2024 Georgia Invitational: Day 3 Prelims Live Recap

2024 Georgia Invitational

• November 20 – 22, 2024
• Gabrielsen Rec Center — Athens, GA
• Competing teams: Georgia Southern University, UGA (host), LSU, Alabama, Missouri, U of SC, Florida
• Prelims: 9:30 am ET/Finals: 5:30 pm ET
  • Watch: SECN+ Network
• Live Results: “UGA Fall Invitational 2024” on MeetMobile
• Prelims: Day 1
• Finals: Day 1| Day 2

WOMEN’S 200 BACK – PRELIMS

• NCAA Record: 1:47.24, Beata Nelson (Wisconsin) – 2019
• 2025 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:50.50
• 2024 NCAA Cutline: 1:54.01

Top 8 Qualifiers: 

1. Bella Sims (FLOR), 1:51.36
2. Catie Choate (FLOR), 1:52.87
3. JoJo Ramey (FLOR), 1:53.18
4. Zoe Dixon (FLOR), 1:53.32
5. Mabel Zavaros (FLOR), 1:54.24
6. Sofia Sartori (LSU), 1:54.67
7. Katelyn Schroeder (FLOR), 1:54.69
8. Valeriia Egorova (LSU), 1:55.02

The Florida women took control of the 200 backstroke preliminaries, earning six of the eight lanes for the ‘A’ final. After swimming a lifetime best 100 backstroke and breaking 50 seconds for the first time, Bella Sims cruised to the top time of the morning, posting a season-best 1:51.36.

The Gators took the top four seeds for the finals with the sophomore trio of Sims, Catie Choate, and JoJo Ramey leading the way. Choate joined Sims in the 2024 NCAA ‘A’ final back in March and clocked a 1:52.87 this morning. She swam her lifetime best 1:51.94 at this meet last year. Ramey sits third in 1:53.18, and junior Zoe Dixon joined the top three under the 1:54-barrier with a 1:53.32.

Sofia Sartori clocked a personal best of 1:54.67 to make the ‘A’ final in sixth place. She undercut her lifetime best by three-hundredths, bettering the lifetime best she swam at a dual meet earlier this month.

MEN’S 200 BACK – PRELIMS

• NCAA Record: 1:35.37, Destin Lasco (Cal) – 2024
• 2025 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:38.80
• 2024 NCAA Cutline: 1:40.62

Top 8 Qualifiers: 

1. Jonny Marshall (FLOR), 1:40.16
2. Tommy Hagar (BAMA), 1:40.18
3. Sam Powe (UGA), 1:40.45
4. Aiden Norman (FLOR), 1:41.51
5. Ruard van Renen (UGA), 1:41.60
6. Caleb Maldari (FLOR), 1:42.07
7. Brendan Conners (BAMA), 1:42.44
8. Jake Magahey (UGA), 1:42.70

SEC champion Jonny Marshall set the standard in heat two of the men’s 200 backstroke, swimming a 1:40.16. That time held up over the next two heats to secure lane four for Marshall in the final. Tommy Hagar came close to Marshall’s time in the next heat, swimming a 1:40.18 to touch two-hundredths behind Marshall’s time. Earlier this month, Hagar swam a lifetime best of 1:39.88.

Florida and Georgia each put three men into the ‘A’ final. Junior Pan Pacs gold medallist Aiden Norman snagged the fourth seed for the Gators with a 1:41.51 in his first midseason invite and sophomore Caleb Maldari touched in 1:42.07 for xith-overall.

The 200 backstroke was a strength for the Bulldogs over the last few seasons and even though the depth of the group took a hit with the graduation of key fifth-years, but it’s still strong as Sam Powe and Ruard van Renen lead the way for the Dawgs, qualifying third (1:40.45) and fifth (1:41.60). Last year, Jake Magahey opted to focus on the 200 fly instead of the 1650 on the last day of championship meets. Now, he’s tried on the 200 backstroke, posting the second-fastest time of his career with a 1:42.70. Magahey’s lifetime best is a 1:42.39 and he’s only swum the event at one meet since–a January 2023 dual meet.

WOMEN’S 100 FREE – PRELIMS

• NCAA Record: 44.83, Gretchen Walsh (Virginia) – 2024
• 2025 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 47.10
• 2024 NCAA Cutline: 48.34

Top 8 Qualifiers: 

1. Cadence Vincent (BAMA), 48.16
2. Zara Zallen (UMIZ), 48.58
3. Micayla Cronk (FLOR), 48.97
4. Michaela De Villiers (LSU) / Addison Reese (FLOR) , 49.01
5. (tie0
6. Bri Roberson (UGA), 49.03
7. Helena Jones (UGA) / Kailyn Winter (BAMA) , 49.08
8. (tie)

Cadence Vincent, the 50 free champion from earlier this meet, posted a 48.16 to lead the way in the women’s 100 freestyle prelims. Vincent’s 48.16 is just six-hundredths from the lifetime best that she swam earlier this month at a tri-meet. She’s had a strong meet so far; resetting her 50 free lifetime best three times on Wednesday.

