The Georgia swimming and diving teams split with North Carolina State on Saturday at the Willis R. Casey Aquatic Center.
The Lady Bulldogs improved to 4-0 with a 183.5-114.5 victory, while the Bulldogs (2-1) dropped a 155-143 decision. Both Georgia teams won at North Carolina Friday night.
Olivia Ball, Rachel Zilinskas, Meaghan Raab, Hali Flickinger and Kylie Stewart were double winners for the Lady Bulldogs. Ball swept the 1- and 3-meter springboards with totals of 289.80 and 328.58. Zilinskas won the 500 and 1,000 freestyle races in 4:53.09 and 10:03.50. Raab claimed the 100 and 200 breaststroke races in 1:05.20 and 2:19.87. Flickinger won the 100 butterfly in 54.76 and the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:48.91. Stewart took the 200 butterfly in 1:59.31 and the 200 individual medley in 2:02.12. Maddie Locus stopped the clock in 50.16 to win the 100 freestyle.
On the men's side, Ian Forlini and Nicolas Fink each won twice. Forlini swept the springboards with figures of 346.73 and 367.95. Fink won the 100 and 200 breaststroke in 53.99 and 1:59.12. Pace Clark won the 100 butterfly in 48.00 and Chase Kalisz took the 200 individual medley in 1:46.71.
Georgia will return to action Friday, Oct. 31, at home against Florida.
Simonas Bilis of the NC State swimming & diving team swept the three sprint freestyle events and helped seal the 155-143 victory for the men’s squad over top-five foe Georgia Saturday afternoon in the Willis R. Casey Aquatic Center. Meanwhile, the 2013 and 2014 NCAA Champion Georgia women defeated the NC State women, 183.5-114.5.
The men’s squad improves to 1-0 in dual meets this season, while the women’s team falls to 0-1 in its dual season debut. Meanwhile the Georgia women improve to 4-0 on the campaign, while the Bulldogs men’s team falls to 2-1.
Throughout the day, the Wolfpack won all four relay events contested and 11 individual events.
Holloway’s Breakdown
On performance of the team:
“It was a very good team performance by the guys,” said head coach Braden Holloway. “They all played a role. Our guys were hungry, since this was the first meet of the year in a dual meet fashion with one other team. I think today was just a great team effort.
We had a lot of freshmen step up. Harrison Mitchell on the boards, as freshmen, was very key. Simonas, to win three events pretty close together like that, I don’t think many people in the country can do that.”
On the performance of the women with nine women competing in Texas:
“With nine ladies competing in Texas today and Georgia being so tough, they just wanted to compete and I’m very proud of them for stepping up.”
Split Squad
The Wolfpack women competed in the meet without nine of its performers, including Kayla Brumbaum, Ashlyn Koletic, Natalie Labonge, Rachel Muller, Rachel Mumma, Yuri Nakano, Lauren Poli, Lauren Rhodes and Alexia Zevnik. The nine women are competing throughout the weekend at the Dallas Morning Classic hosted by SMU.
Wolfpack Relays
- With the Pack men’s team clinging to a narrow lead, Bilis was the anchor of the 400 freestyle relay team that set a new pool record and sealed the victory with a first-place finish in the event. The combination of Ryan Held, David Williams, Andreas Schiellerup and Bilis swam the event in a time of 2:56.12.
- The women’s 400 free relay also set a pool record, as the quartet of Lotta Nevalainen, Riki Bonnema, Krista Duffield and Hannah Freyman finished first overall with a 3:22.60 clocking.
- The meet opened with the women’s 200-medley relay team of Freyman, Payton Schrum, Bonnema and Nevaliainen touching the wall first overall with a time of 1:42.82.
- The Wolfpack men’s quartet of Andreas Schiellerup, Derek Hren, Soren Dahl and Williams set a pool record with a time of 1:28.05 on the way to finishing first overall.
Noting Distance
- Freshman Anton Ipsen recorded a school record, as well as the fastest time in the country this season in the men’s 1000 freestyle as he cruised to victory in the event with a time of 9:01.83.
Wolfpack Sprints
- Bilis swept the men’s sprint freestyle events for the day, as he took home first-place honors in the 50, 100 and 200 freestyle events. Bilis swam the 200 freestyle in a time of 1:37.02, clocked a 19.96 in the 50 free and stopped the clock with a final time of 43.74 in the 100 freestyle.
- Held, a freshman from Springfield, Ill., posted second-place finishes in the 50 (20:59) and the 200 (44.86) free events.
- The Wolfpack women finished first and second overall in the women’s 50 free, as Bonnema finished with top honors with a time of 22.72. Freshman Krista Duffield finished with a clocking of 23.76 to place second.
Springboard Action
- Harrison Mitchell finished second in the men’s one and three-meter diving competition. Mitchell recorded a score of 329.10 in the one-meter, before the freshman notched a score of 340.20 in the three-meter event.
Butterfly Notables
- Christian McCurdy placed first in the men’s 200 butterfly with a time of 1:44.77. His time in the event broke the Willis R. Casey Aquatic Center pool record.
Noting Backstroke
- Freyman earned top honors for the women’s team in the 100 and 200 backstroke events. She finished with a 2:02.11 clocking in the 200 back, while notching a time of 56.10 in the 100 backstroke.
- Freshman Hennessey Stuart won the men’s 200 backstroke in a time of 1:46.26, while Schiellerup captured first-place honors in the 100 back with a clocking of 48.60.
Up Next
Nine members of the women’s squad will conclude action on Saturday at the Dallas Morning Classic hosted by SMU.
The full squad will return to action Saturday, Oct. 25 in a tri-meet against Florida State and Georgia Tech in Atlanta, Ga. The meet is slated to get underway at 11 a.m.
