Florida’s Anita Bottazzo Throws Down 55.96 100 Breast Split, #4 All-Time, During Dual With UVA

Florida vs. Virginia

• Friday, October 10th, 2025
• Stephen C. O’Connell Center, Gainesville, FL
• Dual Meet Format
• SCY
• Streaming via UVA’s Instagram channel
• Results on Meet Mobile as “UF vs VIRGINIA 101025”

University of Florida sophomore Anita Bottazzo unleashed a monstrous breaststroke split on the Gator women’s 400 medley relay to open their dual meet with Virginia on Friday, becoming just the third woman to go sub-56 in the 100 breast from a flying start.

Bottazzo, an Italian native, split 55.96 for the fourth-fastest relay leg in history, only trailing a pair of splits from Indiana legend Lilly King, the current NCAA Record holder in the 100 breast, and one from Tennessee’s Mona McSharry.

All-Time Relay Splits, Women’s 100 Breaststroke (SCY)

1. Lilly King (IU), 55.66 – 2019
2. Lilly King (IU), 55.67 – 2019
3. Mona McSharry (TENN), 55.94 – 2024
4. Anita Bottazzo (FLOR), 55.96 – 2025
5. Lilly King (IU), 56.02 – 2018

Bottazzo, who owns a flat start best time of 57.49 in the 100 breast set last November, drops 1.40 seconds from her previous fastest-ever relay split, which was the 57.36 she produced last season at NCAAs.

Split Comparison – Bottazzo’s Relay Splits

Bottazzo’s opening 50 split of 25.88 was notably even faster than she was on Florida’s 200 medley relay at the 2025 NCAAs (26.12).

Despite out-splitting Virginia’s breaststroker, Aimee Canny (57.94), by two seconds, the Gators were a distant runner-up to the Cavaliers in the relay, with UVA winning in 3:25.91 and Florida touching 2nd in 3:28.67.

Bottazzo was joined on the relay by backstroker Catie Choate (51.90), butterflier Beatriz Bezerra (52.52) and freestyler Lainy Kruger (48.29).

Later in the session, Bottazzo won the women’s 50 breast in a time of 26.58, a new personal best. Her previous PB in the 50 stood at 26.81, which she set en route to clocking her 100 best of 57.49 last season.

Individually at her debut NCAA Championships last season, Bottazzo won the consolation final of the 100 breast to place 9th overall in 57.84. She was also 20th in the 200 breast (2:08.74).