Bulldogs Welcome South Carolina to Athens

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ATHENS, Ga. – The University of Georgia swimming and diving teams gear up for a Southeastern Conference matchup with the South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday at noon at Gabrielsen Natatorium.

South Carolina marks the third-consecutive SEC opponent for the 11^th-ranked Lady Bulldogs, and the second for the ninth-ranked Bulldogs. The women opened the season with a 170.5-129.5 victory against Arkansas, before both men's and women's teams dropped decisions to Florida last weekend. The loss was one of three for the women under Bauerle, with two coming against the Gators and one against the Texas Longhorns in 2016.

The lone win for the 19^th-ranked Gamecocks was also against the Razorbacks. The Gamecock women feature five-time school record holder senior Emma Barksdale, who places third in the 200-yard individual medley. Two-time All-American Kate Sanderson leads the distance freestylers for South Carolina, ranking in the top-10 in the 1,000-yard freestyle one spot behind Lady Bulldog sophomore Courtney Harnish.

The South Carolina men have dropped their first two contests to the fourth-ranked N.C. State and North Carolina. They are led by senior Fynn Minuth, who claimed two individual SEC Championships and All-America honors in the 500-yard freestyle and 200-yard butterfly last season.

The Georgia women claim a 27-3 series record against the Gamecocks, with the men at 29-17.

The South Carolina competition will be the last for both Bulldog teams before the annual Georgia Fall Invitational from November 29 through December 1. Georgia welcomes the top teams in the country to Athens: California, Virginia, Michigan and the UCLA women.

The first 150 fans at Saturday's meet receive a 'Sic Em' t-shirt, and the first 100 receive free pizza. There will also be a box by the promotions table at the entryway for canned and nonperishable food for donations to the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia.

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GUEST POSTS TOP TIME IN THE NATION
In the first competition of his senior season, James Guest posted the best time in the nation this year in the 400-yard individual medley (3:50.47). The B-cut time marked one of three individual victories for Guest against Florida last week. In his victorious 200-yard breaststroke race, Guest established the best time in the conference, and the 4th in the country, another B-cut time of 1:57.92. The third victory came in the 100-yard breaststroke, the third-ranked time in the SEC.

ALLEN SWEEPS SPRINGBOARD EVENTS
Sophomore Zachary Allen opened his sophomore campaign with wins on both the 1-meter and 3-meter springboards against Florida. The Fort Lauderdale, Florida native led the diving corps with a score of 341.78 on the 1-meter and 356.78 on the 3-meter, adding 18 points to Georgia's final count. The 341.78 mark on the 3-meter places Allen fourth in the conference.

LUTHER, CARTER PACING BUTTERFLY PERFORMANCES
Bulldog freshmen Dakota Luther and Olivia Carter have registered the top times in the 100-yard and 200-yard butterfly in two-straight competitions. Against Florida, Luther and Carter produced the best 200-yard butterfly performances in the SEC this season, and the third and fourth best times in the nation, both B-cuts. Luther's 100-yard butterfly race vs. Florida checked in as the best of all SEC freshman this season, a 53.96 clip.

SMITH NAMED SHORT COURSE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS HEAD COACH, BURCHILL TO TEAM
Georgia associate head coach Brian Smith was named the United States head coach of the 2018 Short Course World Championships. Junior Veronica Burchill will join Smith in representing the U.S. contingent as a member of the team. Competition will begin in December in Hangzhou, China.

BAUERLE NOMINATED FOR COACH OF YEAR
Tom Cousins Swimming and Diving Head Coach Jack Bauerle was nominated by USA Swimming for the Golden Goggles Coach of the Year Award. He enters his 40th year at the helm of the women's team, and 36th of the men's. With a 562-127-4 record, Bauerle ranks first among active NCAA coaches, first all-time in the SEC and third on the all-time list. To vote for Bauerle, head to this link: gado.gs/f3.

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Players Mentioned

Zach Allen

Veronica Burchill

Olivia Carter

James Guest

Courtney Harnish

Dakota Luther

University of Georgia Athletics