University of Florida senior Kevin Vargas wasn’t submitted as a qualifier for the 2023 NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships in spite of having the 16th-best time in the NCAA in the 400 IM this season.
Vargas finished 11th in the 400 IM at last year’s NCAA Championships, earning Honorable Mention All-America honors and scoring 6 individual points for the Gators. He placed 38th in the 200 IM and 34th in the 200 breaststroke at that same meet.
Florida did not respond to a request for more information on why Vargas wasn’t put forward as an NCAA qualifier, but it was likely because of roster limits (18 per team).
Florida had 15 swimmers earn individual invites for the 2023 NCAA Championships. That doesn’t include Alberto Mestre, who became the first alternate when NC State dropped Kyle Ponsler from their roster to get under the 18-athlete limit.
They’ll have to use 1 more roster spot to get Eric Friese in to swim the butterfly leg of their medley relays (he did not earn an individual invite), which puts them up to 17 roster spots if Mestre gets an invite (the first alternate usually does, though it’s not a guarantee).
With divers Leonardo Garcia and Skip Donald already qualified (each diver counts as half-a-roster spot at the NCAA Championships), that puts the Gators at their roster limit of 18.
Teams don’t actually have to reduce their rosters below the limit to replace with divers before official sheets are released (as they were on Wednesday), but it appears Florida may have made the decision pre-emptively.
It makes sense to bring Mestre – he just won the 50 at the Pro Swim in a time that converts more than a tenth faster than what he went at SECs, so he’s in good form.
I also get bringing Al-Wir; he was on the bubble last year and dropped a huge chunk of time to make the meet this year, and he’s in scoring range. He also stepped up big in relays at SECs last year when Hillis was out for COVID protocols.
Friese is a big question mark – did he just need more rest? He didn’t swim at any Last Chance meets (which made no sense to me as he has scored in finals… Read more »
Not trying to insinuate anything, but I get the feeling this wouldn’t have happened if Jungbluth was still around.
Although the epitome of tough love and often taking it too far, Jungbluth does have respect for his swimmers
Also, I get the feeling he sort of acted like a second voice to Nesty and now that he’s gone, no coach can fill that void and tell Nesty when they believe he is making a mistake.
Despite what swimming twitter says, Florida is NOT all sunshine and rainbows and I wouldn’t be surprised if a couple guys are looking to transfer.
Just want to say there is definitely a bigger reason. And not a positive reason. Might look like all rainbows from the outside, but you really don’t know what is happening inside a program until you are actually apart of it.
This isn’t about Kevin not making the roster, it’s about the coaches not having respect for the swimmers.
Just math. Not about the coaches not respecting swimmers (the sport is swimming & diving), but the NCAA and its athlete limitations not having respect for the swimmers and divers.
He’ll be back in June I hope
Defeintly don’t think it’s about the roster…. Just look at the transfers. There’s definitely a bigger problem going on at UF.
Not sure I’m following–they had several swimmers transfer in last season but I can only think of one that transferred out.
I know for sure there are a handful in the portal now
The problem is you apparently need remedial math. 18. 18 does not reflect “definitely a bigger problem going on at UF.” In fact, it is the opposite. If you get to 18, there have to be quite a few good things going on in the program.
Just looking at the numbers in the portal, and the things i have heard from multiple swimmers this year. Nothing to do with the math or making a team.
Are you another college coach? If so, seems pretty poor taste to bash another school anonymously and without accountability. With the class Florida is bringing in plus the relaxed rules around transfers, athletes in the portal doesn’t necessarily speak of any larger issue in the program.
This is super disappointing and honestly sad considering I was super high on Vargas after a solid summer last year.
Tbh, Friese should probably be left out since it’s his fault he’s regressed the last 2 years and couldn’t qualify individually. I doubt he even boosts relays now that they have Liendo.
I was thinking why reward him for going backwards. Must be more to it. Its like when a coach gives his kid a roster spot over more qualified athletes. Go ahead and do it but it has consequences.
Has Florida confirmed that Friese is going? I feel like Vargas not going is something else. I feel like that doesn’t make much sense for them to sacrifice a potential scoring considering Friese was only on their 200 medley relay at SECs, where he split 19.9. I feel like Florida is better off putting Liendo on fly McDuff on free. It would take some rearranging since McDuff is already on their other 4, but Florida is definitely deep enough.
They have not. Right now, all we can do is guess.
Not even close