Bulldawg Illustrated : News Releases

UGA-Auburn Baseball Preview

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Georgia Bulldogs (8-9, 0-0 SEC) vs. Auburn Tigers (11-5, 0-0 SEC)

Friday: 7:06 p.m. CSS-TV (Foley Field)

Saturday: 3 p.m. (Foley Field)

Saturday Promotion: First 1,000 Fans get a free Georgia Baseball T-Shirt.

Sunday: 2 p.m. (Foley Field)

Sunday Promotion: Postgame Autograph Session With the Bulldogs

Radio: 960 AM, WRFC (Fri.-Sun.); Also Sunday game on 103.7 FM, WXKT

www.georgiadogs.com

Tickets: $8 Reserved; $5 General Admission

Georgia Stats:

http://www.georgiadogs.com/fls/8800/stats/baseball/2010/teamcume.htm

Georgia-Auburn Series

Georgia opens Southeastern Conference action Friday, March 19 at Foley Field with Auburn (11-5) coming to Foley Field. The Tigers won a pair of midweek games over Alabama A&M. Auburn, under the direction of John Pawlowski, played its first 11 games of the year at home and got off to a 9-2 start. However, they were swept at #2 Arizona State this past weekend, falling 9-8, 16-7 and 8-3.

The Tigers rotated off Georgia’s SEC schedule the past two years. Auburn’s last trip to Athens came in 2007 when the Bulldogs posted a three-game sweep.

Georgia has won the last eight meetings with the Tigers. In records dating back to 1950, the Tigers hold a 93-79 edge in the series. Georgia coach David Perno is 12-6 against the Tigers.

Game one of the Auburn series will be televised live by CSS at 7:06 p.m. It will be Georgia’s third TV appearance of the year as it will make 16 total during the regular season.

In the 2010 preseason SEC Coaches voting, Georgia was picked to finish third in the East while Auburn was tabbed fifth in the West. That’s exactly where both teams finished in 2009 as the Bulldogs went 15-15 in league play while the Tigers ended up 11-19.
GEORGIA’S SEC ROTATION VERSUS AUBURN

RHP #44 Michael Palazzone, So., Marietta, Ga., (3-1, 7.85 ERA)

RHP #40 Justin Grimm, Jr., Bristol, Va., (1-1, 5.40 ERA)

RHP #11 Jeff Walters, Sr., Windermere, Fla., (0-1, 8.83 ERA)

FAST FACTS ON THE BULLDOGS
Playing Around .500 Ball: In the David Perno era, Georgia annually plays one of the nation’s toughest schedules and at this point this year, the Bulldogs have played the fewest home games of any SEC team — 8. Georgia has played nine road games out of its first 17, going 2-7 including dropping a three-game set at #6 Florida State, falling to #28 Alabama at Regions Park (Hoover, Ala.)and to #3 Georgia Tech in Atlanta.

Currently, Georgia stands at 8-9 and looks to do the following things to contend in the SEC.

1. Get Healthy: Georgia has yet to play a game this year with its projected starting infield:

1B: Chase Davidson: (Missed 10 games: 1st 5 due to elbow; Last 5 due to ankle); Available for AU

2B: Levi Hyams: (Missed 12 games: 1st 6 due to team suspension; 6 due to back injury); Available for AU

SS: Kyle Farmer: (Missed 11 games: Broken Hamate bone in left wrist, missed last 11 games); Out for AU

3B: Colby May: Had to fill in around the diamond, Started all 17 games (12-3B, 4-SS, 1-2B); In Lineup

2: Improve Starting Pitching: Georgia’s top three starters are a combined 4-3, 7.40 ERA in 12 starts

3. Reduce Mistakes: Georgia has been picked off seven times and thrown 21 wild pitches

4. Stay the Course: Georgia’s starting nine features all freshmen and sophomores

Shipman Bolsters Lineup: Freshman 1B Robert Shipman has taken advantage of some recent playing time with the injury to sophomore Chase Davidson. The 6-2, 230-pound native of Quitman, Ga. who joined the team in January, is fast becoming a fan favorite at Foley Field. Here’s what he has done in his last five games.

*Batted .500 (8-for-16) with five runs scored, three home runs and six RBI

*Hit .500 (5-for-10) in the Siena series including hitting the first three home runs of his career

*Played flawless defense at first base, registering 27 putouts and turned one unassisted DP

*Overall batting .444-3-10 with 8 BB in 12 games including 7 starts, 1.000 FLDG% in 58 total chances

Verdin And Cone Enjoying Solid Start: Before the 2010 campaign began, head coach David Perno tabbed sophomore RF Peter Verdin as the Bulldog most likely to have a breakout season. So far, Verdin has done just that, leading the team with five home runs and six stolen bases and ranks as the co-leader in RBI with 16. On thing Verdin has not done much is draw a walk, he has just one in 78 plate appearances. Meanwhile, sophomore Zach Cone is showing why he is a top pro prospect for 2011 with stellar play in centerfield to go with a .382 average, a team-best four triples and 16 RBI. Against #3 Tech Tuesday, he had two triples and 3 RBI.

