It was an extremely speedy morning session here in Knoxville, Tenn., as only the men’s and women’s 200 freestyle relay teams took to the pool at the Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center, but it wasn’t just the short amount of time at the pool that was quick, so were the Gators.

The men’s 200 freestyle relay composed of senior Matt Norton (Port Orange, Fla.), sophomore Brad deBorde (Longwood, Fla.), senior James Turner (Ft. Pierce, Fla.) and freshman Matt Curby (Oviedo, Fla.) clocked in at 1:17.73, an NCAA B cut time that was just shy of the automatic qualifying time of 1:17.69. Although the quartet was shy of the automatic mark in the morning’s time trials, the time is currently the third fastest in both the country and UF record books.

Norton’s lead-off split of 19.67 is the fastest of his career at Florida, and marks the third-fastest 50-yard freestyle time in school history, tied alongside 2011 Gator graduate, Brett Fraser. Additionally, the All-American’s time of 19.67 is tied for sixth nationally alongside fellow SEC competitor Drew Modrov of Auburn.

The mark puts two Florida swimmers in the nation’s 50-yard freestyle top-10 list, as sophomore deBorde is ranked fifth with his personal-best 19.57 recorded in Knoxville just two-and-a-half weeks ago.

Ellese Zalewski (Melbourne, Australia), Sarah Bateman (Orlando, Fla.), Kaitling Frehling (St. Petersburg, Fla.) and freshman Natasha Fung (Edmonton, Canada) combined to finish the women’s 200 freestyle relay in a NCAA B 1:29.75 for a season-high performance from the Gators. Additionally, the 1:29.75 time is he seventh fastest in Gator women’s history. With the feat, Bateman is now a part of seven 200-yard freestyle relay teams that find themselves in the Orange and Blue record book.

For all the latest news and updates from the SEC Championships, Gator fans are encouraged to follow the swimming and diving program via Twitter @GatorZoneSwimDV and Facebook. Also, check our live blog from GatorZone.com with the latest updates from here in Knoxville. 

Men’s 200 Yard Freestyle Relay Splits

Matt Norton (19.67)
Brad deBorde (18.91)
James Turner (19.58)

Matt Curby (19.57)

Women’s 200 Yard Freestyle Relay Splits
Ellese Zalewski (22.87)

Sarah Bateman (21.46)

Kaitlin Frehling (22.51)

Natasha Fung (22.91)