An otherwise traditional and conservative Georgia Bulldog swimming & diving schedule for the 2019-2020 season will be highlighted by a new-look trip through the state of North Carolina to face a pair of teams that they don’t see that often: UNC and Duke.
The Bulldogs have dropped the January dual meet with the top 10 men’s and women’s teams from the University Texas from their schedule in the 2019-2020 season. In place of that meet, they’ll instead take an early-season trip to neighboring North Carolina for a pair of dual meets against the University of North Carolina on October 25th and Duke on October 26th.
Georgia and UNC have raced fairly regularly in their histories: the men’s teams raced head-to-head 30 times beginning in 1952. The Georgia men lead the all-time series 18-12; the women’s teams raced 22 times, beginning in 1978, and Georgia has a 21-1 all-time record in that series. That series took a break last season, but returns to the schedule this year.
The less-frequent of those opponents is Duke. The teams raced only once in their history, in 1981, where the Georgia men won 59-53 and the Georgia women won 90-50.
Aside from those meets, it will be a fairly traditional SEC schedule, with duals against Alabama, Florida (two-day), Texas A&M, and Tennessee, plus a regular-season finale against Division III powerhouse Emory, another Georgia team. Mid-season, Georgia won’t host an invite this year, and instead will race at the Tennessee Invite from November 21st-23rd.
Auburn will host the 2019 SEC Championships for both the men and women this season. Georgia will host the women’s NCAA Championship this season at the Gabrielsen Natatorium, while the men’s NCAA Championship meet will be hosted in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Both Georgia programs had off years last season, with each finishing 18th at the NCAA Championships. For the men, that broke a 6-year streak of top 10 finishes. The women are only 3 years removed from an NCAA Championship, and were 11th in 2018. The last time both teams finished outside of the top 10 at NCAAs was in 1994.
I’m confused.. they dropped Texas (top 5 both genders) and they are going all the way up to Triangle area and skip NC State? Hmm… why don’t call up the best team in the area for a dual meet while you’re at it?
Jack’s getting soft?
It makes no sense to swim Texas in season. They basically treat it as a practice- no effort and no intention of swimming to win. How boring is that? UNC and Duke will be more competitive than UT will be.
Are you being sarcastic? Texas D team is better than unc and or duke!
Texas often times gets handed the mercy rule during dual meets.
When was the last time Georgia men beat Texas?
Here’s the thing, Swimmer is right. Texas in January is very beatable. As much as I’d love to claim Georgia is too scurred to swim Texas, I doubt that’s the case. I suspect it could be a recruiting thing. Maybe they’re planning trips for athletes at that time, and instead of inviting them to a meet with direct recruiting competition on the other side, a not-quite-the-same-par opponent like Duke makes more sense.
It’s a shame they have been dodging Georgia Tech last year and this next year. With Pumputis, Ferraro, a strong sprint group compared to UGA, and a much better diving group than UGA, it wouldn’t be a complete shock if GT were to upset Georgia.
But, but…SEC!
Anyone ask either or both staffs why this dual meet was dropped?
Several teams have dropped Texas from the schedule. Sounds like the goal from the UGA official release was to be on the road and get a road warriors mentality.
UGA be scared
Georgia is still in therapy about Bevo’s attack on UGA before the Sugar Bowl.