Isabel Ivey Claims Three Individual Wins As Florida Gators Sweep FSU In Ocala

Florida vs. Florida State

• January 26, 2024
• FAST Aquatics
  • Ocala, Florida
• SCY (25 yards)
• PDF Results
• Results also available on Meet Mobile: “UF vs FSU”
• Team Scores
  • Women: Florida 182 – FSU 118
  • Men: Florida 181 – FSU 119

The Florida Gators and Florida State Seminoles made the trip to Ocala on Friday for a dual meet. The Gators walked away victorious for both the men and women, scoring over 180 points on both sides. Notably, most swimmers wore training suits for this competition.

Women’s Recap

The women’s 200 medley relay kicked off the action, and the race did not disappoint. The Gators and Seminoles touched just 0.01 apart at the finish, with the Florida women getting the touch. Florida’s winning quartet consisted of Catherine Choate (25.12), Molly Mayne (27.77), Olivia Peoples (22.84), and Micayla Cronk (22.04), and they combined for a time of 1:37.77.

The first individual event was the 1000 freestyle, where Florida junior Emma Weyant led a 1-2-3 finish for the Gators. Weyant touched in 9:38.64 to clear the field by over 12 seconds, with freshman Bella Sims (9:51.49) and junior Anna Auld (9:53.37) rounding out the top three.

Weyant would line-up behind the blocks with teammate Sims for the 200 free about 12 minutes later, with Sims grabbing the win this time around. Sims clocked 1:47.06 en route to the win, with FSU’s Maysa Ratiu (1:47.42) in close pursuit. Weyant checked-in for third, finishing in a final time of 1:47.80.

Fifth year Isabel Ivey would grab her first of three individual wins in the 100 backstroke. Ivey stopped the clock in a swift 52.50 for the win, topping the field by a full second. Her teammate, freshman Catherine Choate, hit the wall in 53.59 for 2nd place. Choate would go on to win the 200 back later in the day, touching in 1:55.63 for the win there. She posted a big best time of 1:51.94 at the Georgia Fall Invitational two months ago, and looks to have A-final potential come the NCAA Championships.

Ivey added additional wins in the 100 free (48.69) and 200 IM (1:57.32) later in the session, showcasing her versatility across a wide range of events.

FSU junior Maddy Huggins was the victor in the 100 breast, finishing in 1:00.46. She was the lone swimmer to crack the 1:02-barrier in the event, as Florida freshman Grace Rainey (1:02.07) and FSU sophomore Julia Mansson (1:02.57) finished 2nd and 3rd. Huggins owns a best time of 58.76 from the Georgia Fall Invitational this past November, so she looks to be a clear A-final threat for the upcoming ACC Championships.

After splitting 22.84 on the butterfly leg of Florida’s winning medley relay earlier, Olivia Peoples clocked 52.59 to win the 100 fly. Peoples, a fly and breast specialist, has had a great season so far. She has really found her groove in the sprint fly events, highlighted by her 51.59 best time from the Georgia Invite in November.

FSU had a number of additional victories on the day, including a 1-2 finish in the women’s 200 breast. FSU sophomore Julia Mansson stopped the clock in 2:13.28 for the win, with teammate Maddy Huggins (2:13.45) closely behind.

The Seminoles had another 1-2 finish in the 200 fly, where junior Edith Jernstedt (1:56.25) bagged the win over sophomore Sophie Freeman (1:57.13). Jernstedt owns a best time of 1:54.64 in the event, which she posted en route to a 13th place finish at NCAAs last March. The time from Freeman checks-in just outside her best time of 1:57.01, which she recorded in February of 2023.

Additional Winners:

• Florida junior Micayla Cronk was the lone swimmer to dip under the 23-second barrier in the 50 free, stopping the clock in 22.79 for the win.
• After a runner-up finish in the 200 free, FSU’s Maysa Ratiu touched in 4:52.12 for 500 free victory.
• The Florida team of Bella Sims (23.74), Isabel Ivey (22.44), Ekaterina Nikonova (22.77), and Micayla Cronk (22.09) combined to post a time of 1:31.04 in the 200 free relay, securing a decisive victory.

Men’s Recap

The Florida State men opened up the competition with an upset win in the 200 medley relay. The foursome of Mason Herbet (21.72), Marcos Egri-Martin (24.93), Tobias Schulrath (21.15), and Peter Varjasi (18.83) roared to the win in 1:26.63, with Florida 2nd in 1:26.90. The Florida relay consisted of Adam Chaney (22.36), Julian Smith (24.33), Scotty Buff (20.96), and Macguire McDuff (19.25).

A pair of Gator juniors combined for a 1-2 finish in the 1000 free, with Aryan Nehra leading the way. Nehra hit the wall in a near sub-9:00 effort of 9:00.77, while teammate Benjamin Cote touched in 9:06.72.

World Championship silver medalist Jake Mitchell walked away victorious in the 200 free, finishing in 1:36.44. FSU sophomore Utku Kurtdere (1:36.92) and FSU senior David Quirie (1:37.74) gave him a race the whole way, ultimately finishing 2nd and 3rd respectively.

FSU sophomore Tommaso Baravelli sweeped the breaststroke events, taking the 100 in 53.29 before posting a sizzling 1:55.36 in the 200. He claimed a third individual win in the 200 IM (1:47.74), making him 3-for-3 on the day. His time in the 200 breast marked a new best time, while his 100 fell just short of his 53.14 standard.

FSU fifth year, Peter Varjasi, swept the sprint free events. He first took the 50 win in 19.88 before clocking 42.86 en route to 100 free victory. Florida junior Macguire McDuff posted 2nd place finishes in both events, swimming times of 20.08 and 43.37.

Freshman sprint phenom Scotty Buff claimed an individual win in the 100 fly, where he posted a winning effort of 47.45. A pair of FSU swimmers, Tobias Schulrath and Sam Bork, took 2nd and 3rd in sub-49 efforts. Buff placed 6th in the 50 free earlier in the day, touching in 20.58.

The Florida Gators displayed their backstroke depth in the 100, as they posted a 1-2-3-4 finish in the event. Sophomore Cam Abaqueta (47.43) led the way ahead of teammates Adam Chaney (47.48), Caleb Maldari (47.50), and Jonny Marshall (47.55). The 200 back was more of the same picture, with Maldari (1:43.72) and Marshall (1:46.59) posting a 1-2 finish.

Additional Winners:

• Gator freshman Andrew Taylor stopped the clock in 4:24.05 to win the 500, a near five second victory.
• Florida junior Mason Laur clocked 1:45.63 to snag the 200 fly victory.
• The Florida team of Adam Chaney (19.97), Ed Fullum-Hout (19.84), Julian Smith (19.59), and Macguire McDuff (19.81) clocked 1:19.21 to win the 200 free relay. The time by Chaney was fast enough to place 2nd in the individual event earlier in the day. He only contested the 100 back individually.