Patient Taylor Among RBI Leaders: Sophomore LF Johnathan Taylor ranks among the team leaders with 14 RBI. Taylor serves as the leadoff hitter. Last year in 123 at bats, Taylor hit .309 with 10 RBI. He is off to a great start in 2010, batting .306 with a a .463 OB% and an SEC-leading 18 walks.

Two-Way Moseley: Freshman Cooper Moseley has been a two-way player for the Bulldogs in the first part of the season, seeing time as relief pitcher and second baseman. He is 0-0 with a 5.87 ERA in seven outings and played in five games with four starts at second base. He is batting .200 with one home run. He is one of those rare hitters who doesn’t use batting gloves. In the series finale with Siena Sunday, Moseley started at second and then came in to pitch in the ninth. It marked the first time he did both in a game. He is the first bona fide two-way player for the Bulldogs since outfielder/pitcher Chris Crawford (1996-99).

Foley Field Ticket Information

Single-game tickets for all University of Georgia home baseball games are currently on sale. Reserved seat tickets to see the Bulldogs play at home this season are $8 each and General Admission tickets are $5 each. Single game tickets can be ordered online via the georgiadogs.com online ticket office, by calling 1-877-542-1231 or in person at the UGA Athletic Association Ticket Office located in the Butts-Mehre building.

Men’s Tennis Hosts Defending NCAA Champion Southern Cal

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400

ATHENS, Ga. -— The sixth-ranked Georgia men’s tennis team — enjoying it’s highest ranking of the season in the midst of its season-best seven-match winning streak — will continue it’s six-match homestand this weekend when it welcomes third-ranked and the defending national champion Southern California to the Dan Magill Tennis Complex.

The USC match is set for Fri., March 19 at 2:30 p.m., and will be followed by Sunday’s meeting with No. 41 Arkansas at 1 p.m. The Trojans will serve as a quick break from SEC play, where the Bulldogs are 4-0.

“Southern California and Arkansas are continuing our very exciting schedule,” said head coach Manuel Diaz. “This is a tremendous opportunity for our team to test itself against one of the top teams in the country on Friday and our guys are really looking forward to the weekend.”

Looking At The Bulldogs
The Bulldogs are 12-2 on the season, including a perfect 9-0 mark in Athens, and have not lost a match since falling to 12th-ranked Florida back on Feb. 14 as part of the ITA Indoor National Tournament in Charlottesville, Va.
Georgia earned three wins last week, shutting out William & Mary, 7-0, on Tuesday before earning a pair of SEC wins, each by a tight 4-3 score, over then-No. 6 Kentucky and No. 27 Vanderbilt at home on Friday and Sunday during the UGA spring break. With the Vanderbilt match tied at 3-3 on Sunday, senior Jamie Hunt came through at No. 3 with a 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 win over Vijay Paul to clinch the Bulldogs’ 49th win in their last 51 SEC regular-season matches. Also against the Commodores, senior Christian Vitulli won his seventh straight singles match as he is now 3-0 when playing at No. 5 and 6-2 at No. 6.
The Vandy match secured the 500th win of head coach Manuel Diaz’s career, as he became just the sixth Georgia head coach to reach that milestone.
With a record of 23-11, No. 18 Javier Garrapiz has led Georgia as he has faced 21 ranked opponents this season and is 4-3 at No. 1 singles and 4-2 at No. 2. Drake Bernstein is 21-10 overall and 5-2 at No. 4 singles. No. 96 Nate Schnugg is 17-10 overall and Jamie Hunt is 15-6 including a 9-2 clip at No. 3 singles.
Christian Vitulli, with a record of 19-8, is 6-2 at six singles for UGA and has a team-best seven-match winning streak on the line heading into the weekend.
Freshman Bo Seal has split time at Nos. 4 and 5 singles and is 3-2 at both positions.
In doubles, the Schnugg-Hunt tandem is 14-6 overall and 6-5 at No. 1 in dual matches, cracking the rankings this week at No. 39. Bernstein and Garrapiz are 7-4 at No. 2 doubles while Seal and Vitulli are 8-3 at No. 3. For the first time this season the freshman team of Seal and Will Oliver played together in the W&M match and won at third doubles. Georgia has swept the doubles point four times this season.

500th Win
With Georgia’s close 4-3 win over Vanderbilt on March 14, head coach Manuel Diaz became just the sixth coach in Bulldog history to reach 500 career wins at the helm.
Already standing as the only active men’s tennis coach with multiple NCAA championships to his name, Diaz has accounted for four of them as the head coach (1999, 2001, 2007, 2008). He was an assistant coach under Dan Magill on both of the other winning squads (1985, ’87), while his teams have claimed a conference-leading seven SEC Tournament titles.
Upon reaching No. 500, Diaz joined Suzanne Yoculan (gymnastics), 836; Andy Landers (women’s basketball), 748; Dan Magill (men’s tennis), 706; Jeff Wallace (women’s tennis), 533; and Steve Webber (baseball), 500 in that elite club.

