University of Georgia Athletics
UGA Fall Invitational On Tap For This Weekend
November 30, 2006 | General
The format is similar to the ones used at the NCAAs and the SEC Championship, each of which cover multiple days and have both preliminaries and finals each day. For the UGA Invitational, the prelims will be held at 9:30 a.m. each day, with the finals at 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and at 3 p.m. on Sunday.
"The invitational is a great opportunity to simulate a championship-type meet, and it will really show just how tough we are," senior captain Claire Maust said. "This meet will be a good test to see where we are as an SEC and NCAA team rather than a dual-meet team. I'm looking forward to seeing how everyone's hard work this fall pays off this weekend."
The Bulldogs and the Lady Bulldogs both are ranked No. 8 in the latest CollegeSwimming.com polls. Joining the Georgia teams in Athens this weekend will be the men's and women's teams from Georgia Tech, Missouri and Harvard; the men's team from Southern Cal; and the women's teams from Minnesota and California. The Southern Cal men are No. 5, while the Cal women and the Missouri women are No. 4 and No. 23, respectively.
"This is a measuring stick at the midpoint of the season," said Georgia head coach Jack Bauerle, whose men are 11-0 and whose women are 8-1. "We are looking forward to seeing what kind of performances we will have and the level of competition."
"The invitational will provide us a good chance to see exactly where we stand in regards to the nation's other top teams," senior captain Will Thorburn said. "We plan to use this meet as an opportunity to build on the momentum we've gained from our dual meets and to set our sights on what we need to do to prepare for the SECs and the NCAAs."
The divers from the teams will compete on the springboards on Friday and Saturday and on the platforms on Sunday.
"This meet is always fun," Georgia diving coach Dan Laak said. "The competition will be good, so it will give us a chance to see where we are at this point. Our divers got a little rest over Thanksgiving, so they will feel good going into the meet.
