Jan. 22, 2016
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Georgia Tech swimming & diving team will face the nationally-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday at 11 a.m. ET. The meet will take place at the Alabama Aquatic Center and Don Gambril Olympic Pool.
The men’s team will look to knock off a ranked foe for the second straight week, as the Yellow Jackets are coming off a victory over then-No. 22 Duke last Saturday. The Alabama men’s team is ranked No. 11 in the nation by the CSCAA, while the women’s team is ranked 22nd.
The Jackets hope for international athletes Moises Loschi and Iris Wang to come up big on Saturday. Loschi, a sophomore from Italy, finished in a tie for first in the 200 breaststroke event with a time of 1:59.63 last weekend. Loschi has posted NCAA B-cut times in the 100 breast, 200 breast and 400 IM.
Wang, a freshman from China, finished second in the 100 freestyle last weekend and has previously recorded an NCAA B-Cut time in the event.
Other athletes to watch include junior Ben Southern, who finished third in the men’s 200 butterfly last weekend and previously made the B-cut at the Georgia Tech Fall Invitational, and freshman Laura Branton, who finished second in the women’s 100 butterfly in the quad meet against Duke, Indiana and Michigan.
“We’re excited about going up against great competition this weekend”, head coach Courtney Shealy Hart said. “Alabama is a top program on both the men’s and women’s side, and both of their teams are currently ranked in the top 25. We’re looking forward to getting out of our comfort zone with a challenging road meet, and we expect our athletes to rise to the occasion.”
For the second time in program history, Georgia Tech and the McAuley Aquatic Center will serve as the host site for the 2016 NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships. The Women’s Championships will be held March 16-19, followed by the Men’s Championships March 23-26. Georgia Tech previously hosted the 2006 NCAA Championships and the CRC was also the site of the 1996 Summer Olympics swimming and diving competitions.
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