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Zuri Ferguson of Attleboro, Massachusetts, has announced her verbal commitment to further her education and swimming career at the University of Florida. Ferguson, a USA Swimming Scholastic All-American, has one more year remaining at Attleboro High School and will arrive in Gainesville for the 2025-2026 season.
“I am beyond excited to announce my verbal commitment to continue my academic and athletic career at the University of Florida! Huge thank you to my coaches, family, and friends for being so supportive throughout this process, especially my former and current coaches Ryan, Nick, Chuck, Christie, and Greg! I’m so grateful for the coaches at UF for giving me this amazing opportunity! Go gators!”
Ferguson, a backstroke specialist, represents Trinidad and Tobago internationally. This spring she raced at the annual CARIFTA Swimming Championships in the Bahamas, where she swept all three backstroke races. She recorded meet records in the 100m (1:02.82) and 200m back (2;16.04), narrowly missing her own Trinidad and Tobago national records. She also won the 50m back in 30.08, which is just half a second shy of her own national record as well.
Just a week prior to the CARIFTA meet, Ferguson set best times across both backstroke events at Speedo Sectionals in Providence. In the 100, she dropped about half a second to win in 52.65, while in the 200 she knocked off over a second to clock a 1:53.31, also winning the event. Over the course of this past short course season, Ferugson has taken about a second off her 100 and improved her 200 by nearly three seconds.
Top SCY Times
- 100 back – 52.65
- 200 back – 1:53.31
- 50 free – 23.50
- 100 free – 50.98
- 100 fly – 55.23
In a program best score of 1391.5, the Florida Gators secured the 2024 SEC Championship title for the second year in a row. Ferguson is poised to be an immediate scorer at the conference level, as her current best time in the 200 back would have placed 6th at this year’s SEC meet.
Bella Sims captured the SEC title for Florida in the 200 backstroke this season. She stopped the clock at 1:49.04, putting her nearly a second ahead of the next best finisher. JoJo Ramey and Catie Choate also competed in the championship final and placed 6th (1:53.68) and 8th (1:54.76), respectively. All three were freshmen last season, giving Ferguson the chance to join an already deep backstroke group.
Ferguson is joined by Laila Oravsky, Lilla Bognar, Grace Rabb, Kathleen Turano, Lynsey Bowen, and Sylvia Statkevicius in the Gators’ recruiting class of 2025.
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