Bulldog Men Prevail as No. 7/16 Georgia Splits Against No. 11/8 Tennessee

Friday, January 23

Athens, Ga.

1 p.m.

University of Georgia

Tennessee

Photo by: Conor Dillon/UGAAA

Bulldog Men Prevail as No. 7/16 Georgia Splits Against No. 11/8 Tennessee

January 23, 2026 | Swimming & Diving, Men's Swimming & Diving, Women's Swimming & Diving

Results

M: No. 7 Georgia (6-2, 2-1 SEC) 155, No. 11 Tennessee (3-5, 2-2 SEC) 142
W: No. 8 Tennessee (4-4, 3-1 SEC) 187, No. 16 Georgia (4-4, 1-3 SEC) 110

ATHENS, Ga. – The University of Georgia swimming and diving teams closed out Southeastern Conference regular season competition with a split against Tennessee Friday afternoon at Bauerle Pool at Gabrielsen Natatorium.

Fast Facts

The No. 7 Georgia men earned nine wins on the afternoon to secure their sixth victory over Tennessee in the past seven seasons, while the No. 16 women touched first in five individual events.
Freshman Kennedi Dobson continued her outstanding rookie campaign with another pair of personal-best times. Dobson placed first in the 200-yard backstroke with a PB of 1:53.25, becoming the eighth-fastest performer in program history, followed by a top time of 4:32.96, the fourth-fastest mark in program history. She also finished third in the 200y freestyle with an NCAA cut time of 1:42.97.
Led by Dobson, the Georgia distance group went 4-for-4 on the day, starting with freshman Clarke Neace's first collegiate win in the 1,000y freestyle with a time of 9:42.29, followed by senior Heidi Stalkfleet in second with a season-best 9:48.19. Fellow first-year Sean Green led a top three sweep in the 1,000y with a winning 8:56.94 before taking the 500y freestyle with an NCAA cut time of 4:16.69.
Graduate Luca Urlando swept the butterfly events, placing first in the 200 with an NCAA cut of 1:38.65, the eighth-fastest time of his career and program history. Later, he won the 100y butterfly with a 44.40, the ninth-fastest time in program history.
In the women's 200y butterfly, senior Ieva Maluka placed second with a PB of 1:54.44, becoming the 10^th-fastest performer in program history. She also set a season-best time of 48.86 in the 100y freestyle and took second in the 200y IM at 1:56.81.
Junior Tomas Koski won the 200y freestyle with an NCAA cut time of 1:32.05, while also placing second in the 500y freestyle with an NCAA time of 4:16.69. Senior Ruard van Renen touched first in the 100y backstroke with an NCAA time of 44.80, followed by freshman Hayden Meyers in third with an NCAA cut of 46.27. Meyers then won the 200y backstroke with an NCAA time of 1:39.99. Sophomore Drew Hitchcock won the 200y IM with a time of 1:44.54, while also placing second in the 200y butterfly with a NCAA cut of 1:40.80.
The women's breaststroke group turned in a terrific day with freshman Elizabeth Nawrocki (2:09.90) and sophomore Charlotte Headland (2:09.96) posting the top two times in the 200y breaststroke, earning NCAA cuts in the process. Earlier in the meet, Headland also placed second in the 100y breaststroke with an NCAA time of 1:00.27. In other action, sophomore Katie Belle Sikes prevailed in the 50y freestyle with a season-best time of 22.29.
In diving, junior Matthew Bray finished second on 3-meter with a Zone-cut score of 389.18. Bray posted the top score in three rounds, including a 70.88 on his fourth attempt.

Up Next
Georgia concludes its regular season with Senior Day against DIII power Emory on Saturday, Jan. 31 at 11 a.m. EST. Prior to the meet, 11 members of the Georgia senior class will be recognized for their contributions to the program. Admission is free for all spectators, and the meet will stream live on SEC Network+.