Men’s swiMMinG outlook Throughout the preseason, Coach Jack Bauerle described his Georgia men’s swimming team as “a work in progress.” As with any team any season, losing athletes to graduation and adding athletes through signings or transfers creates a transition period. But to listen to Bauerle, once that chemistry kicks in, the 2009-10 Bulldogs could be very much in the mix. “We feel like we’ve got the experience returning and the talent to possibly improve in the SECs and the NCAAs,” Bauerle said. “We had some guys rise up last year and basically come into their own. We didn’t know what to expect from them. Now those same guys are even more mature and they know what they are about. We have some guys who can be major forces.” Leading the way for the Bulldogs will be Troyden Prinsloo, who won the 1,650-yard freestyle national championship a year ago (after finishing as the runner-up to teammate Sebastien Rouault in 2008). Mark Dylla came in second in the 200-yard butterfly at the NCAAs and won the event at the SECs, both for the second straight year. Peter Benner burst onto the scene and earned SEC Freshman of the Year honors. The Bulldogs lost NCAA and SEC champion Neil Versfeld to graduation, but Bauerle and his staff believe they have compiled a newcomers class ready to help shoulder the burden. FREESTYLE Craig Jennings and Michael Arnold give Georgia what Bauerle calls “a great 1-2 punch” in the sprint freestyle races. Jennings ranks second in the Georgia record book in the 50 freestyle and Arnold is fourth, while in the 100 freestyle Arnold holds the school record of 43.50 and Jennings is No. 6. Each scored for the Bulldogs in both the 50 and 100 freestyle at the 2009 SECs. Adding depth and challenging for spots in the sprint lineup will be Kevin Frankenfeld, Richmond Green, Shane Hall, Martin Kata, Joe Redmon and Stephen Swan. Green owns the 10th-fastest time in school history in the 100 freestyle. In the 200 freestyle, the Bulldogs can rely on Benner, Dylla, Bill Cregar, Frankenfeld, Kata, Prinsloo, Swan and Redmon, along with transfer Matt Bartlett. Benner’s 1:35.31 at last year’s NCAAs set the school record. Frankenfeld is 10th on Georgia’s all-time list in the 200 freestyle. Prinsloo will anchor Georgia’s charge in the 500 freestyle after winning that event at the 2009 SECs and coming in fourth at the NCAAs. Prinsloo ranks No. 2 in the Georgia record book in the 500 freestyle. Benner, Cregar, open-water standout Andrew Gemmell, Martin Grodzki and Adam Parker will be counted upon as well. Prinsloo not only won the 1,650 freestyle title at the NCAAs, but he did so at the conference meet as well.
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Troyden Prinsloo celebrates his 2009 NCAA title in the 1,650-yard freestyle. Grodzki, Gemmell, Benner and Cregar will factor into the 1,650 freestyle rotation. Prinsloo is No. 2 and Cregar is No. 7 in Georgia’s record book in the 1,650 freestyle. BUTTERFLY The butterfly events appear to be a strength for the Bulldogs entering the season. In the 100 butterfly, Arnold, Bartlett, Dylla, Kata, Todd McGraw and Redmon will lead the way. In the 200 butterfly, Dylla is the reigning SEC champion and record holder as well as a two-time NCAA runner-up. McGraw (a 2009 NCAA scorer), Benner, Redmon and Gemmell could work their way into the equation as well. Dylla ranks No. 2 in Georgia annals in the 100 butterfly, while Arnold is sixth, Kata is seventh and Redmon is ninth. In the 200 butterfly, Dylla set the school mark of 1:40.85 last season, and McGraw is No. 3, Benner is No. 8 and Redmon is No. 10. BREASTSTROKE Despite the loss of Versfeld, who won the 200 breaststroke at the 2009 NCAAs as well as the 100 and 200 breaststroke at the 2009 SECs, Georgia has assembled a talented group in this area. Tom Beeri, who represented Israel in the 2008 Beijing Olympics as a breaststroker, will join the Bulldogs in January. Cregar, Kata, Texas transfer Austin Stahley and Brett Roberson also will help Georgia here. BACKSTROKE Arnold, Dylla, Hall, Lainhart, Kata, Stahley and Chris Thompson are the Bulldogs’ top contenders in the sprint backstroke races and will give Georgia options in the lineup and on relays. The 200 backstroke prospects are Lainhart,
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