Georgia Faces Kentucky in Holiday Showdown

Monday, December 19

Lexington, Ky.

10 a.m.

University of Georgia

Kentucky

December 18, 2022 | Men's Swimming & Diving, Women's Swimming & Diving

ATHENS, Ga. – Following a month-long break from competition, the University of Georgia men's and women's swimming and diving teams return to the water Monday morning as they face Kentucky in a rare December meet at the Lancaster Aquatic Center in Lexington.

The meet begins at 10 a.m. with live results available to paid subscribers on the MeetMobile app. Monday's meet will not be streamed.

For the Bulldogs and Wildcats, this is the 48^th all-time meeting between the men's programs, with Georgia holding a 44-3 advantage in the series. On the women's side, this is the 16^th matchup, with Georgia prevailing in all previous meetings. Monday's meet is the first dual matchup between the programs since September 25, 2013, and the first contest in Lexington since October 24, 2002.

The ninth-ranked Georgia women (5-1, 1-1 SEC) look to carry the momentum from a strong performance at last month's Georgia Invitational. Sophomore Abby McCulloh posted the nation's fastest time in the mile (15:57.08), while senior Zoie Hartman earned three victories. Sophomore Eboni McCarty notched a pair top-10 times in program history in the 50 freestyle and 100 backstroke. Overall, the team turned in 38 personal-best times and earned 32 NCAA provisional cuts.

The 10th-ranked Georgia men (5-1, 2-0 SEC) also return to competition following a solid performance at the midseason invite. Senior Ian Grum prevailed in three events, including a school-record A-cut of 1:38.84 that currently ranks first in the nation. The Bulldogs amassed 42 B-cuts and 57 personal bests in the meet, along with 16 top-10 national times.

At the diving well, the Bulldogs have notched an impressive fall with five members of the team qualifying for Zones. Junior Meghan Wenzel has earned five wins this season and will compete in all three disciplines at Zones, as will sophomore Nolan Lewis. Graduate Kevin Li, sophomore Rhett Hopkins, and freshman Hannah Stumpf have all qualified on both springboards.

Following Monday's meet, the diving team will return in two weeks for the Georgia Diving Invitational, running Tuesday, Jan. 3 through Thursday, Jan. 5 at Gabrielsen Natatorium. The full team will be back in action at South Carolina on Saturday, Jan. 14.

For all news and updates about Georgia swimming and diving, following the Bulldogs on Twitter (@UGASwimDive), Instagram (@ugaswimdive), and Facebook (UGA Swimming and Diving).