Alabama Beats Georgia Tech in Ozzie Quevedo’s First Meet as Interim Head Coach

Georgia Tech vs. Alabama

• Friday, January 21, 2021
• McAuley Aquatic Center, Atlanta, GA
• SCY (25 yards)
• Broadcasted live on the ACC Network
• Results on Meet Mobile: “2021 GT vs Alabama”
• Live results
• Scores
  • Men: Alabama – 153, Georgia Tech – 145
  • Women: Alabama – 191, Georgia Tech – 106

On Friday, the University of Alabama finished their last regular-season meet with a close meet against the Georgia Tech Yellowjackets. The Crimson Tide men won by a margin of 8 points (153-145), with 1st place finishes in 5 out of 14 events. Alabama’s women’s program finished the meet with a more decisive win of 191-106 after winning 13 events.  In the 14th event, the 400 free relay, their relay teams swam as exhibition.

For Alabama, this is both the team’s regular-season finale, as well as the team’s first meet with Ozzie Quevedo as interim head coach after Coley Stickels resigned during the winter break. The team’s meet last week against Auburn was canceled following a COVID-cluster within the Auburn program.

Next up for Georgia Tech is a women’s-only meet on Saturday against Vanderbilt  at 11 a.m. (Eastern Time.) Alabama will race again on day 1 of the 2021 SEC Championships which is scheduled for February 17th.

Men’s Meet

Georgia Tech senior Caio Pumputis and Alabama sophomore Derek Maas dueled in every breaststroke event during the meet. In the 100 breast, Pumputis, who is ranked 12th in the country this season, touched the wall 1st with a time of 53.44 and a 1 second lead on Maas.

In the 200 breast, in which Pumputis is ranked 7th in the country this season and Maas is ranked 40th, the Yellowjacket senior took 1st place again (1:58.30) while Maas finished 2nd (1:58.99). 

Pumputis’ lifetime bests in both events (51.38 and 1:50.79) are from 2019 NCAA DI champs. Neither swims were personal bests for Maas either who posted both of his all-time fastest swims at the 2020 SEC Championships, placing 5th in the 200 breast (1:53.15) and 6th in the 100 breast (51.81).

In the 200 medley relay, Pumputis split a 24.06 50 breast on Georgia Tech’s 2nd place ‘A’ relay. Maas split a 24.50 on the same leg for Alabama, alongside sophomore Matthew Menke, Colton Stogner, and Matt King for 1st place (1:28.06).

Freshman Baturalp Unlu won 3 events for the Yellowjackets: the 200 free (1:36.93), 100 free (44.35), and 500 free (4:33.75). He touched the wall 1st in the 200 with a 2 second lead over Alabama senior Andrew Shea. Unlu had a close race with Alabama junior Jonathan Berneburg in the 100, out-touching him and Shea by about .20. In the 500, Unlu claimed 1st with a 3.5 second lead over teammates Caleb Blischke and Daniel Jacobs who touched 2nd and 3rd.

This season Unlu is ranked 12th in the 200 free, 33rd in the 500 in the country, and 51st in the 100 free in the country, though his lifetime bests in each event are from the UGA Invite last November.

In the 100 back, Alabama’s Menke placed 1st with a time of 48.35, about 1.5 seconds slower than his season best from November that ranks him 24th in the country this season. His sophomore teammate Jake Marcum took 1st in the 200 back, an event he is ranked 7th in the NCAA this season, with a time of 1:48.50.

The Yellowjackets had another victory in the 200 fly when senior Christian Ferraro touched the wall 3 seconds ahead of the field with a time of 1:46.06, coming within 5 seconds of his personal best time from the 2018 American Short Course Championships. Alabama’s Nicholas Perera led the rest of the pack, touching the wall 2nd at 1:49.18. 

Ferraro went on to claim 1st in the 100 fly later with a time of 47.93, about 2 seconds off the lifetime best he posted at the 2020 UGA Invite in November. Perera’s 2nd place finish was just under 5 seconds away from his 2020 SEC Championships performance which placed earned him a spot in the ‘B’ final where he finished 16th overall.

Georgia Tech gathered more points when Pumputis won 100 IM (47.90), Blischke took 1st in the 1000 free (9:31.20) and junior Cale Russell snagged 2nd (9:35.60). Blischke is already within the top 100 times in the country this season, but his lifetime best from 2018 (9:19.97) would be the 56th fastest 1000 free in the NCAA this season.

Senior Sam DiSette led a 1-2-3-4 finish for Alabama in the 50 free, touching the wall 1st at 20.23, about .90 away from his lifetime best at last season’s SEC Championships.

Alabama finished the meet by winning the 400 free relay where the Crimson Tide men maintained their lead throughout the race. Georgia Tech crept up and decreased that lead on the last leg, but Alabama’s relay of King, Berneburg, Stogner, and freshman Kacper Piotrowski decided the meet by snagging 1st place at 2:57.58, about half a second ahead of the Yellowjackets.

