Georgia’s Mary DeScenza Named SEC Athlete of the Week
![](https://vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/DeScenza.Mary.jpg)
ATHENS, Ga., Jan. 21. GEORGIA freshman Mary DeScenza was named the Southeastern Conference's Athlete of the Week Tuesday by the league office in Birmingham, Ala.
DeScenza won four individual events for the Georgia women's swimming and diving team in a pair of victories last weekend.
The newcomer from Naperville, Ill., won three events and broke a pool record as the third-ranked Lady Bulldogs posted a 174-124 win against No. 6 Southern Methodist at Perkins Natatorium in Dallas Saturday afternoon.
DeScenza was part of the foursome that won the 400-yard medley relay that got the meet rolling for Georgia.
Her most impressive win may have been in the 200-yard butterfly, in which DeScenza's time of 1:56.22 bettered the pool record, surpassing the previous
mark of 1:57.55 set in 1998 by Stanford's Misty Hyman, who won a gold medal in the event in the 2000 Olympic Games. DeScenza's other victories came in the 200-yard freestyle and the 100-yard butterfly.
DeScenza also won the 100-yard backstroke and helped Georgia win the 200-yard medley relay against Arkansas.
"She did a terrific job," said Georgia head coach Jack Bauerle. "Her times were impressive, but I feel what was even more impressive was the fact that three wins against SMU (the 400-yard medley relay, 200-yard freestyle and 200-yard butterfly) came in the first six events of the meet. Her performance led us to a hard-earned victory over a very good SMU team."
Georgia will travel to Knoxville this weekend for a 1 p.m. showdown with Tennessee on Jan. 25.