Seal Named Freshman Of The Week (Again)
Georgia men’s tennis freshman Bo Seal has been named the SEC Freshman of the Week for the second time this season, the league office announced Wednesday.
Seal received the same honor back on Feb. 3. This marks the third conference award of the season for Georgia as Javier Garrapiz was named SEC Player of the Week on March 10.
“Bo continues to make progress and is having an outstanding year,” said head coach Manuel Diaz. “He played a big role in two very important victories for our team this past week. He is very deserving of winning this award again.”
Seal – who broke into the national rankings at No. 104 last week – picked up a combined five wins to help Georgia to a 3-0 week as the team defeated William & Mary (7-0), Kentucky (4-3), and Vanderbilt (4-3) to move to 4-0 in the SEC and 12-2 overall, winners of seven straight matches.
The Chattanooga, Tenn., native teamed with Christian Vitulli to clinch the doubles point vs. Vanderbilt at third doubles. In the Kentucky meeting, Seal and Vitulli picked up the Bulldogs’ lone doubles win, before Seal then won, 6-2, 5-7, 7-5, over Anthony Rossi at No. 4 singles to bring the score to 3-2 after Georgia had started down 3-0 to the Wildcats.
Seal played for the first time with fellow freshman Will Oliver at No. 3 doubles vs. William & Mary and was first off the court as they posted the win to spark UGA to the doubles point.
He and Vitulli are a team-best 8-3 at No. 3 doubles, while Seal boasts a singles record of 8-5 including 3-2 clips at Nos. 4 and 5.

A Look At Southern California
The third-ranked USC Trojans will mark the highest-ranked foe on the Georgia slate thus far in 2010. Georgia faced now No. 1 Virginia in the ITA Indoor Tournament, but the Cavaliers were No. 6 at the time. Kentucky was also No. 6 when the Bulldogs faced the Wildcats last weekend.
Southern Cal started the year at No. 1, coming off their national championship win.
The Trojans boast a record of 13-2 and have six players ranked in singles in addition to three doubles teams. USC had just one match last week, coming in its first-ever meeting with Wake Forest. The Trojans picked up the doubles point and won three of the first four singles matches on the way to a 5-2 win over the visiting Demon Deacons on March 10. Then, USC suffered an upset loss to No. 50 Duke on Wednesday, dropping that match 4-3 in Durham. The Trojans lost the doubles point for just the second time this year and Steve Johnson, the No. 1 singles player in the country, was upset by the Blue Devils’ Henrique Cunha.
In the latest individual ITA rankings, Johnson is back on top as the nation’s top-ranked player, while Robert Farah sits at No. 11. Four other Trojans reached the rankings this week in No. 72 Jaak Poldma, No. 84 Peter Lucassen, No. 89 Daniel Nguyen, and No. 119 JT Sundling.
In doubles, three Trojan teams are in the rankings in No. 14 Farah/Johnson, No. 48 McNaughton/
Nguyen and No. 49 Lucassen/Poldma.
Georgia holds a slim 11-10 lead in the all-time series with USC, most recently earning a 4-1 win last season. The Trojans have gone winless against Georgia since 2002, when USC posted a 4-1 win to claim the NCAA title.
Georgia and USC have combined to win the last three NCAA Championships, after the Bulldogs repeated in 2007 and 2008 and the Trojans won in 2009. In all, the two teams own 23 team championships, with 17 belonging to USC and six to Georgia.

A Look At Arkansas
No. 41 Arkansas will visit Athens with a record of 9-7 (1-4) and with a full week lay-off since last competing. In their last match, the Razorbacks fell by a score of 4-1 on the road at Mississippi State in Starkville on March 14.
Arkansas won eight of nine matches between Jan. 31 and Feb. 27 but has now dropped three of its last four.
In six meetings with ranked opponents this season, the Razorbacks are 1-5, with that win coming against No. 52 Columbia University on Jan. 31, a 4-1 decision at the ITA Kickoff in Oxford, Miss.
Arkansas’ lone representative in the ITA player rankings for March 16 is Chris Nott, who came in at 49th in singles.
Nott’s overall record of 16-8 leads the Hogs, while he has played all but three matches at No. 1 and is 9-3 there. Three other Razorbacks have gone 1-0 in the one slot. A total of five players have logged double-digit victories for Arkansas.
In the all-time series history, Georgia is 20-2 against the Razorbacks.

Success Vs. The SEC
The Georgia men’s tennis team has now won 49 of its last 51 regular-season SEC matches. The Bulldogs started off the conference slate on the right foot, going 2-0 vs. Alabama and Auburn two weekends ago in their first league matches of 2010, before remaining undefeated at 4-0 with wins over Kentucky and Vanderbilt last time out. That 4-0 mark ties Georgia for first place in the East with Florida, while South Carolina and Tennessee are knotted in third with matching 3-1 conference records. Ole Miss leads the West with a 3-1 league mark, followed by Arkansas at 2-2.

Rankings
The Georgia men’s tennis team climbed three spots to No. 6 in the ITA National Team Rankings released Tuesday. The Bulldogs are coming off a pair of 4-3 SEC wins including a victory over then-No. 6 Kentucky last Friday.
Virginia is No. 1 followed by Tennessee, Southern Cal, Ohio State, Texas, Georgia, Florida, Baylor, Kentucky and UCLA to round out the top 10.
This marks the highest ranking of the season for Georgia, which began the year ranked No. 7. The Bulldogs (12-2, 4-0 SEC) have won their last seven matches.
In the singles rankings, junior Javier Garrapiz moved up to No. 18, while senior Nate Schnugg is No. 96. In doubles, Schnugg and Jamie Hunt entered the rankings for the first time this year at No. 39.

