Jan. 29, 2004
ATLANTA – The Georgia Tech men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams will host Kentucky, Friday, Jan. 30, and Emory, Saturday, Jan. 31, for the final home dual meets of the 2003-04 season. The swim meets will be held in the Georgia Tech Aquatic Center and are scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. and Noon, respectively.
The Yellow Jackets will honor seniors Itai Eden (Quiryat-Ono, Israel), Paul McCarty (Ypsilanti, Mich.) and Eduardo Oliver (Jacksonville, Fla.) right before Saturday’s meet with Emory.
“Both meets this weekend will be fun and exciting,” said head coach Seth Baron. “Kentucky’s men’s team is nationally ranked, probably our seventh or eighth ranked opponent for the season. Statistically, the Kentucky meet will be very close and we’re looking forward to a good meet.
“Emory is a fun inner-city rivalry that goes back some 80 years. It is always fun to swim against them. They are one of the premier Division III programs in the country and will be vying for a national title in the near future.”
Both the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams enter this weekend with an overall record of 3-6. The Kentucky Wildcats carry a combined record of 2-4, while Emory enters the weekend with a national ranking of No. 2 for both programs in Division III.
Tech has two swimmers that have tallied NCAA “B’ cut times this season. Sophomore Sam Morgan (Gainesville, Ga.) posted a NCAA mark of 15:31.18 at the UGA Invitational back on Dec. 6, while freshman Vesna Stojanovska (Skopje, Macedonia) has ‘B’ qualifying marks of 1:50.14 (200 free), 4:51.70 (500 free) and 1:58.82 (200 fly).
All home meets can be followed on-line at www.ramblinwreck.com.
A look at the three seniors:
SENIOR Itai Eden
Itai is a four-year letterwinner under head coach Seth Baron … He ranks all-time in Tech history in four different events … The Qiryat-Ono, Israel, native holds the fourth fastest time in Jacket history in the 200 free and sixth fastest time in the 500 free … He also ranks third in the 200 butterfly and fifth in the 100 butterfly … The first-year captain ranks in five different events for Tech this season … He stands fourth in the 200 free, 1000 free and 100 fly, fifth in the 500 free and ninth in the 200 free … Eden’s top performance this season came at Maryland on November 8 as he tallied a first-place finish in the 200 fly and a third-place finish in the 200 free for the Yellow Jackets … He is a three-time Academic ACC Honor Roll honoree … Itai will graduate this May with a degree in electrical engineering.
SENIOR Paul McCarty
Paul is a four-year letterwinner under diving coach John Ames … He became only the second diver in Tech history to claim All-ACC honors in 2002, finishing the one-meter diving competition in third-place … Paul currently holds the school record on the one-meter springboard for Tech … The Ypsilanti, Mich., native has tallied two first-place finishes this season … He finished first on the one-meter board at Maryland on November 8th and against Florida State on January 17th in the Georgia Tech Aquatic Center … Paul finished 15th on the one-meter and 17th on the three-meter board at last year’s NCAA Zone B Diving Championships and has qualified for the 2004 NCAA Zone B Diving Championships held in Athens, Ga. on March 12-14 … Paul will graduate this May with a degree in management.
SENIOR EDDY OLIVER
Eddy is a four-year letterwinner under head coach Seth Baron … Returning from surgery on his appendix in July, Oliver competed on October 25th against NC State and had second and third-place finishes in the 1000 and 500 freestyle events to help the Jackets past the Wolfpack in the ACC opener … He currently owns top times for Tech in the 500, 1000, and 1650 freestyle events … The Jacksonville, Fla., native stands third in the 1000 free and 1650 free and ranks fifth all-time in the 500 free … Eddy tallied one first-place finish this season against Maryland on November 8th in the 1000 free … Along with his achievements in the pool, Eddy has achieved unparallel success in the class room as well, earning Honorable Mention CSCAA Academic All-American honors in 2002, along with being named to the ACC Academic Honor Roll on two occasions … Eddy will graduate this spring with a degree in chemical engineering.
