Georgia Set To Open Season Against South Carolina, Vanderbilt

Courtesy: Georgia Athletics

M: No. 8 Georgia (0-0, 0-0 SEC) vs. RV South Carolina (0-0, 0-0 SEC)
W: No. 13 Georgia (0-0, 0-0 SEC) vs. RV South Carolina (0-0, 0-0 SEC), Vanderbilt (0-1, 0-0 SEC)

Date: Friday, Oct. 10
Site: Carolina Natatorium – Columbia, S.C.
Time: 4 p.m. EDT
Stream: No Streaming
Stats: MeetMobile (Swimming) / DiveMeets (Diving)

Series History
South Carolina (M): Georgia leads 34-17
Last Meeting: Georgia – W, 189.5-109.5 (Jan. 14, 2023)
South Carolina (W): Georgia leads 33-3
Last Meeting: Georgia – W, 181-119 (Jan. 14, 2023)
Vanderbilt (W): Georgia leads 9-0
Last Meeting: Georgia – W, 219-61 (Jan. 13, 2024)

Fast Facts

• Georgia opens its 95^th season of men’s swimming and diving and 52^nd season of women’s swimming and diving with a tri-meet against South Carolina and Vanderbilt Friday in Columbia. Head coaches Stefanie Williams Moreno and Neil Versfeld begin their third seasons at the helm of the Bulldogs programs after both oversaw upward moves in last season’s SEC and NCAA standings.
• Despite losing a large senior class, the men’s program remains bolstered by veterans Jake Magahey and Luca Urlando. Magahey earned three First Team All-America citations and won the SEC title in the 500y freestyle last season, while Urlando returns to the Bulldog roster after nearly two seasons. After recovering from a shoulder injury, Urlando qualified for the U.S. Olympic Team in the 200m butterfly and finished 17^th overall in Paris. Other notable returners for the men include school-record holder Reese Branzell, All-American backstroker Ruard van Renan, and sophomore Tomas Koski.
• The Georgia women’s team continues to feature one of the nation’s best distance squads, led by defending NCAA mile champion Abby McCulloh. McCulloh, who was just named the winner of Georgia’s Joel Eaves Scholar-Athlete Award, is joined by fellow seniors Rachel Stege and Duné Coetzee to create a strong top trio. Stege turned in a terrific performance at the Olympic Trials, finishing fifth in the 800m freestyle and sixth in the 1,500m freestyle. Paris Olympian Ieva Maluka, a transfer from Arizona State, is joined by notable returners Eboni McCarty, Sloane Reinstein, and Shea Furse.
• Diving coach Chris Colwill enters his seventh season with the deepest roster of his tenure, featuring 11 combined divers on the men’s and women’s teams. For the men, NCAA qualifier Allen Mann and SEC finalist Nolan Lewis were joined in the offseason by NC State transfer and Trials qualifier Renato Calderaro, while junior Hannah Stumpf and sophomore Michelle Cummo lead the women’s team.