Home Sweet Home
The Bulldogs are in the midst of a staggering home winning streak, having won 71 consecutive matches when playing at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens. The streak spans more than five calendar years as the Bulldogs’ last loss in a home dual match came on April 23, 2005, a 4-3 loss to No. 9 Florida. The record is 76 straight home wins by Coach Dan Magill’s Bulldogs that ended with a loss to Miami in 1972. In that match, Manuel Diaz won as a freshman playing at No. 6 singles.
Incidentally, the Georgia women’s swimming & diving team has also won 71 straight home competitions to sit tied for second all-time with men’s tennis.

The Attendance Race
According to the ITA, the Georgia men’s tennis team ranks seventh in the nation in attendance with an average of 232 fans per match. Virginia leads the way with 738 fans per match, followed by Ole Miss (446), Michigan (356), Texas A&M (308), Illinois (271), Washington (263), and Georgia.
Georgia’s match at Virginia on Feb. 13 drew the largest crowd in the nation with 1,500 fans.
On Deck
Georgia concludes its six-match homestand when it welcomes 2009 NCAA runner-up Ohio State to Athens on Thurs., March 25 at 4 p.m. The Bulldogs then hit the road for a match-up with SEC rival LSU on Sun., March 28 at 10 p.m. EST.

On Deck
Georgia concludes its six-match homestand when it welcomes 2009 NCAA runner-up Ohio State to Athens on Thurs., March 25 at 4 p.m. The Bulldogs then hit the road for a match-up with SEC rival LSU on Sun., March 28 at 10 p.m. EST.

Georgia Soccer Continues Spring Play Saturday

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400

ATHENS, Ga. -— The Georgia soccer team will play its second weekend of the 2010 spring schedule when it welcomes Furman to the UGA Soccer Stadium this Sat., March 20 at 1 p.m.

The Bulldogs opened the spring with matches against Nebraska and Florida State on Feb. 27 in Atlanta.

Following the Furman game, the Bulldogs will remain at home to host an SEC double header with Tennessee and South Carolina next Sat., March 27 at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., respectively.

On Sat., April 10, Georgia will travel to Orlando, Fla., to take on the U-20 Mexico National Team at 7 p.m., before closing the spring campaign with a meeting vs. Georgia State on Fri., April 16 at 7 p.m. in Athens.

The Bulldogs are coming off a 15-6-1 record in 2009 and a trip to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The team made history by reaching its third consecutive postseason, doing so for the first time, after mounting the best 12-game start in program history by going 10-1-1 at the outset.

Georgia returns 20 of 28 players in 2010, including eight who made at least 10 starts in 2009.

No. 6 Georgia Softball Travels To Face No. 17 Tennessee This Weekend

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400

ATHENS, Ga. – The sixth-ranked Georgia softball team will travel to Knoxville, Tenn., this weekend for a three-game, Southeastern Conference series against 17th-ranked Tennessee at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium.

The Bulldogs (20-3, 1-2 SEC) and Lady Volunteers (20-5, 2-1 SEC) will play a double header Saturday starting at 1 p.m. ET, and both games of the twin bill will be televised on CSS and ESPN360.com. Justin Cazana will call the play-by-play with Cheri Kempf providing color analysis. The series finale will then take place Sunday at 1 p.m. Live stats will be available for all three contests through www.georgiadogs.com, and live audio of Sunday’s broadcast will also be available through the website courtesy of ISP Sports with Kevin Copp calling the play-by-play.

In the all-time Georgia-Tennessee series, the Bulldogs lead 25-22. However, over the last 10 meetings, the Lady Vols lead 8-2, and UGA has never won in Lee Stadium, which opened in 2008. Last year, Georgia played host to Tennessee in Athens, and the Bulldogs took two out of the three contests winning the double header with scores of 1-0 and 6-2. The Lady Vols won the finale 6-3.

GEORGIA NOTES:
Returning To The Road
The Georgia-Tennessee series marks the first time the Bulldogs will play away from the friendly confines of the UGA Softball Stadium since opening the season at Dot Richardson’s National Collegiate Softball Invitational in Clermont, Fla., Feb. 12-14. When Georgia loads the bus and travels to Knoxville on Friday, March 19, it will be the first day of travel for the Bulldogs since returning home on Feb. 14, giving UGA a span of 32 non-travel days in a row. The UGA-UT meeting will also mark the first time this season the Dogs have played in an opponent’s stadium in 2010, as the only non-home games this season have been played at a neutral site.

Long Home Stand Ends
Georgia’s longest home stand of the 2010 season lasted from the Red & Black Showcase on Feb. 19-21 to a contest against Furman on March 17. The home stand covered 19 games in which the Bulldogs went 17-2.

