No. 7/12 Georgia Splits with No. 11/15 Tennessee

Saturday, January 20

Athens, Ga.

11 a.m.

University of Georgia

183

115

Tennessee

Photo by: Kari Hodges/UGAAA

January 20, 2024 | Swimming & Diving, Men's Swimming & Diving, Women's Swimming & Diving

Results Photo Gallery

ATHENS, Ga. – A second straight pool record from junior Abby McCulloh highlighted the day as the University of Georgia swimming and diving teams split a dual meet against Tennessee Saturday at Bauerle Pool at Gabrielsen Natatorium.

The No. 7 Georgia men (5-4) bested No. 11 Tennessee, 183-115, while the 12^th-ranked Georgia women (8-2) fell, 168-132, to the 15^th-ranked Lady Vols.

Men | No. 7 Georgia 183, No. 11 Tennessee 115

The Georgia men were once again led by senior Jake Magahey, who earned three victories for the second time in three weeks. Magahey led off the day with a first-place time of 8:58.51 in the 1,000-yard freestyle, followed by a B-cut time of 1:42.18 in the 200y butterfly and a B-cut of 4:17.08 in the 500y freestyle.

In the 200y freestyle, two-time SEC Freshman of the Week Tomas Koski won the event for the sixth time this season, posting a B-cut time of 1:32.86 in victory. Junior Reese Branzell prevailed in the 100y freestyle with a B-cut time of 42.45, following a third-place B-cut of 19.53 in the 50y freestyle. Branzell and Magahey would join teammates Bradley Dunham and Dillon Downing to win the closing 400y freestyle relay with a B-cut time of 2:50.94. Branzell led off with a split of 43.23 before Downing closed at 42.15.

Sophomore Ruard van Renen continued his dominance in the 100y backstroke with a B-cut time of 45.48, while fifth-year Ian Grum took the 200y backstroke at 1:40.04, leading a 1-2-3 sweep. Fellow fifth-year Zach Hils touched first in the 200y IM with a B-cut of 1:43.82, while senior Connor Haigh earned his third dual win of the season in the 200y breaststroke with a time of 1:57.90. Haigh joined van Renen, fifth-year Zach Franklin, and graduate Miles Simon to place first in the 200y medley relay with a time of 1:25.53, following disqualifications for both Georgia and Tennessee's top teams.

At the diving well, the Bulldogs posted a pair of runner-up finishes. Junior Rhett Hopkins placed second on 1-meter with a season-best score of 346.35, while freshman Matthew Bray finished second on 3-meter at 367.65.

"I'm very proud of the way the guys came out swinging," Men's Head Coach Neil Versfeld said. "It was a little shaky with the first relay there with a couple disqualifications, but we were very lucky to come out on top in that one. We had some exceptional swims and some really close swims. It always is with Tennessee. They're a great team, but we came out swinging. We came out on the right side of some close races, so I'm very happy with how the meet went today."

Women | No. 15 Tennessee 168, No. 12 Georgia 132

For the second-consecutive week, McCulloh set a new Bauerle Pool record and the nation's fastest time in the 1,000y freestyle, dropping over three seconds with a new PB of 9:27.08 for the second-fastest time in program history. McCulloh later earned another win in the 500y freestyle with a B-cut time of 4:40.64. Elsewhere in the 1,000y free, junior Duné Coetzee placed second at 9:39.28, while fifth-year Jillian Barczyk dropped seven seconds for a new PB of 9:40.25.

In the 100y backstroke, junior Eboni McCarty took first with a personal-best B-cut of 51.14, improving her standing as the No. 2 performer in program history. Fifth-year Zoie Hartman won two events, prevailing in the 200y breaststroke with a season-best B-cut of 2:07.12, followed by a first-place time of 1:56.41 in the 200y IM. She also posted a season-best B-cut of 58.89 in the 100y breaststroke. McCarty and Hartman joined teammates Emma Norton and Helena Jones in picking up a B-cut in the 200y medley relay with a season-best 1:36.59.

In diving, senior Meghan Wenzel won on 1-meter with a score of 288.15, followed by a second-place mark of 309.60 on 3-meter. In other swimming results, Jones placed second in the 50y freestyle and 100y freestyle, posting a personal-best B-cut of 22.28 in the 50y free, while senior Sloane Reinstein was runner-up in the 200y freestyle with a B-cut of 1:45.00. Jones, Reinstein, McCarty, and junior Briana Roberson finished the meet with a second-place B-cut of 3:14.47 in the 400y freestyle relay.

"I think overall collectively we swam really well," Tom Cousins Women's Swimming & Diving Head Coach Stefanie Williams Moreno said. "I was really happy with how the girls competed and swam. Tennessee is very tough SEC competition. (Tennessee head coach) Matt (Kredich) has a great team, and (associate head coach) Ashley (Jahn) has a great team, so I think it was a really good matchup and I was really happy with how we raced today."

Up Next

Georgia concludes its home dual season against Emory on Saturday, Feb. 3 at 11 a.m. Prior to the meet, the programs will recognize the Class of 2024 in the annual Senior Day ceremony.

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