Zach Hils Wins Three Events as Georgia Men Roll Past Kentucky 185-108 in Lexington

KENTUCKY vs GEORGIA (MEN’S DUAL)

• Monday, December 19, 2022
• Lancaster Aquatic Center, Lexington, KY
• SCY (25 yards)
• Results

TEAM SCORES

1. Georgia – 185
2. Kentucky – 108

WOMEN’S RECAP

Kentucky hosted Georgia at the Lancaster Aquatic Center on Monday for an SEC dual meet. The Bulldog men beat the Wildcats handily, outscoring the hosts 185 to 108.

Georgia senior Zach Hils was excellent for the Bulldogs, winning three individual events on the day. Hils kicked things off with a win in the 200 free, where he swam a 1:36.77. He took over the race on the back half, splitting a 49.50 on the final 100.

Hils then clocked a 44.10 to win the 100 free, dominating the race by well over a second. It was a 1-2 finish by Georgia, as senior teammate Dillon Downing swam a 45.40 for second.

Hils finished his meet off with a 1:47.27 to win the 200 IM, winning the race by three seconds. He swam the fastest split in the field on all four 50s of the race, going 23.18 on fly, 26.55 on back, 31.51 on breast, and 26.03 on free.

Fellow Georgia senior Ian Grum swept the backstroke events, starting with a 48.07 to win the 100 back. He won handily, touching first by 1.75 seconds. Grum then swam a 1:45.06 ion the 200 back, finishing over two seconds ahead of the field.

Georgia fifth year Andrew Abruzzo won a pair of events as well. He kicked things off in the 200 fly, swimming a 1:45.69 in the 200 fly. He narrowly beat out Kentucky’s Mason Wilby, who finished second in 1:45.97. The pair was essentially tied at the halfway mark, with Abruzzo splitting 50.89 on the first 100, just ahead of Wilby’s 50.91.

Abruzzo then went on to win the 500 free in 4:23.38, this time beating out Kentucky’s Nicholas Caruso (4:23.47) by an even thinner margin. Abruzzo took a small early lead, then Caruso caught and passed him, inching half-a-second ahead in the middle of the race. by the turn at the 400-yard-mark, the pair were back in what was effectively a tie. They stayed right next to each other the rest of the way, with Abruzzo touching out Caruso.

Georgia was dominant in the breaststroke events. In the 100 breast, Arie Voloschin posted a 56.48 to win, leading teammate Connor Haigh (56.66) into the wall. The Bulldogs were even better in the 200 breast, where Jackson Bates clocked a 2:01.20 to earn the win. Georgia also finished second and third in the event, with Haigh taking second in 2:02.80 and Voloschin came in third with a 2:03.48.

Georgia’s Dillon Downing won the 50 free in 20.29, while Zach Franklin took the 100 fly in 49.06.

Kentucky’s Levi Sandage, a freshman, picked up a win in the 1000 free, swimming a 9:06.22. Sandage pulled off the slightest of negative splits, swimming a 4:33.37 on the first 500, then coming home in 4:32.85.

The Bulldogs and Wildcats split the relays on the day. In the 200 medley relay, Grum (22.65), Voloschin (25.23), Peter Sacca (21.79), and Downing (19.70) combined for a 1:29.37 on Georgia’s ‘A’ relay, winning the race by over two seconds.

The 400 free relay went to Kentucky. Max Berg (46.36), Victor Martin Roig (44.87), Mac Russell (45.43), and Zane Rosely (46.11) teamed up for a 3:02.77 to win the event. Though Kentucky officially won, Georgia’s ‘A’ relay swam faster, but competed exhibition (not for points). Franklin (45.49), Sacca (46.54), Mitchell Norton (44.66), and Bradley Dunham (43.94) combined for a 3:00.63.

Diving Winners:

• 1-meter: Sam Ducan (Kentucky) – 409.13
• 3-meter: Sam Duncan (Kentucky) – 353.10