Dialing Long Distance
Ten Bulldogs have combined to hit 43 home runs through 23 games (1.87 per game) Last year, Georgia set a school record with 85 home runs (1.44 per game), and after 23 games the 2009 squad had hit 31 home runs. Bulldogs to hit home runs in 2010: Ashley Razey (8), Brianna Hesson (7), Kristyn Sandberg (5), Taylor Schlopy (5), Laura Trout (5), Ashley Pauly (4), Alisa Goler (3), Amberlie Saxton (3), Megan Wiggins (2) and Jennie Auger (1).

Life In The Fast Lane
Georgia has stolen 79-of-92 bases this season, which is already one more than last year’s final total of 78 — and that’s after just 23 games. The Bulldogs are averaging 3.43 stolen bases per game.

Setting The Table
Schlopy has reached base at a 60-percent success rate when leading off an inning (18-for-30). Schlopy also leads the team with 18 stolen bases.

Sandberg’s Hitting Streak
Sandberg enters the Tennessee series riding a nine-game hitting streak during which she is batting .520 with two home runs and 10 RBI. The nine-game hitting streak ties her career-best mark set as a freshman in 2009.

Walk This Way
UGA has drawn 100 walks on the year through 23 games (4.35 per game), which puts the Bulldogs on pace to establish a new school record (199 in 2007).

Up Next
Following the three-game series at Tennessee, Georgia makes a brief return home to play 19th-ranked Florida State on March 24 before returning to the road for a three-game series at Kentucky Marcy 27-28.

Bulldogs Display Energy and Effort in Thursday Practice

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Athens, Ga. - The Georgia football team took the field Thursday for two and a half hours at the Woodruff Practice Fields for the third time this spring.

Following the practice Georgia Head Coach Mark Richt said the team displayed positive energy and effort. Defensive Coordinator Todd Grantham agreed with Richt’s assessment on how much effort the players are putting into learning the new system.

“We need to come to work everyday and understand where we need to improve and understand the concepts,” Grantham said. “Once we understand the concepts then we can start adding things and the guys can start playing at a faster pace. Overall I’ve been pleased with the effort and what I’ve seen out there.”

Grantham added that one reason for the positive effort is how every player has come into the spring with equal opportunity.

“Anytime a guy feels like he has a chance to be a starter then they will be excited,” Grantham said. “Also, everyone is working hard to find their role. The players are showing us how they are going to play, learn, and hustle to the ball.”

Georgia will return to the practice fields on Saturday morning wearing full pads for the first time this spring. Spring practice will end with the annual G-Day game on April 10 at 2 p.m. ET at Sanford Stadium. The game will be televised live on CSS.

Third-ranked Georgia Tech Edges Georgia 6-5

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400

ATLANTA—-A bases-loaded walk to Georgia Tech sophomore Jacob Esch in the bottom of the eighth broke a 5-5 tie as the third-ranked Yellow Jackets edged Georgia 6-5 Tuesday at Russ Chandler Stadium.

Powered by a couple of home runs in the first, Georgia Tech (14-1) built a 3-0 lead over the Bulldogs (8-9). Junior centerfielder Jeff Rowland drove a 2-0 offering over the right field wall for a leadoff home run off freshman Blake Dieterich. After a four-pitch walk to Jacob Esch, senior first baseman Tony Plagman connected for his seventh home run of the year. Dieterich settled down and retired the next three Yellow Jackets to end the first.

After striking out the side in the first, Georgia Tech sophomore right-hander Mark Pope pitched out of trouble in the second. Freshman Robert Shipman led off with a base hit and sophomore catcher Christian Glisson drew a walk. For Shipman, it extended his hitting streak to six games. Pope battled back to strike out third baseman Colby May on three pitches, got designated hitter Zach Taylor to fly out and second baseman Todd Hankins to ground out.

After striking out Chase Burnette to start the bottom of the second, Dieterich got ahead of senior Jay Dantzler 0-2 but the Yellow Jacket left fielder smashed his next pitch over the wall in right for his third home run of the year and a 4-0 advantage. Georgia turned to senior Steve Esmonde to start the bottom of the fourth. Dieterich provided three innings, allowing four runs on five hits with two walks and four strikeouts in his first career start.

Pope cruised through the first five frames, facing just two over the minimum before the Bulldogs spoiled his shutout bid in the sixth. Sophomore shortstop Levi Hyams led off with a bunt single and came around to score on an RBI-triple by sophomore centerfielder Zach Cone (2-for-5,3 RBI), his team-leading third of the year. Then after getting Johnathan Taylor to bounce out, right fielder Peter Verdin lined a single to center bringing Cone home to make it 4-2. Pope registered his eighth strikeout on the night by getting Shipman and then catcher Glisson smacked a single as Verdin advanced to third. Pope ended the rally by striking out May.

