ATHENS, Ga. – The No. 4 Texas A&M men's swimming & diving team returns to action for its first SEC dual meet of the season, facing the No. 11 Georgia Bulldogs in the Gabrielsen Natatorium on Saturday, Jan. 11 at 9 a.m.
Back to Business
Texas A&M starts their springs slate with a 5-2 dual meet record. The swimmers are returning from a lengthy, 26-day break from competition, while the divers haven't competed since the second day of the Art Adamson Invite on Nov. 22. Most recently, the swimmers dominated the Holiday Invite, beating Incarnate Word 155-91 and Trinity 153-80. The bulk of the Maroon & White's standout times came from the Art Adamson Invite where they managed to set eight new school records and won by a margin of 647 points over second-place USC. Nine different Aggies own times ranked among the top-30 times in the nation, in addition to Texas A&M notching a top five time in all five relay events. As a result, the Maroon & White boast their ranking at the No. 4 spot by the College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America, their highest ranking since 2001.
"I'm really looking forward to this meet," said head coach Jay Holmes. "There's going to be some really good races in a lot of places. I'm really looking forward to getting our divers back on the board and competing again. Our divers are historically, very good, and I think they'll do a good job for us."
Aggies in the Top 30
On the Diving Boards
Victor Povzner has had an exceptional start to his rookie campaign, collecting two SEC Men's Diver of the Week awards and winning the 3-meter dive three out of the four times competing in the event. Kurtis Mathews has placed within the top three seven times throughout the season, most recently completing a one-two finish in the 1-meter and 3-meter respectively, at the Art Adamson Invite. The last time Mathews was competing in Georgia was when he earned the silver medal in the 3-meter at the 2019 SEC Swimming & Diving Championships.
Scouting Georgia
"Historically, Georgia has been very good in the [long distance] events, so it'll be hard for us to beat them in those places. Some of the other races will be really close. I know we're pretty banged up with some injuries, and chances are, they probably are to. Regardless of the event, we'll line it up with the best people we got. We'll throw it at them, and see what happens."
Georgia owns a 3-1 dual meet record, claiming victories over Alabama, North Carolina and Duke with their lone loss to No. 9 Florida. Additionally, the Bulldog swimmers won the Tennessee Invitational, while their diver, Zach Allen, placed second and third in the 3-meter and 1-meter respectively at the Tennessee Diving Invitational.
Follow the Action
Check 12thman.com and follow @AggieSwimDive on Twitter for results.
Back to Business
Texas A&M starts their springs slate with a 5-2 dual meet record. The swimmers are returning from a lengthy, 26-day break from competition, while the divers haven't competed since the second day of the Art Adamson Invite on Nov. 22. Most recently, the swimmers dominated the Holiday Invite, beating Incarnate Word 155-91 and Trinity 153-80. The bulk of the Maroon & White's standout times came from the Art Adamson Invite where they managed to set eight new school records and won by a margin of 647 points over second-place USC. Nine different Aggies own times ranked among the top-30 times in the nation, in addition to Texas A&M notching a top five time in all five relay events. As a result, the Maroon & White boast their ranking at the No. 4 spot by the College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America, their highest ranking since 2001.
"I'm really looking forward to this meet," said head coach Jay Holmes. "There's going to be some really good races in a lot of places. I'm really looking forward to getting our divers back on the board and competing again. Our divers are historically, very good, and I think they'll do a good job for us."
Aggies in the Top 30
| Athlete | Event | Time | Rank |
| Kaloyan Bratanov | 200 IM | 1:45.19 | 24th |
| Shaine Casas | 100 Back | :44.48 | 1st |
| Shaine Casas | 200 IM | 1:40.16 | 1st |
| Shaine Casas | 200 Back | 1:37.35 | 2nd |
| Shaine Casas | 50 Back (Relay Leadoff) | :21.07 | 2nd |
| Shaine Casas | 100 Fly | :45.26 | 3rd |
| Shaine Casas | 200 Free (Relay Leadoff) | 1:33.67 | 9th |
| Shaine Casas | 50 Free (Relay Leadoff) | :19.54 | 20th |
| Shaine Casas | 100 Free (Relay Leadoff) | :42.94 | 25th |
| Adam Koster | 100 Free | :42.26 | 5th |
| Adam Koster | 50 Free | :19.49 | 16th |
| Tanner Olson | 100 Breast | :52.68 | 15th |
| Andres Puente | 200 Breast | 1:52.48 | 7th |
| Andres Puente | 100 Breast | :52.49 | 12th |
| Andres Puente | 400 IM | 3:46.75 | 20th |
| Luke Stuart | 1650 Free | 15:06.58 | 28th |
| Mark Theall | 500 Free | 4:12.19 | 3rd |
| Mark Theall | 200 Free | 1:32.96 | 5th |
| Mark Theall | 1650 Free | 15:08.54 | 30th |
| Mike Thibert | 50 Back (Relay Leadoff) | :21.91 | 27th |
| Benjamin Walker | 200 Breast | 1:53.33 | 11th |
On the Diving Boards
Victor Povzner has had an exceptional start to his rookie campaign, collecting two SEC Men's Diver of the Week awards and winning the 3-meter dive three out of the four times competing in the event. Kurtis Mathews has placed within the top three seven times throughout the season, most recently completing a one-two finish in the 1-meter and 3-meter respectively, at the Art Adamson Invite. The last time Mathews was competing in Georgia was when he earned the silver medal in the 3-meter at the 2019 SEC Swimming & Diving Championships.
Scouting Georgia
"Historically, Georgia has been very good in the [long distance] events, so it'll be hard for us to beat them in those places. Some of the other races will be really close. I know we're pretty banged up with some injuries, and chances are, they probably are to. Regardless of the event, we'll line it up with the best people we got. We'll throw it at them, and see what happens."
Georgia owns a 3-1 dual meet record, claiming victories over Alabama, North Carolina and Duke with their lone loss to No. 9 Florida. Additionally, the Bulldog swimmers won the Tennessee Invitational, while their diver, Zach Allen, placed second and third in the 3-meter and 1-meter respectively at the Tennessee Diving Invitational.
Follow the Action
Check 12thman.com and follow @AggieSwimDive on Twitter for results.