University of Georgia
Florida
Bulldogs Split Against Florida; Men Earn Win Over Third-Ranked Gators
October 28, 2022 | Swimming & Diving, Men's Swimming & Diving, Women's Swimming & Diving
ATHENS, Ga. — The Georgia Bulldogs posted strong outings from both their men's and women's swimming and diving programs as the teams hosted the Florida Gators on Friday morning at the Gabrielsen Natatorium.
In the men's competition, the seventh-ranked Bulldogs (5-1, 1-1 SEC) scored a big victory against the No. 3 Gators with a 156-144 result. The No. 15 women's team dropped its first meet of the season, with No. 11 Florida earning a victory in the Classic City over the home-team Georgia (5-1, 1-1 SEC) in a 173.5-126.5 final.
Men – Georgia 156, Florida 144
The men's team picked up its biggest win of the season with high energy and impressive results defeating Florida, even after getting disqualified in the first event. This was best showcased in the 100 backstroke, where Ian Grum (47.16), Bradley Dunham (47.37), Sam Powe (48.59), and Sam Parker (49.04) swept the top four spots in the event.
In the 200 butterfly, Luca Urlando took the win with a season-best B-cut of 1:44.40, while Andrew Abruzzo also dropped a season-best B-cut of 1:44.74 to notch second place. Grum finished first in the 400 IM with a B-cut finish of 3:49.26, with Abruzzo also getting a third-place B-cut result in 3:50.5
Grum, Urlando, and junior Jake Magahey each finished the day with three wins each, as the team finished the day with nine winning results.
"That was a fun one," Men's Swimming & Diving Head Coach Neil Versfeld said. "The guys came out swinging with resilient efforts. Getting disqualified in that first relay was a bit of a momentum killer, but fortunately it didn't affect them. They actually got more fired up and rolling into the distance events after that. It really got the party started for us. I couldn't be more proud of the way they fought all the way through."
Women – Florida 173.5, Georgia 126.5
In a hard-fought meet, the women's team posted strong results, including Abby McCulloh tallying the nation's fastest time in the 1,000 freestyle this season. The sophomore finished the event in 9:42.30, taking the race by a full five seconds.
Callie Dickinson also impressed in the pool on Friday, tying for first in the 100 butterfly with her season's best result of 53.93. Marie Schobel continued her unbeaten streak this season in the 100 backstroke, finishing first in the event with a season-best B-cut of 53.57. Senior Zoie Hartman also swept both breaststroke events in the meet.
In the diving events, Hannah Stumpf and Meghan Wenzel finished second and third with results of 287.63 and 283.20, respectively. In total, the women's team posted eight winning results in the meet.
"Florida is a very talented swimming and diving program," Tom Cousins Women's Swimming & Diving Head Coach Stefanie Williams Moreno said following the meet. "I was really proud of how everybody competed from start to finish and we didn't let up. That was the mentality I asked them to have, was to go in and fight."
Up Next
The Bulldogs' next event will again come at the Gabrielsen Natatorium during the Georgia Invitational from November 17-19. Georgia will be joined by Florida State, Georgia Tech, Auburn, and Florida.
For all news and updates about Georgia swimming and diving, follow the Bulldogs on Twitter (@UGASwimDive), Instagram (@ugaswimdive), and Facebook (UGA Swimming and Diving).
Players Mentioned
