Swimming & Diving: 11 Dawgs Named to U.S. National Team

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Swimming & Diving: 11 Dawgs Named to U.S. National Team

UGA swimmer Gunnar Bentz
Gunnar Bentz during the NCAA Championships in Atlanta, Ga., on Friday, March 25, 2016. (Photo by Steven Colquitt)

 
 
Eleven swimmers with ties to Georgia’s program have been named to the 2016-17 U.S. National Team, according to an announcement by USA Swimming.
 
 
Current Bulldogs Gunnar Bentz, Pace Clark, Chase Kalisz and Jay Litherland and former Bulldogs Nicolas Fink and Andrew Gemmell were chosen for the men. On the women’s side, current Lady Bulldog Olivia Smoliga was joined by former Lady Bulldogs Hali Flickinger, Melanie Margalis, Allison Schmitt and Amanda Weir.
 
 
Bentz, Kalisz, Litherland, Smoliga, Flickinger, Margalis, Schmitt and Weir represented the United States at the Rio Olympics.
 
 
Bentz was picked in the 200 freestyle, the 200 butterfly, and the 200 and 400 individual medley to stand as the only National Team member, male or female, in four events. Fink (100 and 200 breaststroke) and Kalisz (200 butterfly and 400 individual medley) each made it in two events. Clark was chosen for the 200 butterfly, Gemmell the 10K open water and Litherland in the 400 individual medley.
 
 
Margalis (200 freestyle, 200 breaststroke and 200 individual medley) and Schmitt (100, 200 and 400 freestyle) were picked in three events apiece. Smoliga will train in the 50 freestyle and 100 backstroke, with Flickinger in the 200 butterfly and Weir in the 100 freestyle.
 
 
The 2016-17 USA Swimming National Team features the top six athletes in each Olympic event from the combined results of the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, the Olympic Games and the U.S. Open.
 
 
 
 

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