2024 Georgia Invitational
- November 20 – 22, 2024
- Gabrielsen Rec Center — Athens, GA
- 25 Yards (SCY)
- Prelims: 9:30 am ET/Finals: 5:30 pm ET
- Watch: SECN+ Network
- Diving Livestream: Prelims/Finals
- Live Results: “UGA Fall Invitational 2024” on MeetMobile
Hello, all! It’s officially invite season and today, the 2024 Georgia Invitational gets underway in Athens, GA. It’s a quick morning prelims session, with heats of the 500 freestyle, 200 IM, and 50 freestyle going off the blocks this morning. Tonight’s finals session will also feature the 200 freestyle and 400 medley relays.
On the swimming side, this is an all-SEC invite as the Bulldogs host Florida, Alabama, LSU, and Missouri. Wisconsin, South Carolina, and Florida Southern diving squads will also be in action on the boards.
Women’s 500-yard Freestyle
- NCAA Record: 4:24.06 — Katie Ledecky, Stanford (2017)
- SEC Record: 4:32.47 — Bella Sims, Florida (2024)
- NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 4:36.89
- NCAA ‘B’ Cut: 4:47.20
Top 8 Finals Qualifiers:
- Bella Sims (FLOR) — 4:37.12
- Abby McCulloh (UGA) — 4:38.16
- Rachel Stege (UGA) — 4:39.46
- Sloane Reinstein (UGA) — 4:40.09
- Dune Coetzee (UGA) — 4:40.12
- Emma Weyant (FLOR) — 4:41.06
- Julie Brousseau (FLOR) — 4:41.11
- Mabel Zavaros (FLOR) — 4:42.08
In her first yards swim of the season, Bella Sims broke 4:40 in the 500 freestyle, clocking a 4:37.12. As ever, she opened her race quickly, splitting 51.64 on the first 100 and turning in 1:47.52. That have her enough room to hold off reigning 1650 free NCAA champion Abby McCulloh for the heat four win and the top seed overall.
McCulloh outsplit Sims over the final 200 yards but couldn’t get close to her and took second in the heat with a 4:38.16, also breaking 4:40 for the first time this season. She led a 2-3-4 finish from the Dawgs in the heat as Sloane Reinstein (4:40.09) and Dune Coetzee (4:40.12) took third and fourth.
In the final heat, Georgia’s Rachel Stege swam a 4:39.46 to win the heat and qualify third overall. Stege has already been 4:37.02 this season (from Georgia’s dual meet with NC State). This was the meet last year where she really broke out in this race as she swam a huge lifetime best of 4:32.87, which still stands as her best.
Freshman Julie Brousseau won the race in heat three between her and fellow Canadian Gator Mabel Zavaros. Brousseau arrived in Gainesville, FL fresh off an Olympic debut in Paris and has been steadily adjusting to yards since her arrival. She won heat 2 in 4:41.11, taking over as the top time of the morning. It’s a new lifetime best for Brousseau, well ahead of the 4:53.83 she swam earlier this month in her first time swimming the event. Zavaros’ 4:42.08 is a solid swim for her as well in her return to the Gators this season–it’s the fastest she’s swum since the 2023 NCAAs. Both made it through to the ‘A’ final.
Florida sophomore JoJo Ramey posted a lifetime best 4:34.84 to win heat two of the women’s 500 freestyle. It’s a significant drop for Ramey, improving on the 4:46.02 she swam at the 2024 NCAA Championships. She won the opening heat goin away, beating teammate Camille DeBoer (4:47.68) by 3.84 seconds.
Men’s 500-yard Freestyle
- NCAA Record: 4:02.31 — Leon Marchand, Arizona State (2024)
- SEC Record: 4:06.32 — Kieran Smith, Florida (2020)
- NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 4:10.64
- NCAA ‘B’ Cut: 4:21.28
Top 8 Finals Qualifiers:
- Jake Magahey (UGA) — 4:10.93
- Charlie Hawke (BAMA) — 4:14.09
- Tomas Koski (UGA) — 4:15.02
- Giovanni Linscheer (FLOR) — 4:16.00
- Leonardo Alcantara (BAMA) – -4:16.32
- Jovan Lekic (LSU) — 4:16.77
- Sam Powe (UGA) — 4:17.33
- Jacob Pishko (LSU) — 4:17.35
Jake Magahey blasted away in the final heat, dropping a 4:10.93 to post the fastest time of the morning and the fastest time in the NCAA so far this season. He’s the first to get under 4:11 this season, as Rex Maurer held the league’s fastest time until now with a lifetime best 4:11.20.
