Jake Stanley
Assistant Sports Communications Director (Swimming & Diving | Soccer)
University of Georgia Athletic Association
The University of Georgia women’s swimming and diving team opened up the 2024 NCAA Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships with an outstanding swim in its home waters Wednesday evening at Bauerle Pool at Gabrielsen Natatorium.
In the 800-yard freestyle relay, sophomore Shea Furse, senior Sloane Reinstein, junior Duné Coetzee, and senior Zoie Hartman earned First Team All-America honors with a sixth-place time of 6:54.67, the sixth-fastest time in program history. After Furse led off with a personal-best 200y freestyle time of 1:43.81, Reinstein pushed the Bulldogs forward with a 1:43.07 split before Coetzee took the lead in her leg and Hartman closed strong for a victory in the second heat.
With the time, Georgia earned its fourth-consecutive top-eight finish in the event and its fastest mark since winning the 2016 NCAA title with a 6:51.80.
Earlier in the evening, the Bulldogs narrowly missed a second All-America citation with a 17th-place finish in the 200y medley relay. Junior Eboni McCarty, Hartman, sophomore Emma Norton, and freshman Helena Jones posted a time of 1:36.19, finishing just one-hundredth of a second behind Alabama’s relay. McCarty led off the relay with a season-best 50y backstroke time of 23.71.
Through one night of competition, Georgia sits in 11th place with 26 points.
The NCAA Championships kick into full gear Thursday with the 500y freestyle, 200y IM, 50y freestyle, 1-meter diving, and 200y freestyle relay. Led by junior Rachel Stege, the Bulldogs hold three of the top eight seeds in the 500y free, while Hartman is seeded eighth in the 200y IM. Prelims begin at 10 a.m., followed by senior Meghan Wenzel in diving prelims at noon and finals at 6 p.m. Live coverage will stream on ESPN+ with results available on GeorgiaDogs.com.
For all news and updates about Georgia swimming and diving, follow the Bulldogs on Twitter (@UGASwimDive), Instagram (@ugaswimdive), and Facebook (UGA Swimming and Diving).
STANDINGS
1. Florida, 72
2. Virginia, 70
3. Tennessee, 62
4. Stanford, 54
5. Texas, 50
6. California, 48
T7. Indiana, 36
T7. Ohio State, 36
T7. USC, 36
10. Michigan, 32
11. Georgia, 26
RESULTS
200y Medley Relay
Virginia – 1:31.58 (Pool Record)
Ohio State – 1:33.09
Florida – 1:34.30
17. Georgia – 1:36.19
800y Freestyle Relay
Florida – 6:48.59 (Pool Record)
Tennessee – 6:50.82
Stanford – 6:51.17
6. Georgia – 6:54.67
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