Division III Weekly Recap: Emory Takes Two Over Georgia

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The Georgia Bulldogs hosted the Emory Eagles on Saturday morning; the Bulldog women won with a score of 194-99 and the men took their meet 175-107. While it was clear from the start that Georgia would take this one, the Emory men were able to take two events this weekend.

Meet of the Week: Emory Takes Two Over Georgia

Photo Courtesy: Scott Grant/Swimming Canada

After having the exact same split as Chase Kalisz in the 200 medley relay (24.69), Andrew Wilson faced off with Georgia’s James Guest in the breaststroke events. Wilson was able to take the 100 in 54.41, the fastest he has ever gone in a dual meet. Guest took second in 55.48. Kalisz competed in the 100 backstroke this time around, and neither breaststroke event.

The roles reversed in the 200 distance, where Guest had the edge claiming the event in 2:00.23 to Wilson’s 2:00.64. Wilson had the lead through the 150 mark, but could not withstand a 30.40 last 50 from Guest.

Emory senior Oliver Smith had a similar day, beginning with a false start in the 200 medley relay. He was able to match this split (19.86), legally, in the 200 free relay at the back end of the meet. He was the only swimmer from either team to swim under 20 seconds on a 50 free split.

Despite Georgia going exhibition in this race (as well as 3-meter diving and the 200 IM), his efforts led the Eagles to a victory in this event. The team of Trey Kolleck, Alex Hardwick, Aaron Schwartz and Smith swam a 1:22.26. This was good enough for the win over Jay, Mick and Kevin Litherland and Kalisz who swam a 1:22.97.

Two for Emory, Two for D-III

Photo Courtesy: Emory Athletics

To be clear, there are some obvious factors about these two wins:

Yes, Georgia swam some off events.
No, Andrew Wilson is not your typical D-III swimmer.
No, that was not Georgia’s top 200 freestyle relay.

We know this, Emory knows this, Georgia knows this. Regardless, you cannot downplay the efforts given by Emory at this meet. This is a team of guys taking away wins from national team members, All-Americans and Olympians.

And there are still many lingering disclaimers you can give about the situation. Are Guest, the Litherland triplets or Kalisz going home upset that they lost a race in a dual meet to Emory? The answer is no. But at the same time, it is probably a safe bet to say that those guys do not like to lose, either. You cannot credit an Emory win to a Georgia lack of effort.

Any time a Division III team gives a Division I team some real competition, there is some credit due. These are athletes stepping up and racing against swimmers who may have future endorsements, who may be household names, and who have some incredible racing experience.

The same held true earlier in the season when Kenyon’s Hannah Orbach-Mandel won the 100 and 200 free over Ohio State University. She beat some big names in those races against a tough Big Ten team.

No, these victories are not making national headlines, nor should they. But the efforts deserve some recognition. Each time one of these races happens it further proves the progress D-III swimmers are making each year.

Andrew Wilson came to Emory as a 59.42 100 breaststroker from a private high school in New England. His journey through D-III training and competition has allowed him to compete with the best in the nation and even the world.

All three divisions range in their level of success. A win like this is a win for Division III swimming and diving because it represents much more than a few Olympians swimming off events in a January dual meet. Wins like this imply that collegiate athletes cannot put a limit on their success because of a number between one and three.

All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff.

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Jim Christian

7 years ago

Your headline’s wrong there…

Amy Miller

7 years ago

Great article! Glad to see Emory’s team getting some much deserved attention! Great students! Great athletes!