Now in his fifth-year, Magahey has established himself as one of the most consistently fast 500 freestyle performers in NCAA history–his lowest NCAA finish is 3rd and per USA Swimming, he owns the most sub-4:08 swims in history.
Behind Magahey, Charlie Hawke took second in the heat and overall, clocking a season-best 4:14.09 to position himself well for finals.
Georgia’s Tomas Koski separated himself from a close race in heat four to win with a 4:15.02. The swim is a big season-best for Koski, who had a breakout freshman campaign last year, particularly in the 200/500 freestyle. The NCAA’s season top times are fluid this week with so many invites happening and finals still to come, but Koski’s effort puts him solidly within the top 10 so far this season.
A close race for second developed behind him; Giovanni Linscheer touched in 4:16.00, .32 seconds ahead of Leonardo Alcantara (4:16.32). Alcantara’s swim is a personal best by 1.39 seconds. LSU’s Jovan Lekic finished a few tenths behind in 4:16.77. The Tigers will have two men in the ‘A’ final after Jacob Pishko swam a lifetime best 4:17.35 in the final heat to sneak into the final in eighth.
U.S Olympian Luke Whitlock took over from his fellow freshman (and fellow Luke) teammate for the top time of the morning so far, winning heat three with a 4:17.87. The swim is about two seconds from the 4:15.76 personal best he swam last December. Teammate Josh Parent joined him under 4:20, which marks his first time clearing that particular barrier. Parent swam 4:19.43 to touch second in the heat, eclipsing his previous personal best of 4:22.59 from this meet last year by 3.16 seconds.
Florida freshman Luke Corey swam a lifetime best of 4:21.75 to win heat two ahead of teammate Fred Lindholm. Coet’s previous lifetime best was a 4:22.48 he swam earlier this year before arriving to college. Corey was behind Lindholm at the 400-yard mark, but split 52.31 over the closing 100 yards to pull ahead and get his hand on the wall .44 seconds ahead of Lindholm (4:22.19).
Notably, Jake Mitchell clocked 4:18.91 and will swim in the ‘B’ final tonight after finishing 10th.
Women’s 200-yard IM
- NCAA Record: 1:48.37 — Kate Douglass, Virginia (2023)
- SEC Record: 1:51.62 — Megan Small, Tennessee (2019)
- NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:53.66
- NCAA ‘B’ Cut: 1:59.35
Top 8 Finals Qualifiers:
- Zoe Dixon (FLOR) — 1:55.34
- Ieva Maluka (UGA) — 1:57.06
- Diana Petkova (BAMA) — 1:58.53
- Olivia Dellatorre (UGA) — 1:59.09
- Catie Choate (FLOR)/Addison Reese (FLOR) — 1:59.51
- (tie)
- Chloe Cheng (LSU) — 1:59.67
- Lainy Kruger (FLOR) — 1:59.84
Alabama’s Diana Petkova split 27.87 on the freestyle leg of her 200 IM to get in front of Georgia’s Olivia Dellatorre and win heat three, 1:58.53 to 1:59.09. Florida’s Catie Choate and Addison Reese tied for third in 1:59.51.
In heat four, Florida’s Zoe Dixon took over the top time from Petkova with a 1:55.34. Dixon finished eighth in this event at 2024 NCAAs after swimming a lifetime best 1:53.73 in prelims. In the next heat, Georgia transfer Ieva Maluka also got under Petkova’s bar, swimming a 1:57.06 to qualify for tonight’s final in second. Maluka has already been as fast as 1:56.62 this season, so this was a solid prelims effort from her. She’s been a big boost for the Georgia women so far in her first term with the team since transferring from Arizona State.
Petkova, Dellatorre, Choate, and Reese’s swims all held up to make it back for tonight’s ‘A’ final. Through three events, Florida is dominating this morning; in the women’s 200 IM, they put another four swimmers through to the ‘A’ final.
It took a sub-2:00 swim to make the ‘A” final, as LSU’s Chloe Cheng and Florida’s Lainy Kruger grabbed the outside lanes with 1:59.67 and 1:59.84 swims, respectively. Alabama’s Kate Christian swam 2:00.00 for ninth.
