The University of Georgia men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams each hold third place after the second day of the Georgia Fall Invitational at Gabrielsen Natatorium.

 

The Lady Bulldogs’ point total sits at 552, trailing only the University of Michigan (670.5) and the University of California Berkley (601.5). The Bulldogs’ point total comes to 479, behind Cal (670) and Michigan (639) in the front two spots.

“Really the whole meet has been us getting better every session,” Georgia senior associate head coach Harvey Humphries. “It’s really important we do a good job in this meet to prepare us for SEC’s and NCAA’s. As coaches, it’s really important to teach our kids to learn to warm up and cool down and this is what this weekend is for.”

Senior Kylie Stewart headlined the Lady Bulldogs by edging Cal’s Amy Bilquist by a tenth of a second in the 100-yard backstroke final with a time of 51.61. Stewart was the first leg of the 200-yard medley relay in which the women finished second behind Cal. Seniors Meaghan Raab and Chelsea Britt followed Stewart, before sophomore Veronica Burchill swam the last leg.

The men’s side highlights included senior Jay Litherland, sophomore Javier Acevedo, and junior James Guest each finishing in the top-three in their respective races. Litherland started it off by placing second in the 400-yard IM. Acevedo spearheaded the men’s portion of the 100-yard backstroke with a second place finish (46.08), Guest took third (52.87) in the 100-yard breaststroke.

In of the first events, the 400-yard IM saw freshman Sammie Burchill finish third with a time of 4:10.81 for the Lady Bulldogs. In the men’s second 400-yard IM heat, Guest and freshman Tal Davis finished first and second, respectively.

In the 200-yard freestyle, Raab led the Lady Bulldog swimmers, taking third at 1:43.85. Freshman Courtney Harnish followed in fifth place at 1:44:47. For the men, senior Kevin Litherland grabbed fifth place at 1:37 even, while sophomore Walker Higgins took eighth place.

The women’s 100-yard butterfly featured three Lady Bulldogs in the top six. Burchill led the way in third with a 51.80 time, while Britt hit the wall at 51.85. Senior Megan Kinglsey placed sixth at 52.85. In the B-final, Stewart and junior Caitlin Casazza were the top two finishers at 53.17 and 53.78, respectively. Georgia continued to show strength in the event by freshman Donna Blaum taking the third heat with a time of 53.74. Freshman Camden Murphy represented the top male swimmer for Georgia in fourth place with a time of 46.07.

The 800-yard freestyle relay showcased a third-place Lady Bulldog group of Veronica Burchill, Stewart, Raab, and Harnish at 7:00.93. Right behind them in fourth was Georgia’s second squad of sophomore Meryn McCann, sophomore Sandra Scott, junior Shauna Lee, and sophomore Jordan Stout. On the men’s side, Jay Litherland, Kevin Litherland, Higgins, and Acevedo, finished in fourth with a time of 6:25.32. Trailing was Georgia’s second team of Clayton Forde, Murphy, Aidan Burns and Mick Litherland in fifth.

The women’s 100-yard breaststroke featured freshman Danielle Dellatorre in fourth place with a 1:01.11 time, while Casazza finished first in the B-final at 1:01.91. On the men’s side, Guest stopped the clock at 52.87 in the 100-yard breaststroke for second place. Senior Basil Orr topped the second heat with a 53.85 time. Also finishing with a 54.38 time was junior Colin Monaghan in the first heat.

Behind Acevedo’s third-place finish in the backstroke, freshman Youssef Said grabbed the top spot in the second heat (47.70) for the men.

For the second day in a row, sophomore McKensi Austin shined for the Lady Bulldogs divers, placing third with 305.25 points on the three-meter springboard. Sophomore Freida Lim also contributed 253.50 points on the board, taking eighth place.

Freshman Zachary Allen led the Georgia men’s divers with 262.75 points to come in eighth. Senior Ian Folini and freshman Josh Getty chipped in 274.55 and 245.85 points, respectively.

CLICK HERE for the full listing of Friday’s results.

The UGA Fall Invitational will continue on Sunday. Sunday’s action will begin with prelims at 9:30 a.m., followed by finals at 3 p.m. There is no cost for admission.