Already bolstered by five returners and a highly touted newcomer, the University of Georgia women’s diving team added more depth Wednesday morning with the transfer of Tally Brown and the signing of Giulia Vittorioso. The pair helps fortify a strong women’s diving roster for the 2020-21 season.

Brown, a native of State College, Pa., comes to Georgia following two seasons at Missouri. With the Tigers, she made her mark on the program’s all-time standings, posting the ninth-best platform score (250.20) in school history. Brown competed in all three events at the 2019 SEC Championships in Athens, finishing 22^nd on the platform. She also qualified for the NCAA Zone D Championships on the 1-meter and 3-meter springboards. In her time in Columbia, she was named to the Dean’s List each semester and was twice named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll. 

Prior to Missouri, Brown was a 2018 NISCA All-American and three-time All-State honoree, helping lead the Dominion Dive Club to a runner-up finish at U.S. Junior Nationals. For State College Area High School, she set the school record for both six and 11 dives, including the Pennsylvania District 6 championships record for 11. She comes from a long lineage of high-level divers, as her mother Kim was an All-American diver at Wisconsin and later the diving coach at Purdue and Northwestern, while her father Craig dove at Penn State and coached the Nittany Lions for 28 seasons. 

“UGA Swimming and Diving is excited to have Tally on board,” said diving head coach Chris Colwill. “She is very passionate about diving and has a fantastic attitude. I believe she will represent the Bulldogs well as a student-athlete.”

Vittorioso, a native of Rome, Italy, joins the Lady Bulldogs after competing for the M.R. Sport Diving Club under coach Michele Bendetti in her native country. Vittorioso has competed in the European Junior Championships in each of the five previous years, finishing ninth on the platform and sixth in the 3-meter synchronized event at the 2017 meet. At the 2016 championships in Rijeka, Croatia, she was one of the top performers in the 14-15 age group, placing second on the platform and third on the 3-meter springboard. In that same year, she finished 15^th overall in the 3-meter synchronized event at the World Junior Diving Championships in Kazan, Russia.

“We are excited for Giulia to join UGA Swimming and Diving,” said Colwill. “She will be a tremendous asset to our program. Considering that she has gained valuable experience from international competitions, I look forward to working with her for the next four years.”

With the additions of Brown and Vittorioso, the Lady Bulldogs will carry eight divers in the upcoming season. The returners are led by junior Ellie Crump, who qualified for Zones on both springboards after finishing 17^th on the 1-meter and 20^th on the 3-meter at SECs. Fellow junior Kelliann Howell and sophomore Raquel Mason return after qualifying for Zones on the platform. The roster is rounded out by redshirt junior Ambria D’Alonzo, redshirt sophomore Addison Kelly, and freshman Meghan Wenzel, a two-time Pennsylvania state champion.