Georgia chased Pope in the seventh and took its first lead of the night at 5-4, scoring three runs on three hits. With two on and one out, Cone tied a school record with his second triple of the night, a two-run, game-tying drive to the gap in left center. Cone became the sixth Bulldog in school history to do it, and the first since Pete Arenas against Evansville in 1996. Pope was lifted for Jake Davies who retired Taylor and Tech brought in Patrick Long. Verdin gave Georgia a 5-4 advantage with a run-scoring double on Long’s first and only pitch of the night. Then, Tech brought in left-hander Zach Brewster to face Shipman. He walked him and then struck out Glisson to keep it 5-4.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s bullpen quieted the Tech offense through the middle frames. Esmonde pitched a scoreless fourth inning and senior Justin Earls retired seven straight Yellow Jackets before Rowland and Esch reached on back-to-back base hits. After getting Plagman to pop out, Georgia looked to freshman Cooper Moseley to get the final out of the seventh. Catcher Cole Leonia knocked a 1-2 pitch up the middle to drive in Rowland and tie the game at 5-all. Moseley battled back to retire Matt Skole on a deep flyball to center that Cone tracked down at the warning track.

In the bottom of the eighth, Georgia gave the ball to senior Alex McRee. He hit Dieterich, walked Chase Burnette on four pitches and Dantzler on five pitches to load the bases for pinch-hitter Jason Garofalo. McRee struck him out on a 2-2 pitch to send it to the top of the order in Rowland. Then, he struck out Rowland on four pitches to bring up Esch. However, Tech took a 6-5 lead as Esch drew a walk on four pitches, scoring Dieterich. McRee bounced back to strike out Plagman to keep it a one-run affair. McRee got the loss to fall to 0-1 while Robinson picked up the win in relief to improve to 2-0 after pitching the final two frames with three strikeouts.

“We hung in there, and I’m proud of them, we just have to get a few more tough outs,” said Georgia coach David Perno. “We’re getting closer but we’re not there yet. I thought Zach Cone had a nice game, Justin Earls pitched outstanding for us and Alex just wasn’t as sharp as he needed to be, but we’ll get that cleaned up.

“We were one pitch away a couple of times, they tie it up on a 1-2 count in the seventh and then we had three walks including giving them the winning run there in the eighth,” Perno added.

Up next, Georgia opens up Southeastern Conference action Friday at Foley Field by playing host to Auburn. First pitch of the series with the Tigers is slated for 7:06 p.m., and the game will be televised by CSS.

Bo Seal Named SEC Freshman of the Week

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400

ATHENS, Ga. -— Georgia men’s tennis freshman Bo Seal has been named the SEC Freshman of the Week for the second time this season, the league office announced Wednesday.

Seal received the same honor back on Feb. 3. This marks the third conference award of the season for Georgia as Javier Garrapiz was named SEC Player of the Week on March 10.

“Bo continues to make progress and is having an outstanding year,” said head coach Manuel Diaz. “He played a big role in two very important victories for our team this past week. He is very deserving of winning this award again.”

Seal – who broke into the national rankings at No. 104 last week – picked up a combined five wins to help Georgia to a 3-0 week as the team defeated William & Mary (7-0), Kentucky (4-3), and Vanderbilt (4-3) to move to 4-0 in the SEC and 12-2 overall, winners of seven straight matches.

The Chattanooga, Tenn., native teamed with Christian Vitulli to clinch the doubles point vs. Vanderbilt at third doubles. In the Kentucky meeting, Seal and Vitulli picked up the Bulldogs’ lone doubles win, before Seal then won, 6-2, 5-7, 7-5, over Anthony Rossi at No. 4 singles to bring the score to 3-2 after Georgia had started down 3-0 to the Wildcats.

Seal played for the first time with fellow freshman Will Oliver at No. 3 doubles vs. William & Mary and was first off the court as they posted the win to spark UGA to the doubles point.

He and Vitulli are a team-best 8-3 at No. 3 doubles, while Seal boasts a singles record of 8-5 including 3-2 clips at Nos. 4 and 5.

Seal and the Bulldogs will return to action when they host third-ranked and defending NCAA champion Southern California on Fri., March 19 at 2:30 p.m. at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex. The team will be looking for its 72nd straight home victory.

Yoculan, Kupets Honored At Georgia State Capitol

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400

ATHENS——-Former Georgia Hall of Fame gymnastics coach Suzanne Yoculan and former Gym Dog standout Courtney Kupets were both honored on the House Floor at the State Capitol Wednesday morning in Atlanta.

Yoculan and Kupets both recieved a resolution honoring them for their achievements at UGA. Georgia State Rep. Doug McKillip of Athens, Ga., introduced Yoculan, while Kupets was introduced by Rep. Bob Smith, also of Athens.

During her 26-year tenure as Georgia’s gymnastics coach, Yoculan guided the Gym Dogs to an NCAA-best 10 national championships, including the last five in a row, 16 Southeastern Conference titles and 22 NCAA Regional crowns. Yoculan’s teams placed in the nation’s top three in 21 of the last 22 years.

Yoculan’s work was recognized by her peers as she was chosen as the National Coach of the Year five times (1987, ’93, ’98, 2006, ’08) and the SEC Coach of the Year eight times. (1986, ’87, ’99, 2001, ’02, 04, ’08, ’09). She ended her career with an overall record of 836-117-7.

