Bulldogs Finish Competition at National Championships

Georgia during a meet against Emory at the Gabrielsen Natatorium in Athens, Ga., on Saturday, Jan. 29, 2022. (Photo by Tony Walsh)

Photo by: Tony Walsh/UGAAA

Bulldogs Finish Competition at National Championships

July 01, 2023 | Men's Swimming & Diving, Women's Swimming & Diving

INDIANAPOLIS – The Georgia women's distance group made one final statement as the University of Georgia swimming and diving teams closed out competition Saturday at the 2023 Phillips 66 National Championships at the IU Natatorium.

In the 1,500-meter freestyle final, rising junior Abby McCulloh placed ninth with a personal-best time of 16:27.71, followed by fellow junior Rachel Stege in 13^th place with a PB of 16:29.55. Both swimmers finished second in their respective heats. Along with teammates Jillian Barczyk and Sloane Reinstein, the Georgia women's distance group posted nine top-16 finishes during the week.

In the men's 50-meter freestyle, graduate Dillon Downing and rising junior Reese Branzell also reached the consolation final, with Downing placing fourth at 22.37 and Branzell eighth at 22.55. In prelims, Branzell posted a PB of 22.54, as did incoming Bulldog Miles Simon, who tied for 32^nd with a time of 22.98. In other consolation action, fifth-year senior Zach Hils placed second in the 200-meter IM 'C' final with a time of 2:02.06.

In the morning session, graduate Callie Dickinson finished 26^th in the women's 200m IM with a time of 2:16.28, followed by fifth-year Zoie Hartman in 30^th at 2:16.55. In the women's 50m freestyle, rising junior Eboni McCarty placed 43^rd with a time of 25.98, while rising senior Julianna Stephens finished 56^th at 26.45.

At the conclusion of the meet, 29 men and 23 women were selected for the World Aquatics Championships rosters, including Bulldog alums Nic Fink, Chase Kalisz, and Olivia Smoliga. Earlier in the week, Kalisz became the seventh American swimmer to appear on six Worlds rosters, while Fink qualified for his fifth championships and Smoliga her third. Additionally, University of Pennsylvania swimmer Matt Fallon, who trains with Athens Bulldog Swim Club during the summer, reached the roster after winning the 200-meter breaststroke national title on Wednesday.

The 2023 World Aquatics Championships will run from Sunday, July 23 through Sunday, July 30 at the Marine Messe Fukuoka in Fukuoka, Japan.

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