Men’s 200-yard IM
- NCAA Record: 1:36.34 — Leon Marchand, Arizona State (2023)
- SEC Record: 1:38.13 — Caeleb Dressel, Florida (2018)
- NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:40.75
- NCAA ‘B’ Cut: 1:45.68
Top 8 Finals Qualifiers:
- Tommy Hagar (BAMA) — 1:43.83
- Julian Smith (FLOR) — 1:43.86
- Mason Laur (FLOR) — 1:44.93
- Joaquin Gonzalez Pinero (FLOR) — 1:45.25
- Griffin Curtis (LSU) — 1:46.15
- John Watson (UMIZ) — 1:46.18
- Sean Sullivan (FLOR) — 1:46.20
- Aaron Seymour (UGA) — 1:46.28
Alabama’s Tommy Hagar just keeps rolling this season. He’s swum lifetime bests in multiple events, and added another with a 1:43.83 200 IM to win heat three. Hagar’s previous lifetime best was 1:45.34 from the 2024 SEC Championships; this marks a 1:51-second drop and moves him from from fourth to third on Alabama’s all-time top 10 list.
Hagar finished ahead of Gator duo Joaquin Gonzalez Pinero and Caleb Maldari, who took second and third in the heat in 1:45.25 and 1:46.85.
His time from heat three held up through two more heats to secure him lane four for tonight’s final. Julian Smith stopped the clock at 1:43.86, just three-hundredths behind Hagar’s swim. The Alabama sophomore will be flanked by Gators on both sides as the Gators swam the second, third, and fourth fastest times of the morning with Smith, Mason Laur (1:44.93) and Pinero.
LSU’s Griffin Curtis qualified fifth overall (1:46.15) and Mizzou’s John Watson shaved .77 seconds from his lifetime best to grab the sixth seed in 1:46.18.
Women’s 50-yard Freestyle
- NCAA Record: 20.37 — Gretchen Walsh, Virginia (2024)
- SEC Record: 20.98 — Maggie MacNeil, LSU (2023)
- NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 21.58
- NCAA ‘B’ Cut: 22.58
Top 8 Finals Qualifiers:
- Cadence Vincent (BAMA) — 22.03
- Eboni McCarty (UGA) — 22.22
- Michaela De Villiers (LSU) — 22.31
- Jada Scott (BAMA) — 22.34
- Katie Belle Sikes (UGA)/Kailyn Winter (BAMA) — 22.40
- (tie)
- Micayla Cronk (FLOR) — 22.45
- Helena Jones (UGA) — 22.51
Alabama’s sprinters showed up this morning as Cadence Vincent, Jada Scott, and Kailyn Winter all made it through to the ‘A’ final. Vincent swam the fastest time of the morning with a 22.03, shaving three-hundredths off her best. Scott cut two-hundredths off her lifetime best as well, swimming 22.34 to qualify fourth overall. Scott returned this season after sitting out for the back half of the 2023-24 season due to injury, so it’s a strong sign for her that she’s already back to swimming best times.
The hosting Georgia women matched Alabama wby qualifying three women for the final as well. Eboni McCarty led the way for the Dawgs with a 22.22, qualifying .09 seconds ahead of LSU’s Michaela De Villiers, who swam a lifetime best 22.31 to move through in third.
Katie Belle Sikes (22.40) and Helena Jones (22.51) round out Georgia’s ‘A’ finalists, while Micayla Cronk is Florida’s lone ‘A’ finalist (22.45).
Men’s 50-yard Freestyle
- NCAA Record: 17.63 — Caeleb Dressel, Florida (2018)
- SEC Record: 17.63 — Caeleb Dressel, Florida (2018)
- NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 18.72
- NCAA ‘B’ Cut: 19.69
Top 8 Finals Qualifiers:
- Josh Liendo (FLOR) — 18.86
- Jere Hribar (LSU) — 19.03
- Alex Painter (FLOR) — 19.35
- Tim Korstanje (BAMA) — 19.42
- Stepan Goncharov (LSU) — 19.46
- Ed Fullum-Huot (FLOR) — 19.49
- Scotty Buff (FLOR) — 19.52
- Luke Nebrich (UMIZ) — 19.62
Anyone know if luca is slatted to swim here, or still out for sickness?