University of Georgia Athletics
Georgia Places Seven on CSCAA 100 Greatest Women’s Swimmers & Divers Team
November 09, 2021 | Swimming & Diving
ATHENS, Ga. – Reflecting a grand tradition of excellence in Athens, seven former members of the University of Georgia swimming and diving team were named to the College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association (CSCAA) 100 Greatest Women's Swimmers & Divers team Tuesday morning.
Maritza Correia, Mary DeScenza, Kara Lynn Joyce, Kristy Kowal, Allison Schmitt, Courtney Shealy, and Olivia Smoliga were selected for the roster. With seven honorees, Georgia tied with California, Florida, and Texas for the second-most of any program, with Stanford leading at 17. The selections were made in recognition of CSCAA's centennial celebration with a blue-ribbon panel selecting the athletes out of 973 finalists and nearly 3,000 nominees.
Georgia's contingent represents a collection of some of the program's greatest champions, with the group combining for 20 Olympic medals, 183 All-America citations, 70 NCAA championships, and 106 SEC championships. Each of the seven were a part of at least NCAA Championship team for the Bulldogs under the tutelage of Tom Cousins Swimming & Diving Head Coach Jack Bauerle.
Later this season, the CSCAA will recognize the 100 Greatest Coaches, as well as Centennial MVPs and Alumni of Impact for each program.
Maritza Correia
Maritza Correia competed for Georgia from 1999-2003, earning 27 All-America citations and winning 11 NCAA championships, while graduating with two NCAA and American records. Correia also earned 15 SEC Championships and won a silver medal in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay at the 2004 Athens Olympics, becoming the first Black American female swimmer to win an Olympic medal. She was inducted into the Georgia Circle of Honor in 2015.
Mary DeScenza
Mary DeScenza competed for Georgia from 2002-2006, earning 28 All-America citations and winning 14 NCAA Championships. DeScenza also earned 15 SEC Championships and the 2006 Honda Sports Award for Swimming & Diving. She was inducted into the Georgia Circle of Honor in 2018.
Kara Lynn Joyce
Kara Lynn Joyce competed for Georgia from 2003-2007, earning 28 All-America citations and winning 18 NCAA Championships, while being twice named National Swimmer of the Year. Joyce also earned 17 SEC Championships and won four silver medals in three Olympic Games appearances.
Kristy Kowal
Kristy Kowal competed for Georgia from 1996-2000, earning 24 All-America citations and winning eight NCAA Championships, while being twice named National Swimmer of the Year. Kowal was named the NCAA Woman of the Year in 2000 and won a silver medal in the 200-meter breaststroke at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. She was inducted into the Georgia Circle of Honor in 2011.
Allison Schmitt
Allison Schmitt competed for Georgia from 2008-2013, earning 21 All-America citations and winning 11 NCAA Championships, along with the 2013 Honda Sports Award for Swimming & Diving. In four Summer Olympic Games appearances, Schmitt has won 10 medals, the fourth-most by an American female athlete.
Courtney Shealy
Courtney Shealy competed for Georgia from 1996-2000, earning 28 All-America citations and winning five NCAA Championships, along with being named National Swimmer of the Year in 2000. Shealy won two gold medals in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay and 4x100-medley relay at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. She was inducted into the Georgia Circle of Honor in 2011.
Olivia Smoliga
Olivia Smoliga competed for Georgia from 2013-2017, earning 27 All-America citations and winning three NCAA Championships. Smoliga has appeared in two Olympic Games, winning a gold medal in 2016 and a bronze medal in 2020.
Maritza Correia, Mary DeScenza, Kara Lynn Joyce, Kristy Kowal, Allison Schmitt, Courtney Shealy, and Olivia Smoliga were selected for the roster. With seven honorees, Georgia tied with California, Florida, and Texas for the second-most of any program, with Stanford leading at 17. The selections were made in recognition of CSCAA's centennial celebration with a blue-ribbon panel selecting the athletes out of 973 finalists and nearly 3,000 nominees.
Georgia's contingent represents a collection of some of the program's greatest champions, with the group combining for 20 Olympic medals, 183 All-America citations, 70 NCAA championships, and 106 SEC championships. Each of the seven were a part of at least NCAA Championship team for the Bulldogs under the tutelage of Tom Cousins Swimming & Diving Head Coach Jack Bauerle.
Later this season, the CSCAA will recognize the 100 Greatest Coaches, as well as Centennial MVPs and Alumni of Impact for each program.
Maritza Correia
Maritza Correia competed for Georgia from 1999-2003, earning 27 All-America citations and winning 11 NCAA championships, while graduating with two NCAA and American records. Correia also earned 15 SEC Championships and won a silver medal in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay at the 2004 Athens Olympics, becoming the first Black American female swimmer to win an Olympic medal. She was inducted into the Georgia Circle of Honor in 2015.
Mary DeScenza
Mary DeScenza competed for Georgia from 2002-2006, earning 28 All-America citations and winning 14 NCAA Championships. DeScenza also earned 15 SEC Championships and the 2006 Honda Sports Award for Swimming & Diving. She was inducted into the Georgia Circle of Honor in 2018.
Kara Lynn Joyce
Kara Lynn Joyce competed for Georgia from 2003-2007, earning 28 All-America citations and winning 18 NCAA Championships, while being twice named National Swimmer of the Year. Joyce also earned 17 SEC Championships and won four silver medals in three Olympic Games appearances.
Kristy Kowal
Kristy Kowal competed for Georgia from 1996-2000, earning 24 All-America citations and winning eight NCAA Championships, while being twice named National Swimmer of the Year. Kowal was named the NCAA Woman of the Year in 2000 and won a silver medal in the 200-meter breaststroke at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. She was inducted into the Georgia Circle of Honor in 2011.
Allison Schmitt
Allison Schmitt competed for Georgia from 2008-2013, earning 21 All-America citations and winning 11 NCAA Championships, along with the 2013 Honda Sports Award for Swimming & Diving. In four Summer Olympic Games appearances, Schmitt has won 10 medals, the fourth-most by an American female athlete.
Courtney Shealy
Courtney Shealy competed for Georgia from 1996-2000, earning 28 All-America citations and winning five NCAA Championships, along with being named National Swimmer of the Year in 2000. Shealy won two gold medals in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay and 4x100-medley relay at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. She was inducted into the Georgia Circle of Honor in 2011.
Olivia Smoliga
Olivia Smoliga competed for Georgia from 2013-2017, earning 27 All-America citations and winning three NCAA Championships. Smoliga has appeared in two Olympic Games, winning a gold medal in 2016 and a bronze medal in 2020.
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