Missouri’s Zara Zallen chopped a tenth off her 100 freestyle lifetime best to qualify second overall in 48.58. She swam multiple lifetime bests early this season in the 200 freestyle. Florida’s Micayla Cronk joined the top two swimmers sub-49 seconds, clocking a 48.97.

Behind Vincent and Zallen, the third through eighth place qualifiers are quite bunched together. Only .11 seconds separates Cronk in third-place from Helena Jones and Kailyn Winter, who are tied for seventh in 49.08.

Florida freshman Addison Reese chopped .63 seconds off her personal best to make the ‘A’ final, tying with LSU’s Michaela De Villiers for the fourth seed.

MEN’S 100 FREE – PRELIMS

• NCAA Record: 39.90, Caeleb Dressel (Florida) – 2018
• 2025 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 41.34
• 2024 NCAA Cutline: 42.19

Top 8 Qualifiers: 

1. Julian Smith (FLOR), 42.08
2. Charlie Hawke (BAMA), 42.41
3. Kaique Alves (BAMA), 42.43
4. Jere Hribar (LSU), 42.46
5. Grant Bochenski (UMIZ), 42.50
6. Alex Painter (FLOR), 42.65
7. Stepan Goncharov (LSU), 42.71
8. Toni Dragoja (BAMA), 42.84

Fresh off setting an SEC record in the 100 breaststroke last night, Julian Smith cruised to the top seed in the men’s 100 freestyle prelims. Smith clocked a 42.08, nearing his lifetime best of 41.98 from the 2023 SEC championships. Behind him Alabama teammates Charlie Hawke and Kaique Alves are separated by just two-hundredths of a second as the second and third seeds. Alves holds a lifetime best of 42.17, but Hawke got much closer to his lifetime best of 42.31.

Jere Hribar sailed to the fourth-seed, just behind the Crimson Tide teammates. He finished second in the 50 freestyle earlier this meet, getting under 19 seconds for the first time this season during the final.

Grant Bochenski gave Missouri an ‘A’ finalist in both the women’s and men’s 100 freestyle, qualifying in fifth seed (42.50).

International freshman Alex Painter swam a lifetime best of 42.65 to make the final in sixth place. The Florida men have dominated at this meet, but this is one of the more balanced ‘A’ finals at the meet and it’s Alabama with the most ‘A’ finalists in this event, as Toni Dragoja qualified eighth (42.84) to give the Crimson Tide three up.

WOMEN’S 200 BREAST – PRELIMS

• NCAA Record: 2:01.29, Kate Douglass (Virginia) – 2023
• 2025 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 2:05.73
• 2024 NCAA Cutline: 2:09.55

Top 8 Qualifiers: 

1. Avery Wiseman (BAMA), 2:09.54
2. Molly Mayne (FLOR), 2:10.11
3. Grace Rainey (FLOR), 2:11.16
4. Gracie Weyant (FLOR), 2:12.42
5. Anna Moore (FLOR) / Anita Bottazzo (FLOR), 2:12.69
6. (tie)
7. Sofia Plaza (FLOR), 2:12.72
8. Olivia Dellatorre (UGA), 2:13.84

Avery Wiseman swam a season-best 2:09.54 in heat one of women’s 200 breaststroke prelims. Her swim remained the fastest time of the morning through the next two heats. She’s the only swimmer who broke 2:10 this morning, as sophomore Molly Mayne secured the second seed with a 2:10.11.

Mayne leads six Gator women into the ‘A’ final as Florida took over the second through seventh seed to match the same number of ‘A’ finalists they have in the 200 backstroke.

Anita Bottazzo and Anna Moore tied for fifth place, each swimming a lifetime best 2:12.69. Yesterday, Bottazzo, an international freshman, swam a 57.49 100 breaststroke in her first ever yards meet to become the #3 freshman in the history of the event. Moore broke 2:13 for the first time in her career with this swim, dropping from the 2:13.37 she swam at the 2023 Georgia Invitational.

