Harnish Shines for Georgia in Victory over UNC

GEORGIA VS. NORTH CAROLINA

  • Results
  • Hosted by Georgia
  • Friday, October 6th
  • 25 Yards
  • Dual Meet Format

FINAL TEAM SCORES

  • MEN: Georgia 183, UNC 98
  • WOMEN: Georgia 172, UNC 109

The Georgia Bulldogs held their home opener on Friday, hosting the North Carolina Tarheels in dual meet action. The women took the victory with 172 points to UNC’s 109, while the Georgia men won the meet 183-98.

Freshman Courtney Harnish stepped up for UGA in the first home dual meet of her career. First, she won the 200 free, coming from behind with a 26.98 on the final 50 to beat teammate Meaghan Raab (1:48.45) with a winning time of 1:47.71. Harnish returned for the 500 free, completing the mid distance sweep. She trailed teammate Stephanie Peters (4:48.09) at the halfway point, but turned on the gas to pull herself into the lead, winning it in 4:46.36.

All-Americans Megan Kingsley and Kylie Stewart picked up a pair of wins each in their stroke specialties. Kingsley brought home the butterfly titles (53.89/1:57.31), while Stewart picked up the backstroke victories (52.48/1:56.20). Stewart’s 52.48 in the 100 back beats the fastest 100 back in the NCAA thus far by nearly a second, beating Emma Ball’s 53.30 from the All Florida Invite.

Caroline Baldwin and Caroline Hauder were the top women for UNC. Baldwin, a U.S. National teamer, swept the sprints, rolling in at 22.20 in the 50 free and 48.50 in the 100 free. Hauder, on the other hand, took over the breaststroke races, posting times of 1:01.57 in the 100 and 2:16.79 in the 200.

On the men’s side, Georgia’s Jay Litherland stood out as the only swimmer to win a triple. In his first individual race, the 200 free, he battled closely with teammate Walker Higgins (1:37.42). He trailed at the halfway point, but powered home to out-touch Higgins in 1:37.23. Next, Litherland raced to a 1:46.29 to win the 200 back. He ended they day with a close 400 IM battle against teammate Clayton Forde. They were neck-and-neck into the 300-mark, with Forde overtaking him on the front half of the free leg, but Litherland closed faster to touch him out in 3:51.46 to 3:51.77.

James Casey and Alvin Jiang each picked up wins for UNC. Casey posted a 20.94 to out-touch Georgia freshman Camden Murphy (20.97) in the 50 free. That marked Murphy’s first swim under 21 seconds. Jiang, on the other hand, won the 100 fly, touching in 48.33.

PRESS RELEASE – GEORGIA:

ATHENS, Ga. — The Georgia swimming and diving teams recorded victories over North Carolina on Friday at Gabrielsen Natatorium.

The No. 8-ranked Bulldogs posted a 187-113 win, while the No. 4 Lady Bulldogs took a 180-120 decision over the No. 22 Tar Heels. Both Georgia teams improved to 2-0 on the season.

“I was very pleased with the day,” said Jack Bauerle, Georgia’s Tom Cousins Head Swimming and Diving Coach. “We trained hard all week, and I think it showed in the meet. We raced hard and we finished well. North Carolina always brings out the best in us. It’s always a good, honest meet against them.”

Jay Litherland was a triple winner for the Bulldogs. He won the 200 freestyle in 1:37.23, the 200 backstroke in 1:46.29 and the 400 individual medley in 3:51.46.

Javier Acevedo and James Guest each won twice. Acevedo’s time of 47.67 paced the field in the 100 backstroke. He then added a win in the 100 freestyle as he went 44.86. Guest swept the breaststroke events, winning the 100 in 55.07 and the 200 in 1:59.42.

Also for the Bulldogs, Powell Brooks won the 200 butterfly in 1:47.77, Walker Higginsclaimed the 500 freestyle as he stopped the clock in 4:25.01, and Greg Reed took the 1,000 freestyle with a time of 9:06.76.

The Bulldogs opened the meet by winning the 200 medley relay as the quartet of Acevedo, Guest, Camden Murphy and Litherland reached the wall in 1:29.28.

Murphy, Kevin Litherland, Higgins and Acevedo won the 400 freestyle relay in 3:02.33.

Courtney HarnishMegan Kingsley and Kylie Stewart each won twice for the Lady Bulldogs. Harnish won the 200 freestyle as she touched in 1:47.71 and the 500 freestyle with a time of 4:46.36. Stewart won the 100 backstroke in 52.48 and the 200 backstroke in 1:56.20. Kingsley swept the butterfly races, winning the 100 in 53.89 and the 200 in 1:57.31.

In other wins for Georgia, Stephanie Peters claimed the 1,000 freestyle in 9:53.25 and Meaghan Raab took the 400 individual medley in 4:17.12.

The 400 freestyle relay of Veronica Burchill, Stewart, Harnish and Raab placed first in 3:21.52.

Georgia’s squads will return to action Thursday, Oct. 19, at Wisconsin. The next home meet will be against Georgia Tech on Wednesday, Nov. 8.

PRESS RELEASE – UNC:

ATHENS, GA. –  The University of North Carolina men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams opened their 2017-18 seasons Friday with a pair of competitive performances against the nationally Top 10-ranked University of Georgia Bulldogs at Gabrielsen Natatorium.

The fourth-ranked Georgia women defeated the 22nd-ranked North Carolina women by a score of 180-120.  On the men’s side, Georgia, tied for eighth in the nation in preseason rankings, defeated the Tar Heels 187-113.