Women’s Meet

Alabama junior Kensey McMahon, who is ranked 1st  in the country this season in the 1650 free and 7th in both the 1000 free and 1650 free, swept the distance events. She claimed 1st in the 1000 free (9:59.35) with a significant lead and in the 500 free (4:54.00). Both swims were off her best times, as she posted a 9:42.96 in 2019 and a 4:38.66 at last season’s SEC Championships for 3rd place. Georgia Tech sophomores McKenzie Campbell and Brooke Switzer touched the wall under the 5-minute mark as well for 2nd and 3rd place.

McMahon took 2nd place in the 200 fly behind freshman teammate Gracie Felner who touched the wall at 1:59.09. Felner’s lifetime best, 1:58.94, from December ranks her 42nd in the event in the country this season.

Sophomore Cora Dupre scored significant points for the Crimson Tide by placing 1st in the 200 free (1:48.22), out-touching teammate Kalia Antoniou by one-tenth of a second. 12 events later, Antoniou, who is ranked 64th in the event in the NCAA this season, claimed 1st in the 100 free (49.58), leading a 1-2-3-4 finish for Alabama.

Alabama junior Morgan Scott, who is ranked 4th in the country this season, finished in 2nd place at 49.78, about a second and a half off her season-best from November.

In the 100 back, junior Rhyan White touched the wall 1st for Alabama (54.46), followed by Georgia Tech senior Allie Paschal (55.87). White swept the 200 back as well in a time of 1:57.43. Her junior teammate Morgan Liberto placed 2nd (1:59.92) and Paschal finished in 3rd with a time of 2:01.81. 

Alabama racked up more victories from Cat Wright, a junior, in the 100 breast (1:03.23), junior Scott in the 50 free (23.16), and freshman Diana Petkova in the 100 IM (57.07). Wright’s lifetime best 100 breast, 1:01.14, places her at #49 this season in the country.

Sophomore Caitlin Reynera continued the Crimson Tide win streak in the 200 breast (2:17.50) after a close race with Georgia Tech freshman Claudia Butterfield (2:17.83). The two are ranked #54 and #93 so far this season in the NCAA, respectively, and neither of them topped their season-best times from November.

In the relays, Alabama snagged 1st and 2nd in 200 medley relay. Morgan Scott led off the winning ‘A’ relay while Rhyan White led off the ‘B’ in a 25.04, slightly faster than Scott who’s relay of herself, Kaila Wong, Flora Molnar, and Antoniou finished with  a time of 1:40.01.

Georgia Tech ended the meet by taking  1st through 3rd in the 400 free relay with Switzer posting the fastest split on the anchor leg of the ‘A’ relay (51.32) and helping them to a final time of 3:29.57 alongside junior Emily Graham, sophomore Kyrsten Davis, and senior Catriona MacGregor. Both Crimson Tide relays swam as exhibition.

Press Releases

Courtesy of the University of Alabama:

TUSCALOOSA, ALA – Alabama swimming and diving closed out its regular season with a sweep of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Friday afternoon in Atlanta, Ga., at the McCauley Aquatic Center.

The Crimson Tide women swept every swimming event, with Gracie Felner, Kensey McMahon and Rhyan White leading the way with two wins each. Felner won the 100 and 200 butterfly, McMahon dominated the 500 and 1,000 freestyles, while White swept the 100 and 200 backstrokes.

The Tide men took first through fourth in the 50 freestyle, with Sam DiSette leading the sweep. Matt King was just behind DiSette in second, while Jonathan Berneburg and Colton Stogner took third and fourth, respectively.

Interim Head Coach Ozzie Quevedo Said

“What a way to finish out the regular season. The women led from wire-to-wire, while the men fought for every point to get the win. We had some really strong events and some where we definitely have some finetuning to do before we get the postseason underway. I will say this, during the uncertainty of last spring and this summer, to actually get to have a regular season and be able to finish it off this way is a real blessing and it isn’t something we take for granted. I take my hat off to our entire team, men and women, swimmers and divers, for continuing to trust the process as they find ways to get better every opportunity they come across. Now we turn our focus to the next leg of our season, the SEC Championships.”

Relay Wins

• The Tide swept the relay events, opening and closing the meet with wins
• The UA women opened with a 1-2 finish in the 200 medley relay, with Morgan Scott, Kaila Wong, Flora Molnar and Kalia Antoniou posting a 1:40.01 for the win
• The men’s team quickly followed suit in 200 medley relay, with Matt Menke, Derek Maas, Colton Stogner and Matt King stopping the clock at 1:28.06 to start the afternoon
• The women closed out their night with another 1-2 relay performance with Scott, Cora Dupre, Antoniou and Molnar winning the 400 freestyle relay with a time of 3:20.29, just ahead of the Tide’s B relay
• King, Berneburg, Stogner and Kacper Piotrowski closed out the day and the Yellow Jackets with a win in the 400 freestyle relay, going 2:57.58

