women’s Results
Men’s 1-Meter Results:
Women’s 1-Meter Results:
Men’s 3-Meter Results:
Women’s 3-Meter Results:
Stay Connected
Fans can stay up to date with the Florida Gator swimming & diving teams by following @GatorsSwimDv on X and catch up with the latest news and content of the team. Like the team’s Facebook page at Florida Gators Swimming & Diving Fans can also keep up with the team by following them on Instagram at @Gatorsswimdv.
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