Press Release courtesy of Georgia Athletics
The Georgia swimming and diving teams will return home for the first time in a month when they entertain Georgia Tech on Wednesday.
Wednesday’s 4 p.m. meet will be Georgia’s first appearance at Gabrielsen Natatorium since a sweep of North Carolina on Oct. 6. Since then, Georgia has had road meets at Wisconsin, Northwestern and Florida. Georgia’s last competition was an Oct. 27 split with the Gators.
The Lady Bulldogs are 5-0 and ranked No. 6 in the latest CSCAA / TYR poll. The Bulldogs hold a 4-1 mark and are No. 12, while Georgia Tech’s men are No. 24.
“We’re excited about the chance to compete again,” said Jack Bauerle, Georgia’s Tom Cousins Swimming and Diving Head Coach. “We have had spirited workouts, but there’s no substitute for standing up and racing another team. When you factor in that it’s a meet against our instate rivals, things ramp up even more. We know them well and we love competing against them.”
Georgia Tech’s teams are coached by Courtney Shealy Hart, who was a five-time NCAA and 19-time SEC champion for Georgia from 1997-2000. She helped Georgia win its first NCAA titles in 1999 and 2000 and she is a member of UGA’s Circle of Honor. Her coaching staff includes assistant Neil Versfeld, a Bulldog national and SEC champion and All-American during his career from 2006-09.
Javier Acevedo enters Wednesday’s meet nationally ranked fifth in the 200 backstroke and eighth in the 100 backstroke. Kevin Litherland stands 10th in the 500 freestyle. On the women’s side, Kylie Stewart is No. 4 in the 100 backstroke and Stephanie Peters is No. 10 in the 1,000 freestyle.
The Bulldogs have won 50 straight meets against Georgia Tech dating back to the 1961-62 season, while the Lady Bulldogs boast 12 straight victories over the Jackets. Bauerle is 36-0 all-time against Georgia Tech (22-0 coaching the men, 11-0 coaching the women and 3-0 as a Georgia swimmer).
There is no cost for admission on Wednesday. Pizza will be provided to the first 100 students, the first 150 fans will receive “Wreck Tech T-shirts,” and there will be a student raffle for a PlayStation 4.