UF Men’s Swimming & Diving: Finke And Smith Crowned Champions At NCAA Championships
Courtesy of University Athletic Association
BY BRIDGETTE UNDERWOOD
Gators grab four top three finishes on night 3.
Robert Finke and Kieran Smith are crowned National Champions on day three of the NCAA Championships in Greensboro, N.C.
Robert Finke went a blistering 3:36.90 to claim his first National Title in the 400 IM earning All-American Honors. With that time Finke now moves up to number two on the UF all-time best list.
Kieran Smith was the next Gator crowned as National Champion as he went 1:30.10 in the 200 free to claim his first national title and earn All-American Honors.
In the 100 breast, Dillon Hillis goes a personal best time of 50.96 to place second in the finals for his best NCAA Championships finish.
Eric Friese finishes seventh overall in the 100 fly with a personal best time of 44.79 to earn All-American Honors. With that time, he moves up to number three on the UF all-time best list.
The squad of Adam Chaney, Dillon Hillis, Eric Friese, and Will Davis go 1:22.41 to place second in the 200 Medley relay. With that time they move up to number two on the UF all-time best list.
Adam Chaney shot out of a cannon to win the B-final and ninth overall in the 100 back with a time of 44.74 to earn Honorable All-American Honors. With that time, Chaney moves up to number two on the UF all-time best list.
Leonardo Garcia places first in the B-final and ninth overall in the 3-meter diving competition with 414 points to earn Honorable All-American Honors.
Quotables – Head Coach Anthony Nesty
“We had an incredible night. Our guys were on point and raced with tremendous tenacity and passion!
“Bobby’s 400 IM tonight definitely set the tone for the evening, and those that followed fed off of that energy! It was a fantastic swim and he swam it exactly as we planned. Kieran also had a stellar swim and raced extremely tough to get to the wall first. Kieran was not going to let that race go!
“Eric Friese, Dillon Hillis, and Adam Chaney also posted some excellent times, feeding off the races of their teammates that preceded them. They swam some personal best times and are having a great meet.
“Our relay finished off the night with a hard-fought finish as well, taking a second-place finish in an extremely tight race.
“I am very proud of our men and we are looking to finish off the meet positively tomorrow, our last day of competition.
“We still have some work to do!”
Quotable – Diving Coach Bryan Gillooly
“I am thrilled for Leo. Not just for the results, but for the way he competed. Our goal was to have a good attitude and spirit and he did just that. I knew if he did that, the results would come. Now he knows what he is capable of.”
Standings
1. Texas 414
2. California 372
3. Florida 282
4. Georgia 198
5. Indiana 158
6. Louisville 150
7. Texas A&M 127
8. NC State 120
9. Ohio St 108
10. Virginia 102
11. Michigan 100
12. Missouri 67
13. Arizona 66
14. Virginia Tech 60
15. Stanford 58
16. Alabama 53
17. Lsu 52
18. Tennessee 38
18. University of Miami 38
20. UNC 31
20. Purdue 31
22. Georgia Tech 29
23. Florida St 24.5
24. Pittsburgh 23
25. Minnesota 20
26. Notre Dame 15
26. Southern California 15
28. Penn St 13
29. Wisconsin 10
30. Kentucky 9
31. Utah 6.5 Event Schedule
March 24 — 6 p.m. finals
- 800-yard Freestyle Relay
March 25 — 10 a.m. Trials
- 500-yard Freestyle
- 200-yard Individual Medley
- 50-yard Freestyle
- One-meter Diving
6 p.m. Finals
- 200-yard Freestyle Relay
- 500-yard Freestyle
- 200-yard Individual Medley
- 50-yard Freestyle
- 400-yard Medley Relay
- One-meter Diving
March 26— 10 a.m. Trials
- 400-yard Individual Medley
- 100-yard Butterfly
- 200-yard Freestyle
- 100-yard Breaststroke
- 100-yard Backstroke
- Three-meter Diving
6 p.m. Finals
- 400-yard Individual Medley
- 100-yard Butterfly
- 200-yard Freestyle
- 100-yard Breaststroke
- 100-yard Backstroke
- Three-meter Diving
- 200-yard Medley Relay
March 27— 10 a.m. Trials
- 200-yard Backstroke
- 100-yard Freestyle
- 200-yard Breaststroke
- 200-yard Butterfly
- Platform Diving
6 p.m. Finals
- 1,650-yard Freestyle
- 200-yard Backstroke
- 100-yard Freestyle
- 200-yard Breaststroke
- 200-yard Butterfly
- Platform Diving
- 400-yard Freestyle Relay
What’s Next
On the last day of the championships the prelims start at 10 a.m. with the 200 back followed by the 100 free, 200 breast, 200 fly, and the platform diving competition.