In 19 of her 26 years as head coach at Georgia, Yoculan led her team to either an SEC title, an NCAA title or both. That means she won a championship in more than 70 percent of her tenure, and also finished at least third in the conference, the nation or both all 26 years. Yoculan produced 37 NCAA individual champions and 58 Gym Dogs with 306 All-America honors.

As a senior in 2009, Kupets led Georgia to its fifth straight NCAA Championship title, and she won the all-around, bars, beam and floor individual competitions. She became the first gymnast ever to win a national title in all four events and received five First-Team All-America honors, making a total of 15 for her career, the maximum for only competing three years.

Kupets is the all-time NCAA leader with nine individual championships and was named SEC Athlete of the Year, as well as the AAI National, NCAA Southeast Regional and SEC Gymnast of the Year. Kupets became the third Gym Dog ever to record a 10.0 in all four events, and she had seven 10.0s in 2009, including three at the NCAAs.

She was a National Honor Society member, was chosen as ESPN The Magazine First Team Academic All-American and was a recipient of NCAA and SEC postgraduate scholarships. She was also a member of the Blue Key Honor Society and a recipient of the Richard B. Russell Student Leadership Award. She won UGA’s Marilyn Vincent Award as the senior female student-athlete with the highest GPA.

No. 6 Georgia Softball Defeats Furman, 8-0

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400

ATHENS, Ga. – Sophomore Erin Arevalo struck out a career-high 10 batters while junior Jennie Auger and freshman Amberlie Saxton hit home runs to lead sixth-ranked Georgia (20-3) to an 8-0, five-inning victory over Furman (2-7) on Wednesday at the UGA Softball Stadium.

Arevalo worked a complete-game in shutting out the Paladins on two hits to notch the win and improve to 13-2. The 10 strike outs for the California native topped her previous career-high of nine, which she had recorded on four prior occasions this season. Furman utilized three pitchers in the contest with starter Lana Mackey taking the loss to fall to 1-4.

Saxton’s home run, her third of the season, proved to be the game-winning hit after it gave the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead in the second inning. Saxton, who started at first base for the first time in her career, finished the game 2-for-3 with two RBI after adding a run-scoring double in a three-run third inning that also featured an RBI single from Auger and an RBI groundout from sophomore Tori Moody.

Auger, making her first start this season, capped a four-run fourth inning with a two-run home run that pushed the Georgia advantage to the needed eight runs for the mercy rule win. With the home run, which went off of the scoreboard in left, Auger becomes the 10th different Bulldog to hit a long ball this season, and it was the third of her career. Prior to the homer, junior Laura Trout drove in a run on a single through the left side, and freshman Sara Sikes picked up her first-career RBI on a groundout.

Also of note for UGA on Wednesday, the starting lineup featured freshman Christine Olney making her first-collegiate start as she got the nod at second base. Olney recorded her first collegiate hit on a single through the left side of the infield in the second inning after having walked in all three of her previous plate appearances prior Wednesday’s action. The lineup also featured Moody making her first start at catcher this season, sophomore Brittany Hubbard making her second start this season and first-ever at third base, junior Lacey Pierce making her second start in the outfield and freshman Macie Couey making her second-career start by slotting in as the designated player.

Up next, Georgia hits the road as it returns to Southeastern Conference play in Knoxville, Tenn., against 17th-ranked Tennessee. The Bulldogs and Lady Vols (20-5) will play a double header on Saturday starting at 1 p.m. ET, and the twin bill will be televised on CSS/ESPN360.com with Justin Cazana and Cheri Kempf calling the action. The UGA-UT series finale will be at 1 p.m. on Sunday. Live stats will be available for all contests on www.georgiadogs.com, and live road game audio coverage will also be available for the Sunday tilt.

Georgia’s Torrin Lawrence Named USTFCCCA National Male Track Athlete Of The Year

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400

ATHENS, Ga. - Georgia sophomore sprinter Torrin Lawrence has been named the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) National Male Track Athlete of the Year, according to a USTFCCCA announcement late Tuesday.

Lawrence was named the USTFCCCA South Region Male Track Athlete of the Year on March 9 for the second consecutive season and was then picked to be the national recipient from the nine regional winners. He is the first member in the history of the Bulldog men’s program to be named a national athlete of the year.

“I am not that surprised that he has been honored with this type of award because he is truly that type of talent,” said head coach Wayne Norton. “His wins at the (Southeastern Conference) level and the NCAA level as well as the awards he had gotten fit what type of talent he is. I think it is great that he is keeping a level head and staying humble through all of his accolades. After talking with his mother (Elaine Davis) at the meet this weekend, I can tell that she has been and still is a very positive influence on his life. To be honest, I’m glad he’s at Georgia because he is the best runner in the country.”

In 2009, Lawrence shattered the school record in the 200-meter dash (20.77) in his career debut before winning Georgia’s first SEC indoor 200 title. Although he brought All-America honors back to Athens in the event, Lawrence finished seventh in the 200 at the NCAA Indoor Championships.

“We knew what type of talent he was as a freshman last year, he just didn’t validate it,” Norton said. “But he fulfilled the prophecy this indoor season.”

Lawrence, a 6-foot-1 native of Jacksonville, Fla., had one of the most prolific seasons in collegiate track and field history during his 2010 indoor campaign. He added a second SEC championship and a second All-America certificate to his resume while taking the world performance lists by storm in the 400.

