In a weekend slate filled with both record-breaking times and disappointing finishes, the University of North Florida swimming team rebounded after finishing third of four teams at the All Florida Invite to defeat Georgia Southern at home.
Eight swimmers were honored as part of Senior Day festivities before the meet against Georgia Southern: Amelia Hildebrand, Ellie Hixenbaugh, Aydan Harrigan, Annalia Jansons, Allea Jensen, Sara Maschmeier, Claire Kerber and Victoria Torres.
All Florida Invite
At the All Florida invite, hosted in Tallahassee by Florida State on Friday, Oct. 24, the Ospreys finished third out of four teams, defeating Florida Southern but coming up short against West Florida and the hosts.
The major highlight of the event came courtesy of junior Ashley Kirby, who set the program record in the 100-yard breaststroke, with a time of 1:02.39, placing third in the event. With that time, she dethrones Torres, who previously held the record with a time she set at the 2024 CSCAA National Invitational Championship.
Kirby was one of top four three times for the Ospreys. She was joined by junior Paige Munna, who placed third in the 500-yard freestyle and junior Kaley Daley, who placed second with a time of 55.15 in the 100-yard butterfly.
To round out the meet, a team featuring Torres, sophomores Abby Noga and Kendall Butler, as well as freshman Brooke Bourn finished with a time of 1:24.63 in the 200-yard freestyle relay that was good for second place overall.
In an interview with UNF Athletics, head coach Ian Coffey reflected on the team’s performance, noting the need to “clean up a few things” before their upcoming matchup against Georgia Southern. He also highlighted the number of personal-best times achieved during the event.
“We swam against three very good teams today,” Coffey said. “There were many personal-best times and Ashley [Kirby] broke the school record in the 100 breaststroke. Many teams raced well and swam smart.”
v.s. Georgia Southern
The next day, Oct. 25, the Ospreys put together a strong performance across 14 events to take down Georgia Southern at home by a final score of 173.50-88.50. As a team, UNF earned 11 first-place finishes and placed in the top three a whopping 27 times.
Individually, Daley put together a strong showing, placing first overall in four events on the day, including the 100 and 200-yard butterfly and two relay wins in the 200-yard medley and the 400-yard freestyle.
Freshman Katie Carlos matched Daley’s two individual wins in the 100 and 200-yard backstroke, as well as joining Daley as part of the first-place team in the 200-yard medley relay. Kirby, Torres and Noga joined Daley and Carlos as the only Ospreys who placed first in both an individual event and a relay event on the day.
After the meet, in an interview conducted by UNF Athletics, Coffey praised his team’s effort and energy throughout the day, highlighting Daley’s performance in the butterfly.
“This was a great meet for us. We really stepped up from racing yesterday and swam fast against a good team,” he said. “Kayla [Daley] had a great day in the butterfly. Everyone really raced well and it showed in the times and the score. Total team effort today.”
Up Next
The Ospreys travel to Columbia, S.C. to compete in the Gamecock Invite from Nov. 19-21. The opening race on day one is scheduled to begin at 10 am.
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