Georgia Hoping to Pick up the Pace at SECs

Georgia's Pace Clark. Photo Courtesy: Sean Taylor

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By Dan D’Addona.

The Georgia men’s swim team exceeded all expectations last year, finishing fifth at the NCAA Championships.

The Bulldogs have Chase Kalisz back after a redshirt year training for the Olympics, plus a handful of other Olympians.

But it isn’t the Olympians that make Georgia so dangerous, it is the next group, which includes several near misses at trials.

Those are the swimmers who will decide championship meets, Georgia coach Jack Bauerle said, beginning with the SEC Championships this week — a meet that will showcase seven teams in the top 25, six of them in the top 16.

“(Those guys) just sort of change the feel of the meet. People realize that everyone is important. You want to have that going into NCAAs,” Bauerle said. “Some of the game-changing efforts we have had were not by our top six people, but the second six. That is where it is needed.

“It is not for the feint of heart. It is an absolute war. It is going to be an amazing meet.”

Pace Clark is one of those swimmers for the Bulldogs. The butterfly specialist was close at the Olympic trials and has the fourth-fastest 200-yard butterfly time in the nation this year at 1:41.18.

“We have several guys who could get those ‘B’ final spots and take points away from Florida and the other schools,” Clark said of the SEC and NCAA championships. “I think this year will be more of a year of surprises. It will be more at who gets in the top eight and sneaks up and gets more points.”

Clark said being able to race Olympians on his own team has helped motivate him.

“It is definitely a positive. Everyone sees those guys and use it as an opportunity to race harder and try to keep up. If we can compete with them, we will be there at the end,” he said.

And Clark, a senior from Memphis, Tenn., has come a long way.

“I remember how he was when he came in. He has dropped 6.5 seconds in his butterfly. He is important. Pace is a blast to coach because he is a racer and you know what you are going to get,” Bauerle said.

Clark’s mentality reflects his racing ability.

“At SECs, I would obviously like to win the 200 fly, especially with who we have in the event,” he said. “At NCAAs, I would love to go at Jack Conger and try to give him a good race.”

That is where Clark will end his career, challenging for a national title. He credits Bauerle for helping him take a big step each year.

“I couldn’t imagine swimming under anyone else. He helped push me to the trials and got me really close. Everyone swims for him,” Clark said. “The dude is a legend.”

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