Jan. 9, 2003
ATLANTA – In their first competition in nearly two months, the Georgia Tech men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams host ACC rival Clemson Friday and Southeastern Conference power Alabama Saturday at Emory’s Woodruff P.E. Center.
The Jackets and Tigers are slated to start at 5 p.m. Friday, while Tech and the Crimson Tide hit the water at 1 p.m. Saturday. The Alabama meeting is the Yellow Jackets’ final home meet of the season, and six seniors will be honored for their four years on The Flats. The class of Shilo Ayalon, Robbie Foster, Josh Hersko, Jorge Oliver, James Salazar and Tomonori Tsuji ranks as the most successful group in the history of the program.
Tech’s men, ranked 25th nationally in the latest CSCAA Top 25 Poll, enter the weekend’s action with a 2-3 record and state 0-1 in conference meets. The Yellow Jacket women are 3-2 and also 0-1 in ACC action. Both squads split with Purdue and Cincinnati last time out on November 15-16.
Both the Tech men and women will have a chance to even their conference marks versus Clemson on Friday. The Tiger men enter the meet 3-2 overall and 1-0 in the ACC, while the women stand 2-4 overall and 0-1 in the conference. A year ago, Tech’s men defeated Clemson, 146-93, and the women lost to the Tigers, 176-63.
Alabama should offer a tough challenge for the Jackets on Saturday. The Tide will face Georgia in Athens on Friday before heading to Atlanta. On the men’s side, Alabama ranks 19th nationally. Last season, the Crimson Tide swept the Jackets in Tuscaloosa. The men won, 168-129, while the women topped Tech, 179-103.
Tech’s men are led by Ayalon, a senior All-American, who has Tech’s top times in the 500, 1000 and 1650 free, as well as the 400 IM. He owns the nation’s fifth-fastest mark in the 1000 free (9:05.97). Salazar owns the team’s best marks in the 100 and 200 back, while Tsuji leads the way in the 100 and 200 breast. Junior Paul McCarty has the best marks in both diving events.
On the women’s side, freshman diver Laurissa Prystaj has already qualified for the NCAA Zone Diving Championships and owns school records on both boards, while sophomore Anna Saum ranks eighth in the ACC in the 100 back with a time of 57.37. Sophomore Moeko Wallis owns the team’s best marks in the 50, 100 and 200 free. Classmates Michelle Maguire (500, 1000 free) and Cara DeVinny (200 fly, 200 breast) also own top times in multiple events, as does freshman Elizabeth Foster (100 fly, 200 IM).
-GT-
