Georgia Opens New Era with Duals This Weekend

Friday, September 30

Athens, Ga.

4 p.m.

University of Georgia

Arizona State

Georgia during the Bulldogsâ?? meet against Tennessee at the Gabrielsen Natatorium in Athens, Ga., on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022. (Photo by Tony Walsh)

Photo by: Tony Walsh/UGAAA

September 29, 2022 | Men's Swimming & Diving, Women's Swimming & Diving

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ATHENS, Ga. – A new era of Georgia swimming and diving begins this weekend as the men's and women's teams open their seasons with a pair of competitions at Gabrielsen Natatorium.

The 2022-23 season begins Friday, Sept. 30 with a dual meet against Arizona State at 4 p.m., followed by a tri-meet against ASU and Missouri on Saturday, Oct. 1 at 10 a.m. Both meets will be streamed live on SEC Network+ and results will be available on GeorgiaDogs.com and to paid subscribers on the MeetMobile app. Diving results will be available on DiveMeets.com.

This is the first-ever meeting between Georgia and Arizona State in dual competition. Under the direction of coaching legend Bob Bowman, the Sun Devils placed sixth overall at last season's NCAA Championships with Leon Marchand winning two individual titles. For Missouri, this is the first dual meeting since 2016, with both the Georgia men and women prevailing in Columbia.

This weekend marks the head coaching debuts for Stefanie Williams Moreno (women) and Neil Versfeld (men) following the retirement of Jack Bauerle in June after 43 years as head coach. Williams Moreno and Versfeld have coached a combined 25 years in collegiate swimming and accumulated six NCAA championships and 35 All-America citations in their individual careers. In their time on the Bulldogs' staff, both head coaches have produced numerous NCAA and SEC champions, as well as an American Record holder.

Georgia's women's team returns seven All-Americans from last year's squad, including senior Zoie Hartman, who has tallied 21 citations in her career, including a fourth-place finish in the 200 IM at last season's NCAA Championships. Sophomore Abby McCulloh returns after a fifth-place finish in the 1,650 freestyle, leading a strong second-year group that features All-Americans Duné Coetzee, Angharad Evans, and Eboni McCarty. The Bulldogs are welcoming 11 incoming freshmen, as well as graduate transfer Marie Schobel, who twice reached NCAAs at Penn State.

On the men's side, Georgia returns six All-Americans, highlighted by juniors Luca Urlando and Jake Magahey. Urlando finished in the top three in four events at NCAAs and set an American Record in the 100 backstroke during the meet. Magahey, a previous national champion in the 500 freestyle, placed second in last year's 500 race and finished fourth in the mile. The Bulldogs also set a school and SEC record with their second-place 800 freestyle relay time of 6:05.59 at NCAAs. The team adds 10 freshmen this season in the country's 15^th -best recruiting class according to SwimSwam. The diving group was also bolstered in the offseason with the addition of Alabama grad transfer Kevin Li, a two-time All-American with the Crimson Tide.

Georgia looks to carry the momentum from a strong summer, which began with Urlando's fifth-place finish in the 200-meter butterfly at June's FINA World Championships in Budapest. In July, Magahey won the U.S. national championship in the 400-meter freestyle and finished top-four in two other events. Senior Ian Grum earned the silver medal in the 200-meter backstroke as did Hartman in the 200-meter IM. Fellow seniors Dillon Downing, Zach Hils, and Callie Dickinson all reached finals, while Bradley Dunham finished first in the 200m back consolation final.

Following this weekend's action, the Bulldogs will turn their attention to an in-state battle with Georgia Tech on Wednesday, Oct. 12 at 5 p.m. in Atlanta.

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