Florida’s Anita Bottazzo Swims 57.49 In First SCY Meet Ever, #3 Freshman Ever

2024 Georgia Invitational

• November 20 – 22, 2024
• Gabrielsen Rec Center — Athens, GA
• Competing teams: Georgia Southern University, UGA (host), LSU, Alabama, Missouri, U of SC, Florida
• Prelims: 9:30 am ET/Finals: 5:30 pm ET
  • Watch: SECN+ Network
• Live Results: “UGA Fall Invitational 2024” on MeetMobile
• Day 2 Finals Recap

Women’s 100 breaststroke

• NCAA Record: 55.73 — Lilly King, Indiana (2019)
• SEC Record: 56.64 — Mona McSherry, Tennessee (2024)
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 58.01
• NCAA ‘B’ Cut: 1:01.22

Top 8:

1. Anita Bottazzo (FLOR) — 57.49
2. Molly Mayne (FLOR) — 58.97
3. Avery Wiseman (BAMA) — 59.89
4. Lina Bank (UMIZ) — 59.97
5. Diana Petkova (BAMA) — 1:00.16
6. Grace Palmer (LSU) — 1:00.17
7. Kasia Norman (BAMA) — 1:00.43
8. Anna Moore (FLOR) — 1:01.11

Florida first-year Anita Bottazzo swam to a 57.49 in the women’s 100 breast during her first-ever short course yards meet. That also makes her the #2 freshman ever in the event and #14 performer all-time.

All-Time Top Freshman- Women’s 100 Breast

1. Lilly King – 56.85
2. Lydia Jacoby – 57.03
3. Anita Bottazzo – 57.49
4. Sophie Hansson – 57.95
5. McKenzie Siroky – 58.00

Bottazzo competes for Italy at the international level and finished 13th in the 50 breast at the 2024 World Championships in February. She also has had SCM success, finishing 5th in the 100 IM and 7th in the 50 breast at 2023 Short Course Euros. Her mom notably swam for the Gators.

The arrival of Bottazzo is huge for the Gators as the team only had one sub-1:00 breaststroker last season with Molly Mayne posting a 58.68 at SECs. Mayne split a 58.75 on the team’s 400 medley relay at 2024 NCAAs. That relay finished 4th, less than a second behind 2nd place Texas and 3rd place Tennessee.

The team had zero finalists in the 100 breast at 2024 NCAAs and today’s time would have earned Bottazzo a 7th place finish.

Notably, McKenzie Siroky of Tennessee also climbed the freshman rankings tonight posting a 58.00. That makes her the #4 freshman of all-time.