University of Georgia Athletics
University of Georgia
Arizona State
Georgia Women Prevail in Split at Arizona State
September 22, 2023 | Swimming & Diving, Men's Swimming & Diving, Women's Swimming & Diving
TEMPE, Ariz. – Powered by a sweep of all four relays, the University of Georgia women's swimming and diving team opened the 2023-24 season in impressive fashion as the Bulldogs split a long-course meters dual meet against Arizona State Friday afternoon at the Mona Plummer Aquatic Center.
Women | Georgia 87, Arizona State 48
In their season opener, the Georgia women (1-0) earned 10 wins, including a sweep of all four relays. In the opening 400-meter medley relay, junior Eboni McCarty, fifth-year Zoie Hartman, freshman Elizabeth Tilt, and freshman Sloane Reinstein posted a winning time of 4:08.67, led off by a 1:03.17 100m backstroke split from McCarty. McCarty and Reinstein later joined sophomore Emma Norton and freshman Helena Jones to take the 200m freestyle relay at 1:43.15. The meet then closed with winning times in the 200m medley relay (1:55.16) and 400m freestyle relay (3:45.43).
In the individual events, Hartman and junior Rachel Stege both earned a pair of wins, with Hartman taking first in the 150m breaststroke (1:51.97) and 200m IM (2:14.98). Stege led a top-three sweep for the Bulldog distance group, winning the 500m freestyle with a time of 5:18.95, followed by fellow juniors Abby McCulloh (5:21.19) and Duné Coetzee (5:26.65). The Naperville, Illinois native then led another 1-2-3 finish in the 150m freestyle with a time of 1:29.82, clipping fifth-year Jillian Barczyk by one-hundredth of a second, while sophomore Shea Furse placed third at 1:30.44.
Junior Briana Roberson also earned a narrow win over a teammate, taking the 50m freestyle at 26.20, besting teammate Jones, who finished second at 26.25. At the diving well, senior Meghan Wenzel continued her winning ways with a first-place score of 261.00 on the 3-meter springboard. Sophomore Hannah Stumpf finished sixth with a mark of 232.50, while freshman Michelle Cummo debuted with a seventh-place score of 218.33.
Men | Arizona State 89.5, Georgia 49.5
The Georgia men (0-1) picked up three wins in their season debut, including a victory in the 200m freestyle relay by graduates Miles Simon and Dillon Downing, junior Reese Branzell, and sophomore Ruard van Renen. Led by Simon's 50m freestyle PR of 22.60, the team prevailed with an overall time of 1:29.71. Branzell then later placed second in the 50m freestyle with a time of 22.51, while Simon finished third at 23.26.
In the 500m freestyle, senior Jake Magahey earned the win with a time of 4:58.05, following that up with a second-place time of 1:19.76 in the 150m freestyle. On the 3-meter springboard, junior Rhett Hopkins led a top-three sweep with a first-place score of 311.18. Fellow juniors Allen Mann (306.68) and Nolan Lewis (306.30) followed just behind, with freshman Matthew Bray finishing fifth in his debut with a score of 288.38.
In runner-up performances, fifth-year Zach Hils finished second in the 200m IM with a time of 2:04.08, while fellow fifth-year Ian Grum posted a time of 1:26.95 in the 150m backstroke. Grum would later place third in the 150m butterfly at 1:29.68, while Connor Haigh turned in Georgia's top time in the 150m breaststroke with a fourth-place time of 1:43.45. In the closing portion of the meet, the 200m medley relay (1:40.48) and 400m freestyle relay (3:26.64) finished second overall.
Up Next
Georgia and Arizona State conclude their season-opening meet Saturday morning with a traditional short-course yards meet. The competition begins at noon and will be streamed live on Pac-12 Network+.
For all news and updates about Georgia swimming and diving, follow the Bulldogs on Twitter (@UGASwimDive), Instagram (@ugaswimdive), and Facebook (UGA Swimming and Diving).
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