Luca Urlando Continues Hot Start in Georgia Sweep of Florida State
Luca Urlando has continued his fine form to start the 2024-25 season, the Georgia swimmer dropping the third-best 200 fly time of his career in helping Georgia to a pair of wins over Florida State.
Urlando improved on last week’s A cut in the 200 fly with a 1:39.03. That’s his third-best time in the 200-yard event, trailing only the 1:38.82 from NCAAs in 2022 and 1:39.00 from the SEC Championships that year. Urlando had gone 1:39.87 last week in the season-opening meet against South Carolina.
It’s his signature event in long course, Urlando having qualified for the U.S. Olympic team in the 200 fly last summer.
Urlando also dropped a time of 1:39.39 in the 200-yard backstroke. That would’ve been good for seventh place at NCAAs last year. Urlando added a third win in 1:43.39 in the 200-yard individual medley. He went 21.21 off the front of the Bulldogs’ winning 200 medley relay, teaming with Elliott Woodburn, Ruard van Renen and Reese Branzell to go 1:25.20.
Georgia coasted to a pair of wins in the cross-conference clash, the men winning 218-81 and the women’s claiming a 183.5-116.5 decision.
The Bulldogs won all but two events, with freestyle depth leading the way. Tomas Koski (1:32.82) edged Jake Magahey by .21 seconds to win the 200 free, then went 43.50 to lead four 43-mids for the Bulldogs, with van Renen second by .02. Magahey won the 500 free in 4:16.92 with 1,000 free winner Tommy Camblong second and Koski third. Magahey was also the runner-up to Urlando in the 200 fly.
Van Renen won the 100 back. Woodburn claimed the 100 breast and was second in the 200. Wesley Ng won the 100 fly and was second in the 100 back. Georgia swept 1-meter diving, Matthew Bray scoring 332.40. Second was Renato Calderaro, who scored 378.35 to capture 3-meter.
Florida State’s wins came via Sam Bork’s time of 20.04 in the 50 free and Tommaso Baravelli charging past Woodburn by .16 to capture the 200 breast.
Georgia dominated on the women’s side in part thanks to two wins each from Eboni McCarty and Ieva Maluka in the first half of the meet. McCarty won the 100 back decisively, then went 22.42 to claim the 50 free in a 1-2 with Julianna Stephens. Maluka led a 1-2-3 finish in the 200 free before claiming the 200 fly in 1:56.32.
McCarty came out of the break leading a 1-2-3 in the 100 free, her time 48.94. The Bulldogs went 1-2-3 in the four longest freestyle races. Abby McCulloh led the way in the 1,000. Rachel Stege, who was third in the 200, won the 500 ahead of McCulloh.
Maluka added a third win with a time of 1:56.64 in the 200 IM. Second to her was Sloane Reinstein, who was second in the 200 free and third in the 500. Olivia Dellatorre (100 fly) and Sami Rydzewski (200 back) added wins, while the team of Helena Jones, Marie Landreneau, Stege and Maluka went 3:16.68 to claim the 400 free relay.
Florida State’s Maddy Huggins tied her school record in the 200 breaststroke, set last week, with an identical time of 2:07.98. Huggins won the 100 breast in 59.04, and had teammate Julia Mansson second to her in both events. Huggins split 27.03 to help the Seminoles start the meet with a win in the 200 medley relay, teaming with Sara Evans, Jenny Halden and Gloria Muzito. Evans was second in the 100 back, Halden second in the 100 fly.
Florida State got big points in diving, with Samantha Vear scoring 328.40 on 1-meter in a podium sweep and 345.40 on 3-meter. Kayleigh Clark was second in both.
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Medley relay order: Van Renen Back, Urlando Fly more effective.