{"id":581958,"date":"2024-03-23T15:39:11","date_gmt":"2024-03-23T22:39:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=581958"},"modified":"2024-03-23T17:50:15","modified_gmt":"2024-03-24T00:50:15","slug":"ncaa-womens-championships-abby-mcculloh-captures-1650-title-for-georgia-bulldogs-in-home-pool","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/ncaa-womens-championships-abby-mcculloh-captures-1650-title-for-georgia-bulldogs-in-home-pool\/","title":{"rendered":"NCAA Women’s Championships: Abby McCulloh Captures 1650 Title for Georgia Bulldogs in Home Pool"},"content":{"rendered":"

NCAA Women’s Championships: Abby McCulloh Captures 1650 Title for Georgia Bulldogs in Home Pool<\/strong><\/p>\n

The University of Georgia had not captured a national title in women’s swimming since 2016, when\u00a0Olivia Smoliga<\/strong> and\u00a0Brittany MacLean<\/strong> both erned wins as the Bulldogs raced to their seventh team title. Now,\u00a0Abby McCulloh<\/strong> can join that esteemed club of Bulldog champions after dominating the 1650 freestyle at the 2024 edition of the NCAA Championships \u2014 and McCulloh’s title was particularly special as she won it at home in Athens, Ga., racing in Bauerle Pool at Gabrielsen Natatorium.<\/p>\n

Women’s distance swimming currently lacks a standout star in college swimming. The more-recognized names racing the 1650 free, including 1500-meter free Olympic silver medalist Erica Sullivan <\/strong>and 2022 NCAA champion\u00a0Paige McKenna<\/strong>, were well off their top times this season. That opened the door for McCulloh, who swam a time of 15:40.96 to win the SEC title in the mile and establish herself as the top seed for NCAAs.<\/p>\n

Stepping up to the blocks for the fastest heat of the 1650 free in lane four, McCulloh delivered from the start, establishing a slight lead over the first 500 yards and then opening up a significant lead over the race’s middle portion. Around the 1000-yard, Stanford’s Aurora Roghair<\/strong> made a significant surge, picking off the other swimmers in the heat and slightly out-splitting McCulloh for several hundred yards, but she never got closer than two-and-a-half seconds.<\/p>\n

McCulloh opened up her finishing kick over the final 150 yards, and she reached the wall in 15:37.74, a best time by more than three seconds and good enough to move her to No. 12 all-time in the event. The junior had previously finished as high as fifth in the event at the NCAA Championships two seasons ago, and she was sixth earlier in the week in the 500 free, a tune-up to this impressive title-winning swim Saturday evening.<\/p>\n

“I will say it over and over again: I\u2019m so grateful. This program means the world to me, and to know that I have the most amazing alumni, the most amazing teammates, the most amazing staff, none of this is just me. It\u2019s a culmination of all the amazing people around me,” McCulloh said.<\/p>\n

“I\u2019m not one of those people that ever expects anything like this. I don\u2019t have a ton of confidence going into a race, and I think that\u2019s important, to let people know that you can achieve things even if you\u2019re not super confident all the time. I rely a lot on my faith and just knowing that God\u2019s going to make happen what\u2019s supposed to happen.”<\/p>\n

In the moments after McCulloh finished her triumphant mile, her University of Georgia teammates gathered behind the blocks to greet her, and after McCulloh climbed out of the pool, they enveloped her in a circle and began jumping in celebration. Shortly after, McCulloh credited her team and the culture at the University of Georgia as the key factors in her improvement and national title.<\/p>\n

“I would chalk it up to amazing teammates and amazing coaches. Everybody here just wants success for everyone else so bad. I would like to brag that I think we have one of the best D-groups in the nation. Every girl on our team makes each other better, and our culture is just so awesome,” McCulloh said. “Just to see all my teammates screaming and crying and behind the block, I\u2019ve told them, \u2018Any success that any of us has is not just one person.\u2019 That victory is every single one of them. I\u2019m just so grateful.”<\/p>\n

After learning that she had snapped an eight-year title drought for the Bulldogs, McCulloh pointed out another important accomplishment she had just reached: Georgia’s first national title under second-year head coach Stefanie Williams Moreno<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s awesome. Just to be the first woman under Stef to win a national title is just amazing,” McCulloh said. “I told her after I finished, \u2018During that whole time, I was thinking about you. I want to be Stef\u2019s first.\u2019 And being in Athens, obviously there\u2019s a level of comfort. It\u2019s a fantastic city. We have the best food, the best accommodations. I love being here. Being home is fun.”<\/p>\n

Roghair ended up finishing second in 15:41.11, capping off a season in which she dramatically improved her standing in distance swimming after previously placing 15th and 17th in the mile at the NCAA Championships in 2022 and 2023, respectively. Roghair now sits 22nd all-time in the event.<\/p>\n

Indiana’s\u00a0Ching Hwee Gan<\/strong> placed third in 15:46.90, less than a second clear of charging Penn swimmer\u00a0Anna Kalandadze<\/strong> (15:47.86).\u00a0Emma Weyant<\/strong>, a Florida junior who previously took second in both the 500 free and 400 IM, took fifth (15:49.51). Sullivan was sixth (15:54.82), with Indiana’s\u00a0Mariah Denigan<\/strong> (15:55.41) and Nebraska’s\u00a0Gena Jorgenson<\/strong> (15:55.71) rounding out the top-eight. Denigan is already qualified for the U.S. Olympic team in the 10-kilometer open water event. McKenna was just behind in ninth (15:56.16).<\/p>\n