“We traditionally open each new season against great competition and often against the University of Georgia.  It was great to race and compete today,” said UNC head coach Rich DeSelm.  “Early season, we’re never sure what to expect.  But we had some wonderful results and learned a great deal about our swimmers and divers to build upon.

“I thought our freshmen as a group were impactful.  Our upperclassmen noticed the contributions they made all day. Probably the most outstanding swimming performance was that of Caroline Baldwin.  Carrying over from her tremendous summer, she had what will likely be amongst the top times in the country in her events after this weekend.”

Baldwin and freshman Caroline Hauder each won two individual events and swam on the victorious 200-yard medley relay team while junior Maria Lohman swept both women’s diving events.  Baldwin won the 50-yard freestyle in 22.20 seconds and notched a first-place finish in the 100-yard freestyle at 48.50.  Hauder took top honors in both breaststroke events as she won the 100 in 1:01.57 and the 200 in 2:16.79.

The Tar Heel women won the 200-yard medley relay with senior Caroline Baldwin swimming the backstroke leg on the front end while three freshmen – Hauder, Emma Cole and Maddie Smith – finished the job to take first place in 1:39.98.  Lohman scored 294.45 points on one-meter and 3:23.63 on three-meter to take those events in style.

On the men’s side, redhsirt junior Sean Burston made a sweep of the diving events while freshman Alvin Jiang won the 100-yard butterfly, placed second in the 100-yard backstroke and swam on a pair of relays which placed second.  Burston’s winning scores were 376.20 on the one-meter board and 378.53 on the three-meter board.  Jiang’s winning time in the 100 fly was 48.33.  Senior J.T. Casey claimed the other Tar Heel individual win as he copped first place in the 50 free with a time of 20.94 seconds.

“I’m happy on how the divers placed, however, we still have a long way to go,” said UNC diving coach Abel Sanchez.  “Georgia has some amazing divers and we were fortunate to end up the way we did.”

The Tar Heels will have a three-week break from competition before returning to the pool for a meet against the South Carolina Gamecocks in Columbia, S.C. on Thursday, October 26.

MEN’S TEAM SCORE:  #8 GEORGIA 187, NORTH CAROLINA 113
TOP CAROLINA FINISHERS IN EACH EVENT–MEN
200-Yard Medley Relay: North Carolina (Alvin JiangMichael McBryanPatrick CusickJ.T. Casey), 2nd place, 1:30.39
1000-Yard Freestyle: Henry Campbell, 5th place, 9:31.96
200-Yard Freestyle: Dimitrios Dimitriou, 4th place, 1:39.49
100-Yard Backstroke: Alvin Jiang, 2nd place, 48.51
100-Yard Breaststroke: Michael McBryan, 2nd place, 55.55
200-Yard Butterfly: Collier Cobb, 5th place, 1:52.27
50-Yard Freestyle: J.T. Casey, 1st place, 20.94
One-Meter Diving: Sean Burston, 1st place, 376.20 points
100-Yard Freestyle: Philip Perdue, 2nd place, 45.64
200-Yard Backstroke:  Chris Thames, 2nd place, 1:47.32
200-Yard Breaststroke: Michael McBryan, 3rd place, 2:01.65
500-Yd. Freestyle: Dimitrios Dimitriou, 3rd place, 4:31.77
100-Yd. Butterfly: Alvin Jiang, 1st place, 48.33
Three-Meter Diving: Sean Burston, 1st place, 378.53 points
400-Yard Individual Medley: Henry Campbell, 5th place, 4:02.37
400-Yard Freestyle Relay: North Carolina (Greg BrocatoAlvin JiangJ.T. CaseyPhilip Perdue), 2nd place, 3:02.79
Records:  North Carolina 0-1, Georgia 2-0

WOMEN’S TEAM SCORE:  #4 GEORGIA 180, #22 NORTH CAROLINA 120
TOP CAROLINA FINISHERS IN EACH EVENT—WOMEN
200-Yard Medley Relay: North Carolina (Caroline BaldwinCaroline HauderEmma ColeMaddie Smith), 1st place, 1:39.98
1000-Yard Freestyle: Robyn Dryer, 4th place, 10:03.93
200-Yard Freestyle: Emma Cole, 4th place, 1:50.37
100-Yard Backstroke: Katie Ford, 2nd place, 56.12
100-Yard Breaststroke:  Caroline Hauder, 1st place, 1:01.57
200-Yard Butterfly: Bryanna Cameron, 3rd place, 2:01.34
50-Yard Freestyle: Caroline Baldwin, 1st place, 22.20
Three-Meter Diving: Maria Lohman, 1st place, 323.63 points
100-Yard Freestyle: Caroline Baldwin, 1st place, 48.50
200-Yard Backstroke: Emily Slabe, 4th place, 2:02.56
200-Yard Breaststroke: Caroline Hauder, 1st place, 2:16.79
500-Yd. Freestyle: Robyn Dryer, 5th place, 5:01.39
100-Yd. Butterfly: Emma Cole, 5th place, 56.81
One-Meter Diving: Maria Lohman, 1st place, 294.45 points
400-Yard Individual Medley: Bryanna Cameron, 3rd place, 4:20.87
400-Yard Freestyle Relay: North Carolina (Caroline BaldwinMaddie SmithKatie FordBrooke Bauer), 3:22.44
Records:  North Carolina 0-1, Georgia 2-0

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About Lauren Neidigh

Lauren Neidigh

Lauren Neidigh is a former NCAA swimmer at the University of Arizona (2013-2015) and the University of Florida (2011-2013). While her college swimming career left a bit to be desired, her Snapchat chin selfies and hot takes on Twitter do not disappoint. She's also a high school graduate of The …

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