Luca Urlando Marks Return with Near-Best Times as Georgia Sweeps
Luca Urlando had an eventful summer, earning a spot at his first Olympics for the United States. After two years away from the University of Georgia due to injuries and preparing for Paris, Urlando is back to very close to his best.
Urlando won both butterfly events in NCAA A cuts to help Georgia top South Carolina, 221-79, in an SEC tri-meet. Georgia’s women’s team scored twins of the Gamecocks and Vanderbilt.
Men’s
- Georgia 221, South Carolina 79
Women’s
- Georgia 167, South Carolina 133
- Georgia 240, Vanderbilt 48
- South Carolina 249, Vanderbilt 45
Urlando clocked in at 44.16 seconds in the 100 butterfly, a time that is second in Bulldogs history behind only the 43.80 he turned in at the 2022 NCAA Championships. Urlando also went 1:39.87 in the 200 fly, just off the 1:39.22 he swam at NCAAs in 2022. It’s the fifth-fastest time in program history, Urlando owning all five of them.
Urlando also backstroke on the winning 200 medley relay, with Connor Haigh, Wesley Ng and Ruard Van Renen. The quartet of Tomas Koski, Jake Magahey, Urlando and van Renan went 2:50.34 to win the 400 free relay in an NCAA B cut.
Magahey dominated to start his grad student season. The eight-time individual NCAA medalist went 8:43.97 to dominate the 1,000 freestyle, then 4:15.08 in winning the 500 free.
Koski won the 100 free and 200 free, then went 42.62 off the front of the relay in the 100 free. Van Renan finished second to Ng in the 100 back in a tremendous race, Ng going 47.02 to van Renan’s 47.08 (and a 47.27 from SC’s Michael Laitarovsky). The South African van Renan was second to Koski in the 100 free, and Ng was third in the 100 fly. Aaron Seymour won the 50 free in 20.43 and was third in the 200 IM (behind winner Drew Hitchcock) and the 100 free. Sam Powe won the 200 back, and Matthew Bray swept diving, his score of 379.50 on 3-meter less than a point up on SC’s Max Spencer.
South Carolina got both of its men’s wins in breaststroke, with Linus Kahl and Liam Kerns going 1-2 in both.
On the women’s side, Georgia took control with a 1-2-3 result in the 100 free, after South Carolina had won three of the first six individual events. Helena Jones went 48.41 to edge teammate Eboni McCarty (48.78) and end the momentum. Third was Sloane Reinstein, who was third in the 500 and second in the 200.
Georgia’s distance 1-2 was rolling. Abby McCulloh went 9:31.29 to win the 1,000 free with Rachel Stege second. They swapped places in the 500, Stege winning in 4:39.08.
McCarty won the 100 back and was on both winning relays, along with double anchor Katie Belle Sikes. Jones was second in the 50 free, ahead of Sikes.
Ieva Maluka won two events in her first meet since transferring from Arizona State. The Latvian Olympian claimed the 200 back and 200 IM, and was second in the 200 fly. Charlotte Headland won the 100 breast after a leg on the winning 200 medley relay, and Emma Norton claimed the 100 fly.
South Carolina held its ow early. Dylan Scholes went 22.72 to top Jones by .01 in the 50 free. Greta Pelzek won the 200 fly and second in the 100 fly. Amy Riordan won the 200 free and was the runner-up in the 200 back. Delaney Franklin secured the 200 breast. SC swept diving, with Sophie Verzyl winning both events.
Vanderbilt’s best result was a third place in the 100 breast from Emily Constable.
