Eight Georgia Bulldogs invited to NCAA Championships

ATHENS, Ga. – Eight members of the University of Georgia women’s swimming and diving team were invited to the 2024 NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships Wednesday.

The eight Bulldogs, joined by four relay alternates, and potentially two divers, will welcome their fellow qualifiers to Athens for the event, with Bauerle Pool at Gabrielsen Natatorium hosting the championships March 20-23. This year’s championships will mark the fourth time the venue has hosted the national finals, including previous women’s meets in 1999 and 2006.

The dominance of the Georgia distance group was evident in the qualifiers, led by junior Abby McCulloh. The SEC champion in the 1,650-yard freestyle will enter the home meet with the nation’s fastest time at 15:40.96, over five seconds faster than the No. 2 qualifying time. With McCulloh’s top time, Georgia is one of only six schools to have an individual seeded first, joining Virginia, Florida, NC State, Texas, and Tennessee. The Lilburn native is also seeded eighth in the 500y freestyle.

Fellow juniors Rachel Stege and Duné Coetzee are also ranked highly in the national standings, with Stege seeded second and Coetzee seeded fifth in the 500y freestyle, an event both earned First Team All-America honors in last season. The pair are also ranked 12th and 13th in the mile alongside McCulloh. Senior Sloane Reinstein will compete in the 200y and 500y freestyle, while sophomore Shea Furse makes her NCAA debut in the 200y freestyle.

Freshman Helena Jones is also making her first nationals appearance in the 100y freestyle, while fifth-year Zoie Hartman will compete for the fourth time in the 200y IM and both breaststroke events. Junior Eboni McCarty will compete in her third NCAAs, entering the meet with the No. 9 seed in the 100y backstroke.

Georgia also selected four student-athletes as relay alternates: senior Julianna Stephens, junior Briana Roberson, and sophomores Olivia Della Torre and Emma Norton. The Bulldogs’ roster could also grow with senior Meghan Wenzel and sophomore Hannah Stumpf competing in the NCAA Zone B Diving Championships next week at Gabrielsen. Wenzel has qualified for the past two NCAA Championships and is coming off a career-best fourth-place finish on 1-meter at the SEC Championships.

The invitations for the the 2024 NCAA Men’s Division I Swimming & Diving Championships will be announced next Wednesday.

For all news and updates about Georgia swimming and diving, follow the Bulldogs on Twitter (@UGASwimDive), Instagram (@ugaswimdive), and Facebook (UGA Swimming and Diving).

QUALIFIERS

Duné Coetzee – 500y Freestyle (5th), 1,650y Freestyle (13th), 200y Freestyle (16th)

Shea Furse – 200y Freestyle (27th)

Zoie Hartman – 200y IM (8th), 100y Breaststroke (11th), 200y Breaststroke (12th)

Helena Jones – 100y Freestyle (27th)

Eboni McCarty – 100y Backstroke (9th), 50y Freestyle (33rd)

Abby McCulloh – 1,650y Freestyle (1st), 500y Freestyle (8th)

Sloane Reinstein – 500y Freestyle (18th), 200y Freestyle (25th)

Rachel Stege – 500y Freestyle (2nd), 1,650y Freestyle (12th)

RELAY ALTERNATES

Olivia Della Torre

Emma Norton

Briana Roberson

Julianna Stephens