Individual Wins

• Six additional women joined Felner, White and McMahon in taking home individual wins for the Tide
• Scott picked up a win in the 50 freestyle with a 23.16, leading a 1-4 Tide sweep with Dupre, Flora Molnar and Jada Surrell taking home second, third and fourth, respectively
• The Tide also swept the top-four spots in the 100 freestyle, with Antoniou winning in a time of 49.58 and Scott taking second, followed by Dupre and Surrell in third and fourth
• Felner led a one-two-three Bama sweep of the 100 butterfly with 54.00, followed by Molnar and Ashley Voelkerding, respectively
• Dupre picked up a win of her own in the 200 freestyle (1:48.22), with Cat Wright winning the 100 breastroke (1:03.23) and Caitlin Reynera winning the 200 breastroke (2:17.50)
• Diana Petkova closed out the individual races with a win in the 100 IM (57.07)
• Matt Menke and Jake Marcum joined DiSette in picking up individual wins for the Tide
• Menke dominated the 100 backstroke, touching the wall over a second before the rest of the field with a 48.35
• Marcum picked up a win in the 200 backstroke with a 1:48.50, followed closely by Eric Stelmar in second

Up Next

• Alabama opens the postseason with the SEC Championships, which will be broken into three different segments this season
• Women’s swimming February 17-20 at Gabrielsen Natatorium in Athens, Ga.
• Men’s and women’s diving February 17-20 at the Mizzou Aquatic Center in Columbia, Mo.
• Men’s swimming February 23-26 at the Mizzou Aquatic Center in Columbia, Mo.

Courtesy of Georgia Tech:

THE FLATS – Georgia Tech swimming & diving hosted its second dual meet of the spring season, coming up short against SEC opponent No. 16/11 Alabama on Friday afternoon at McAuley Aquatic Center. The men fell 153-145, while the women lost 191-106.

“Overall, I am very proud of the energy we brought to today’s meet,” said Toni M. and Richard L. Bergmark Swimming & Diving Head Coach Courtney Shealy Hart. “It was a lot of fun, especially leading into the relays. We had several great performances on the men’s side despite losing a close contest. Our women’s team gets to compete again tomorrow against Vanderbilt, and we are looking forward to using the momentum from today. Go Jackets!”

Tech’s men captured gold in 11 different events, backed by Caio Pumputis, Christian Ferraro, Batur Unlu and Caleb Blischke each finishing in first-place in one or more of their respective swimming events. On the diving side of things, Ruben Lechuga swept the field as he was the top finisher in both the 1m & 3m dive.

Women’s diver Cami Hidalgo had another big weekend taking first in the 1m dive (298.65-points) & 3m dive (323.70). Emily Graham, Kyrsten Davis, Catriona MacGregor and Brooke Switzer lead the women to a first-place finish in the 400 free relay, combining for a mark of 3:29.57.

Men’s Highlights

Blischke was the first Yellow Jacket to take first at the meet, grabbing an early victory in the 1000 free, touching the wall at 9:31.20

Pumputis and Unlu individually each had gold medal efforts in three separate events throughout the dual meet. Pumputis took first in the 100 breast (53.44), 200 breast (1:58.30) and 100 IM (47.90), earning NCAA ‘B’ cuts in both the 100 & 200 breast. Unlu had a dominant showing in the freestyle events, winning the 200 free (1:36.93), 100 free (44.35) and 500 free (4:33.75).

Ferraro earned an NCAA ‘B’ cut in the 200 fly with a mark of 1:46.06, while also taking first in the 100 fly at 47.93.

Tech also saw podium performances by Blischke (4:37.37) and Daniel Jacobs (4:37.64) in the 500 free, sweeping the event for the Jackets coming in at second and third-place, respectively.

Women’s Highlights

Kelsey Dekshenieks joined Hidalgo on the podium in the 3m dive competition, placing third at 273.00. Anna Bradescu also found herself beside Hidalgo on the podium in the 3m dive with a score of 293.03.

Allie Paschal turned in two backstroke podium performances, coming in second in the 100 back (55.87) & third in the 200 back (2:01.81). Claudia Butterfield also earned a second-place spot on the leaderboard in the 200 breast (2:17.83). Racking in another second-place finish for Tech with a time of 10:16.92 was Morgan Johnson in the 1000 free.

Tech’s final second-place finisher, McKenzie Campbell, took silver in the 500 free at 4:59.53. Campbell also captured bronze in the 100m (57.68).

Rounding out the Jackets third-place finishes was Switzer (200 free, 1:51.34 & 500 free, 4:59.73), MacGregor (100 back, 1:03.91), Arianna Sakellaris (1000 free, 10:17.04) and Jami Williams (100 back, 56.17).

Georgia Tech’s women will be back in the water tomorrow morning at 11 a.m., at McAuley as the Jackets face another dual meet versus Vanderbilt. The meet will be streamed live on ACCNX.

Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, Georgia Tech home swimming and diving meets will not be open to the general public. Fans will be able to watch the entirety of Georgia Tech home meets this season on ACC Network Extra.