The University of Georgia on Tuesday announced its swimming and diving schedule, which includes dual meets limited to the SEC and a stripped-down fall invitational.
The season opens with Georgia traveling to South Carolina on Oct. 23, part of a home-and-home with the Gamecocks. That and the season finale against Tennessee on Jan. 23 are the only two dual meets away from the Gabrielsen Natatorium.
Georgia retains its fall invitational on Nov. 18-20, the only non-conference meet on the schedule. Instead of drawing in teams from across the country as in normal years, the Bulldogs will welcome only Georgia Tech and Florida State. Georgia will host its diving invitational Jan. 3-5.
The SEC last month allowed winter sports to return but on a conference-only schedule, beginning Oct. 1 and ending by Jan. 25. Dates for the SEC Championships, to be hosted by the University of Missouri, have not yet been determined for February.
To accommodate social distancing in the era of COVID-19, large invitationals have been scrapped across the nation. The schedule also splits up men’s and women’s meets into separate sessions, with women’s meets to start at 10 a.m. and men’s meets at 2 p.m. Logistics such as spectator allowances, “are still being evaluated and will be announced at a later date.”
“We are excited to announce our 2020-21 schedule,” head coach Jack Bauerle said in a university release. “We want to thank our administration, staff, and student-athletes for their efforts that have given us the opportunity to compete. While our circumstances have caused some adjustments, I believe this will help us prepare for the championship season. Our athletes are excited to compete and have been training well during the fall.”
The full University of Georgia 2020-21 Swimming and Diving schedule:
(Dual meets: women at 10 a.m., men at 2 p.m.; all times and dates are subject to change)
- Oct. 23: at South Carolina (Carolina Natatorium, Columbia, S.C.)
- Oct. 30: Florida (Gabrielsen Natatorium, Athens)
- Nov. 6: Auburn (Gabrielsen Natatorium, Athens)
- Nov. 18-20: Georgia Invitational (Florida State/Georgia Tech) (Gabrielsen Natatorium, Athens)
- Jan. 3-5: Georgia Diving Invitational (Gabrielsen Natatorium, Athens)
- Jan. 16: South Carolina (Gabrielsen Natatorium, Athens)
- Jan. 23: at Tennessee (Jones Aquatic Center, Knoxville, Tenn.)
- Feb. TBA: SEC Championships (Mizzou Aquatic Center, Columbia, Mo.)
- Feb. 27-28: Bulldog Invitational/Last Chance (Gabrielsen Natatorium, Athens)
- March 8-10: NCAA Zone B Diving (TBA)
- March 17-20: NCAA Women’s Championships (Greensboro Aquatic Center, Greensboro, N.C.)
- March 24-27: NCAA Men’s Championships (TBA)
