ATHENS, Ga., Nov. 19. IT was raining peaches in Athens, Georgia, today as the Georgia women's swimming and diving team announced it will be adding two of the top high school swimmers in the country to next year's roster. What's more, both ytoung women hail from the Peach State. Georgians
Amanda Weir and Elizabeth Hill signed national letters-of-intent during
the early signing period, it was announced today.
"We are very pleased to have added both Amanda and Elizabeth to our
program," said Georgia head coach Jack Bauerle. "The two have dominated
women's swimming in the state of Georgia for the last couple of years.
They are two of the top four recruits in the country, and they will help
continue the winning tradition here at Georgia."
Weir is a senior at Brookwood High School, where she was a two-time High
School Swimmer of the Year (2000-01, 2002-03), leading the Broncos to
three consecutive State 5A team titles. Under Brookwood coach Greg Puckett, Weir set the high school state record in both the 50- and 100-yard freestyle and earned All-America distinction in nine events.
"We could not be more excited to have Amanda as part of our program,"
added Bauerle. "She is a world-class swimmer as well as a world-class young lady. She will be great in the pool for the Lady Bulldogs, but she will also be great for the team with her work ethic. Amanda will definitely have an impact on our individual events as well as our relays, which are already quite strong."
A native of Snellville, Ga., Weir has experienced success at the
national level for years, as she has held the National Age Group Record in the 50 freestyle in each age group since the age of 12, when she set her first record at Gabrielsen Natatorium (23.15 in the 50-yard free).
Most recently she took her expertise to the international stage as a
member of the U.S. Women's Team at the 2003 Pan American Games in the Dominican Republic. Her time in the 100-meter freestyle leading off the 400-meter freestyle relay was not only the fastest US time and the second-fastest time in the world this year, but it was also the fourth-fastest time in history by an American.
Weir trains under club coach Chris Davis for the highly regarded Swim
Atlanta program, which has produced a number of Bulldogs through the
years.
"Coach Davis and I are equally excited about her coming here," offered
Bauerle. "She is a talented student, and one of the draws for Amanda was
Georgia's academics, specifically the graphic design department."
A senior at Westminster in Atlanta, Hill also has a wealth of
experience at both the national and international level. She won the 400-meter freestyle in record-breaking fashion at the 2003 Pan American Games with a personal-best time of 4:10.48, surpassing Sippy Woodhead's previous Pan Am record set in 1978. The time was the fastest by an American this year. Under the direction of Bauerle, Hill finished third in the 200-meter freestyle at the Duel In the Pool (dual meet for the United States against Australia) in April 2003.
"Elizabeth is a very talented and tough competitor," said Bauerle. "I
was fortunate to have had the opportunity to coach her at the Duel in the
Pool, where she did a great job. She was also an excellent representative for the U.S. at the Pan Am Games this summer."
Hill also earned a gold medal as a member of the 800-meter freestyle
relay at the 2002 Pan Pacific Championships. In addition to her freestyle
achievements, Hill won the 200-meter butterfly at the 2002 Spring Nationals.
"Elizabeth's strength lies in the middle distance, but she is a very
successful butterflyer. She will have an impact on our 800 free relay,
which we feel has a shot at breaking some big-time records next year."
Hill trains under Ed Spencer at the highly successful Dynamo Swim Club,
and is coached by Pete Higgins at Westminster.