Georgia Swimming Defeats Emory on Senior Day; Matt Sates Debuts With 1:33 200 Freestyle

Jake Magahey. Photo Courtesy: Luke Jamroz Photography

In the final dual meet of the 2021-22 season, the University of Georgia swimming and diving team honored 18 members of its season class before posting a sweep of Emory Saturday afternoon at Gabrielsen Natatorium.

In the men’s meet, No. 12 Georgia topped Emory, 175.5-128.5, while in the women’s meet, the 12th-ranked Bulldogs bested the Eagles, 150-126. In both meets, Georgia elected to swim under exhibition status during the second half of competition.

In a day full of Georgia victories, freshman Elsa Fretz broke through with the first two wins of her collegiate career, taking first in the 100 and 200 freestyle. Fellow freshman Matthew Sates debuted for the Bulldogs with a winning B-cut time of 1:33.89 in the men’s 200 free, immediately moving into the program’s all-time top 10 at No. 7. Senior Harrison Wayner also notched a top-10 time with his winning B-cut of 52.77, the sixth-best performance in school history. Sophomore Wesley Ng added another B-cut with a personal-best 47.06 in the 100 backstroke.

In the men’s 1,650 freestyle, Georgia swimming sophomore Jake Magahey entered the national top 10 with a winning time of 14:49.98, while freshman Abby McCulloh earned another B-cut at 16:23.99. In other freestyle events, junior Zach Hils won the men’s 50 with a time of 20.36, junior Riley Scruggs earned his first collegiate win in the 100 at 44.29, and redshirt junior Bradley Dunham grabbed a B-cut in the 500 with a season-best 4:21.68.

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Multiple Georgia swimming events turned in first-place finishes for the first time in their careers, including freshmen Hailey Hicks (100 backstroke), Angharad Evans (100 breaststroke), and Lily Gardner (200 butterfly). Freshman Eboni McCarty earned her third victory of the season with a first-place time of 23.19 in the 50 freestyle. Additionally, senior Keegan Walsh (200 backstroke), junior Zoie Hartman (200 backstroke), and sophomore Connor Haigh (200 breaststroke) also posted first-place times.

At the diving well, Georgia swimming posted a successful outing, tallying eight Zone cuts during the meet. Senior Ellie Crump finished first on 1-meter with a season-best score of 276.60 before earning a Zone cut on 3-meter at 285.15. Fellow seniors Ambria D’Alonzo and Tally Brown qualified for Zones on 1-meter and 3-meter respectively, while sophomore Meghan Wenzel added a cut on platform.

On the men’s side, freshman Rhett Hopkins qualified on 3-meter with freshmen Nolan Lewis and Timothy Fagan qualifying on platform. Senior Hudson Coldren closed out his home career with a winning mark of 260.85 on 1-meter.

Georgia swimming now turns its attention to the upcoming SEC Championships at the Allan Jones Aquatic Center in Knoxville, Tenn. The championship meet opens on Tuesday, Feb. 15 and runs through Saturday, Feb. 19. The Bulldogs will return to Gabrielsen Natatorium for the Last Chance Meet on Saturday, Feb. 26.

— The above press release was posted by Swimming World in conjunction with Georgia Swimming. For press releases and advertising inquiries please contact Advertising@SwimmingWorld.com.

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