The Emory University Swimming and Diving teams travel to Athens, Georgia to face the University of Georgia in the final dual meet of the regular season this Saturday, January 28th. Action is set to get underway at the Gabrielsen Natatorium inside the Ramsey Center at 11:00 AM.
The meet will consist of 32 events featuring 200 Medley Relay, 1000 Freestyle, 200 Freestyle, 100 Backstroke, 100 Breaststroke200 Butterfly, 50 Freestyle, 100 Freestyle, 200 Backstroke, 200 Breaststroke, 500 Freestyle, 100 Butterfly, 200 IM, 200 Freestyle Relay as well as 1-meter and 3-meter diving. Fans not making the trip to Athens can following the meet will live updating results which can be found here.
The Eagles will put their perfect dual meet records (Women 6-0), Men 5-0) on the line in the final tune up prior to the University Athletic Association Championships and are fresh off victories over Division II members West Florida and Delta State. Senior Annelise Kowalsky and freshman Sage Ono collected Emory’s ninth and 10th UAA Athlete of the Week honors of the season with strong showings last weekend. Kowalsky and Ono were a pair of Eagles in addition to seniors Andrew Wilson, Christian Baker, junior Cindy Cheng and sophomore Fiona Muir to register two individual event victories against the Argonauts and Statesmen.
The Lady Bulldogs, the defending NCAA Division I National Champions, enter competition 7-1 on the year with the only defeat coming against the University of Texas on January 14th, the first loss Georgia has suffered at home in 22 years, a streak spanning 103 consecutive dual meets. UGA on the women’s side are led by several swimmers that succeeded on the international stage during the summer at the Rio Olympics. Senior Olivia Smoliga was one of two Bulldogs to earn Gold, taking first in the 400 Free Relay while also finishing sixth in the 100 Backstroke. Classmate Chantel Van Landeghem earned a Bronze medal as part of Canada’s 400 Freestyle Relay team and competed in the 50 and 100 Free, finishing 10th in both events, as well as was part of the 400 Medley Relay.
On the men’s side, senior Chase Kalisz, juniors Gunnar Bentz, Jay Litherland and freshman Javier Acevedo have led the Bulldogs to a 6-1 dual meet mark with wins over UNC, Florida, Georgia Tech, Wisconsin, Missouri and Tennessee, falling only to top-ranked Texas earlier this month. Bentz and Kalisz each medaled for the U.S. Olympic Team at the 2016 Olympics as Bentz took home Gold as part of the 800 Free Relay while Kalisz won Silver in the 400 IM. Litherland also represented Georgia in the 400 IM, finishing fifth, while Acevedo was a member of the Canadian National Team, placing 17th in the 100 Back.
Both Emory programs will be looking for their first ever victories against Georgia in the all-time series which date back to 1988. Last season, UGA toppled the Eagles by scores of 180.5-86.5 (men’s) and 180-115 (women’s).
Meet results and a recap of the action will be posted to emoryathletics.com following the conclusion of competition.