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Victor Swim Club’s Makayla Sargent has made a verbal commitment to swim for the University of Florida beginning in the fall of 2016. Sargent is a senior at Victor Senior High School in Victor, New York.
“I chose the University of Florida because of their outstanding academic reputation and to have the opportunity to work with coach Gregg Troy, Coach Troy’s program consistently develops great student-athletes and I am very excited to be able to train with them next fall. The club program that I come from, Victor Swim Club, values hard work through volume & intensity, and I know that that will certainly continue at the University of Florida. I especially love the Gator team atmosphere. Everyone is working towards a common goal of excellence. I can’t wait to be a Florida Gator.”
Sargent was a three-time finalist at Summer Juniors in San Antonio, where she placed third in the 400 IM (4:49.26), fifth in the 200 IM (2:17.54), and 19th in the 200 breast (2:34.74). She went best times and earned 2016 Olympic Trials cuts in all three events. Sargent also competed in the 100 breast and 200 fly at Juniors. While she would be impressive enough with just the breaststroke and IMs, Sargent has more arrows in her quiver: she is also an accomplished distance freestyler, giving her the flexibility to fill in where Coach Gregg Troy will most need her.
Sargent’s best times over the last two seasons are:
| SCY | LCM | |
| 200 IM | 2:00.46 | 2:17.54* |
| 400 IM | 4:16.54 | 4:49.26* |
| 100 breast | 1:04.24 | 1:13.68 |
| 200 breast | 2:15.53 | 2:34.74* |
| 200 fly | 2:01.63 | 2:17.88 |
| 200 free | 1:51.31 | 2:05.35 |
| 500/400 free | 4:51.19 | 4:21.80 |
| 1650/1500 free | 17:03.24 | |
| 200 back | 2:04.12 | 2:20.66 |
*denotes 2016 Trials cut
Florida has a long tradition of producing 400 IMers but their talent pool was stronger in the 200 IM than in its longer counterpart last year. While Sargent’s 200 IM would have been just outside of scoring position at 2015 SECs, her 400 IM would have made the “C” final. She is still a tad beyond the top 24 in the 200 breast and 500 free, but considering the progress she made during long course season (dropping 2+ seconds in the 200 breast and 5+ in the 400 free), she should be ready to make a big impact from the moment she first suits up in Gators gear.
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