Oct. 18, 2006

Columbia, SC – Both Gamecock swimming and diving teams will compete at 2 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 19 at Georgia’s Gabrielsen Natatorium in a tri-meet against the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech.

The women’s squad will look to add more victories to their season after defeating Arkansas 149-89 at home last week. The men will look to have strong performances in their first meet of the season.

“This will be the first test for the men’s team, so we are looking forward to seeing how they do,” said head coach Don Gibb. “We are also excited to go against Georgia, they are strong competitors that compete for the national championship on the women’s side pretty much every year. Hopefully we can go in there and improve upon what we did against Arkansas last week.”

The Bulldogs have already proven themselves a formidable opponent, defeating both North Carolina’s squads in their season opener at UNC. Junior freestyler Kara Lynn Joyce recorded three individual wins to lead the Lady Bulldogs to a 169-126 victory. Sophomore distance swimmer Sebastien Rouault recorded three victories for the men, leading them to a 173-125 victory.

The Georgia Tech men are looking to get their season on track after falling to Clemson in their season opener. The women’s team currently has a 1-1 record, after falling to Clemson, but prevailing over Boston College. Junior diver Peter Doblar won both the one- and three-meter boards, and junior Elizabeth Stowe and freshman Jing Li took first and second in the women’s 1000 free.

The Gamecocks will hope to counter their opponents with strong performances from veteran divers Lyndsey Havens and David Ovelson. The women’s team will also hope for another strong meet from returning All-American Christy Williams, who had three victories against Arkansas, and sophomore Sharntelle McLean who also had three victories. The men’s team is hoping to benefit from the experience of its 12 returning members, including their All-American 400 Freestyle Relay team. The team will also hope to harness the talent of their seven newcomers.