SEC Meet of the Week: Georgia Begins Title Defense With Win Over UNC

Georgia coach Jack Bauerle talks with Meghan Raab. Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

By Dan D’Addona.

Georgia coach Jack Bauerle is one of the best in the business.

He has led the Bulldogs to swimming national championships, and therefore has led the Bulldogs to seasons as defending champions.

It is a lot of pressure, especially when the team that finished runner-up last year (Stanford) added a couple of swimmers named Katie Ledecky and Simone Manuel.

But the Bulldogs aren’t focused on that. They have a lot of new faces and new leaders after graduating a national championship class.

No. 2 Georgia is off to a good start after a 179-119 win over No. 16 North Carolina.

Meanwhile, the No. 4 Georgia men won 162.5-132.5 over No. 18 UNC. The women are 23-0 all-time against the Tar Heels.

Megan Kingsley led the Georgia women with three individual victories. The junior won the 100 butterfly (53.07), the 200 butterfly (1:54.90) and the 200 individual medley (1:59.11).

Emily Cameron and Stephanie Peters had two victories apiece. Cameron swept the 100 and 200 breaststroke in 1:03.68 and 2:17.27, respectively. Peters won the 500 freestyle in 4:47.53 and the 1,000 freestyle in 9:46.55.

Olympian Chantal Van Landeghem returned from a redshirt and won the 100 freestyle with a time of 49.96. Meaghan Raab claimed the 200 freestyle in 1:47.87 and Meryn McCann made her Georgia debut by taking the 200 backstroke in 1:57.87.

The 200 medley relay of Kylie Stewart, Cameron, Kingsley and Van Landeghem won with a time of 1:40.13.

In the men’s meet, Pace Clark joined Olympians Chase Kalisz, Jay Litherland and Javier Acevedo as double winners on Friday. Clark swept the 100 and 200 butterfly races in 48.37 and 1:47.03. Returning to Georgia after a redshirt season, Kalisz took the 200 freestyle in 1:36.60 and the 200 breaststroke in 1:56.08. Litherland had the meet’s fastest times in the 200 backstroke (1:46.33) and the 200 individual medley (1:49.73). Acevedo, in his Georgia debut, won the 100 freestyle in 45.11 and the 100 backstroke in 47.74.

Chris Powell reached the wall in 20.77 to take the 50 freestyle and Kevin Litherland won the 1,000 freestyle in 9:17.44.

Lots of Bulldogs contributed to the victory against a strong opponent, and that is going to have to continue all season for the Bulldogs to compete for a national championship.

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