Gainesville, Fla. – Four Gators participated in the FINA Short Course World Championships. Brennan Gravley<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_roster.aspx-3Frp-5Fid-3D14720&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=S8V4cjqsABIxEz2Ro0Ihp_04nM3qPPRZNrVcEEp9RvR1mOMikiXDHPnm0RAI5Sf3&s=2wKIZelUP7uZ3wF-PEmtNiSu-1soprA9Br2XtVLpX6E&e= > in the mixed open water relay, Alfonso Mestre<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_roster.aspx-3Frp-5Fid-3D14728&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=S8V4cjqsABIxEz2Ro0Ihp_04nM3qPPRZNrVcEEp9RvR1mOMikiXDHPnm0RAI5Sf3&s=Ce6qgIZzjCwiNeVVHD7pMTMtnJtax2lRFjGM75taeoo&e= > in the 200 and 400 free, Kieran Smith<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_roster.aspx-3Frp-5Fid-3D14732&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=S8V4cjqsABIxEz2Ro0Ihp_04nM3qPPRZNrVcEEp9RvR1mOMikiXDHPnm0RAI5Sf3&s=hlHfUBegIvEwoF9I63WcLR921cS0wZwS79b6EU3fDGg&e= > in the 200 free, 400 free, 200IM, 400 IM, and the 800 free relay. Alberto Mestre, who is joining the Gators this spring semester, swam the 50 free and the 100 free.
Brenna Gravley kicked off the World Championships with a fourth-place finish with his teammates in the mixed open water relay.
Kieran Smith<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_roster.aspx-3Frp-5Fid-3D14732&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=S8V4cjqsABIxEz2Ro0Ihp_04nM3qPPRZNrVcEEp9RvR1mOMikiXDHPnm0RAI5Sf3&s=hlHfUBegIvEwoF9I63WcLR921cS0wZwS79b6EU3fDGg&e= > shined as he collected one gold medal for his performance in the 800 free relay, three fifth place and one sixth place finish. Smith set the tone nicely for the Americans, swimming a huge personal best of 1:41.79 on the lead-off leg to give his team a 0.72-second lead. The swim narrowly missed the World Record of 6:46.81, which is held by Brazil. It did, however, shatter the American Record, which stood at 6:49.58 from the 2010 SC World Championships.
Smith collected fifth place finishes in the 400 free (3:38.77), 200 free (1:42.29), and in the 400IM (4:03.29) a new personal best time, as well as a sixth-place finish in the 200IM with a time of 1:53.76, setting a new personal best time.
Alfonso Mestre<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__floridagators.com_roster.aspx-3Frp-5Fid-3D14728&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=S8V4cjqsABIxEz2Ro0Ihp_04nM3qPPRZNrVcEEp9RvR1mOMikiXDHPnm0RAI5Sf3&s=Ce6qgIZzjCwiNeVVHD7pMTMtnJtax2lRFjGM75taeoo&e= > had his best finish at the World Championships in the 400 free with a seventh-place finish in the 400 free with a time of 3:39.06. Mestre finished 17th in the 200 free with a time of 1:44.26.
New Gator Alberto Mestre, finished 38th in the 50 free and 47th in the 100 free.
Up Next
The Gators will host the Texas A&M Aggies on January 8th at 10 a.m., at home.