MEN’S 200 BREAST – PRELIMS

• NCAA Record: 1:46.35, Leon Marchand (ASU) – 2024
• 2025 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:50.65
• 2024 NCAA Cutline: 1:53.12

Top 8 Qualifiers: 

1. Arie Voloschin (UGA), 1:54.32
2. Peter Brentzmann (FLOR), 1:54.73
3. Alex Ochsenbein (UMIZ), 1:54.76
4. Trey Sheils (BAMA), 1:54.92
5. Raphael Rached Windmuller (FLOR), 1:55.88
6. Aleksas Savickas (FLOR) / Michael Deans (BAMA), 1:56.09
7. (tie)
8. Connor Haigh (UGA), 1:56.65

A four-man race developed in heat three of the men’s 200 breaststroke, as Arie Voloschin, Peter Bretzmann, Alex Ochsenbein, and Trey Sheils battled for the heat win. Voloschin, back from an Olympic redshirt year for Georgia, held off the other three for the win with a 1:54.32, which held up as the fastest time of the morning.

Brentzmann stopped the clocked .51 seconds behind Voloschin in 1:54.73, .03 seconds ahead of Ochsenbein, who swam a lifetime best by 2.30 seconds to qualify third overall in 1:54.76.

Alabama’s Trey Sheils rounded out the group under 1:55 with a lifetime best of his own, swimming a 1:54.92. He’d never been under 1:56 before, as his previous lifetime best was a 1:56.11 from the 2023 Tennessee Invitational.

WOMEN’S 200 FLY – PRELIMS

• NCAA Record: 1:49.16, Alex Walsh (Virginia) – 2024
• 2025 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:52.47
• 2024 NCAA Cutline: 1:55.88

Top 8 Qualifiers: 

1. Bella Sims (FLOR), 1:53.67
2. Ieva Maluka (UGA), 1:56.88
3. Victoria Raymond (BAMA), 1:57.69
4. Sofia Sartori (LSU), 1:57.95
5. Zoe Dixon (FLOR), 1:58.03
6. Mabel Zavaros (FLOR), 1:58.20
7. Jenna Bridges (LSU), 1:58.21
8. Lainy Kruger (FLOR), 1:58.31

Four of the 200 backstroke ‘A’ finalists made their way into the women’s 200 fly top eight. Sims once again earned the top seed, swimming a 1:53.67 to pace the field by more than three seconds. The other 200 backstroke ‘A’ finalists to double up on ‘A’ finals this session are Sartori (1:57.95), Dixon (1:58.03), and Zavaros (1:58.20).

Transfers Ieva Maluka and Victoria Raymond qualified second and third for their new programs. Maluka, a transfer from Arizona State, has made an early impression for the Bulldogs and Raymond has added butterfly strength to the Crimson Tide after transferring from the mid-major Tulane. Maluka’s already swam a 200 fly lifetime best this season, hitting a 1:55.95 at a tri-meeet against South Carolina and Vanderbilt.

MEN’S 200 FLY – PRELIMS

• NCAA Record: 1:37.35, Jack Conger (Texas) – 2017
• 2025 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:40.05
• 2024 NCAA Cutline: 1:42.10

Top 8 Qualifiers: 

1. Josh Liendo (FLOR), 1:41.37
2. Jan Zubik (UMIZ), 1:41.47
3. Jake Magahey (UGA), 1:42.38
4. Mason Laur (FLOR), 1:42.71
5. Jacob Pishko (LSU), 1:44.06
6. Drew Hitchcock (UGA), 1:44.11
7. Scotty Buff (FLOR) , 1:44.27
8. Matthew Judkins (UMIZ), 1:44.28

Sprinter Josh Liendo already took on the 200 fly once this season, but now he’s gone for it again at the midseason invite, bringing his lifetime best of 1:43.51 from the Florida vs. Georgia dual meet earlier this month to a 1:41.37. At the dual meet, the piano fell on the last 50 yards but Liendo paced the race much more evenly this time, swimming 22.35/26.17/26.42/26.43 to swim the fastest time of the morning from the first heat.

Missouri’s Jan Zubik won the second heat in 1:41.47, nearly matching Liendo’s time. It will be an interesting battle of strategy in the ‘A’ final with these two next to each other, as they swim their races very differently. This morning, Zubik split 23.08/25.99/26.38/26.02, relying on his back-half much more heavily than Liendo.

In his second swim of the morning, Magahey made his second ‘A’ final with a 1:42.38, qualifying third overall. He’s one of two Georgia swimmers in the final, as freshman Drew Hitchcock joined him for the Dawgs, Hitchcock, a 200 IM specialist, clocked 1:44.11 to make it back sixth, five-hundredths behind LSU’s Jacob Pishko.

Missouri got two men into the ‘A’ final as well, with Matthew Judkins smashing his former lifetime best of 1:46.33 from earlier this month with a 1:44.28.