Georgia Announces Three More Early Signees

ATHENS, Georgia, November 22. GARRETT Powell of Maryland, Aidan Sweeney of Georgia and Ediz Yildirimer of Texas have signed national letters of intent with the Georgia men's swimming team, according to an announcement Monday by Bulldogs coach Jack Bauerle.

Powell is a native of Rockville, Md., and attends Walter Johnson High School. He competes for Rockville Montgomery Swim Club and is coached by Scott Vekeman. In the national 16-17 age group rankings, Powell is No. 2 in the 1,000 freestyle, No. 4 in the 1,650 freestyle, No. 7 in the 500 freestyle and No. 13 in the 200 backstroke.

"Garrett has a lot of great swimming in front of him," Bauerle said. "He's a real up-and-comer. He's a talented guy who can help us out in the distance freestyle and maybe in the 200 back."

Sweeney, the younger brother of current Bulldog Conor Sweeney, attends Brookwood High School in Snellville and competes for Coach Scott Davis with Swim Atlanta. The younger Sweeney is a two-time honoree on the USA Swimming Scholastic All-America Team and he is an AP scholar. He was the 2011 Georgia state champion in the 1,500 freestyle and the 400 individual medley. He earned All-America honors as a member of the 200 freestyle relay in 2010.

"He's a good worker and he makes everyone around him at practice better," Bauerle said. "He's just starting to blossom in a sense right now. I think he's going to be a heck of a swimmer and he's excited about being a Bulldog and following his brother here, which is a pretty neat thing. He's a good young man. I think he's going to help us a lot."

Yildirimer hails from The Woodlands, Texas, where he attends The John Cooper School. He swims for Coach Tim Bauer with The Woodlands Swim Club. In the 16-17 age group world rankings, Yildirimer is No. 3 in the 800 freestyle and No. 8 in the 1,500 freestyle.

"We're very fortunate to have Ediz," Bauerle said. "We've got a strong distance team now, and he's going to make it a heck of a lot stronger. He's about as good as it gets at his age."

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