Traveling to Fayetteville, Ark., for the third time of the season, Lawrence sped to his first national title after winning the 400 at the NCAA Indoor Championships in March 13. Lawrence won the prelims with a time of 46.05 before clocking the second-fastest time in an NCAA indoor final in history (45.23) to win Georgia’s third national indoor championship and its first since 2001.

“Torrin’s success this season is the result of a lot of hard work and dedication on his part,” said Bulldog sprints coach Jon Stuart, who has had at least one SEC champion the last four years. “It’s nice for all of his accomplishments to be rewarded and I believe it’s a compliment to the university, our team and our coaching staff. This award also shows that the coaches who vote for this award are paying attention to his success and appreciating what he has been able to do this year.”

Lawrence, who was the 2009 SEC Indoor Male Freshman Runner of the Year, traveled for the second time to Fayetteville for the SEC Championships and won only the second indoor 400 crown in school history for the Bulldogs. He registered a meet-record time of 45.10 to win, which is the second-fastest time in the world this year behind his own 45.03.

During his first trip of the year to Fayetteville, Lawrence clocked a world-leading 45.03 to win the Tyson Invitational (Feb. 12-13) and crush the previous the school record. His time is the third-fastest finish in collegiate indoor history and the seventh-fastest time in the history of the world. Lawrence’s mark is also the fastest time run since Kerron Clement set a world record (44.57) in March 2005.

Lawrence also has a collegiate record in the 300 on his resume this season. He sped to a 32.32 to finish first at the Hokie Invite (Jan. 22-23) and top the 23-year-old record of 32.67 in the event set by Mississippi State’s Lorenzo Daniel in 1987. Lawrence’s time is the fifth-fastest finish in history.

He also won both of the 200 races he was in this season and had a season-best and NCAA automatic qualifying time of 20.80. Although he tied for the sixth-fastest 200 finish in the country during the regular season, Lawrence chose to focus on just the 400 at the national meet.

Lawrence has spread his name out across the Bulldog indoor record books. He is No. 1 in both the 200 (20.77) and the 400, is tied for third in the 60 (6.75) and was on the record-breaking 4×400 relay team (3:07.45) in 2009. Lawrence’s name also is on two other 4×400 relay teams that have top-10 times.

Georgia will start its outdoor season with a dual meet versus Georgia Tech in Atlanta on Saturday, March 20. Live results and a recap from the meet will be found at georgiadogs.com.

USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Year Award Recipients
National Male Track Athlete of the Year – Torrin Lawrence (Georgia)
National Male Field Athlete of the Year – Ashton Eaton (Oregon)
National Female Track Athlete of the Year – Francena McCorory (Hampton)
National Female Field Athlete of the Year – Blessing Okagbare (UTEP)

Lady Bulldogs Seeking Another NCAA Title This Week

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400

ATHENS, Ga. - The top-ranked Georgia women’s swimming and diving team, fresh off its recent Southeastern Conference title, will try to earn additional hardware for the trophy case this week at the NCAA Championships.

The NCAAs will take place Thursday through Saturday at the Boilermaker Aquatic Center on the Purdue University campus. Live results can be found during the 11 a.m. prelims and 7 p.m. finals at purduesports.com.

The Lady Bulldogs enter the NCAAs as one of the leading contenders for the national title, especially after winning the conference crown against a field that included five additional teams in the Top 25.

“If you win the SEC, you’ve got to be a fairly good team,” Georgia head coach Jack Bauerle said. "Our conference is not for the faint of heart. We had an absolute knock-down, drag-out conference meet, as usual, and we were fortunate to come out on top. I think we’re a pretty good team, but at the NCAAs, we have to be good in every session. If you have one trip-up, you’re out of that thing. Four or five teams have a chance, and we may be considered one of them. That’s all you can ask for, to have a chance. That’s pretty much where we are.

“If we are great, we’ve got a shot. If we are real, real good, we probably won’t win. It’s a heck of a crowd waiting at the NCAAs. I know one thing for sure – we will race hard. By doing that, we’ll be in the thick of it.”

The Lady Bulldogs finished tied for the top spot in the final College Swimming Coaches Association of America rankings. Georgia and Stanford each received 12 first-place votes to wind up No. 1. No. 3 Texas got eight first-place votes and No. 4 Arizona got the other two.

At the NCAAs, Georgia will have a full complement of 18 student-athletes, including 2009 individual national champions Allison Schmitt (500 freestyle) and Wendy Trott (1,650 freestyle), along with all four members of the victorious 200 medley relay in Kristen Shickora, Kelly McNichols, Lisa Caprioglio and Anne-Marie Botek. Georgia will have 17 of its entries competing in the maximum three individual events, plus the Lady Bulldogs will be entered in all five relays.

“Going in with a full team makes a huge difference,” said Caprioglio, a senior co-captain. “It’s great to know we’ll have at least someone in every event. To have everyone with you and to have everyone cheering, it’s really exciting. I know our team will be so loud, and it’s great to hear your team when you’re standing behind the block.”

Georgia enters the meet with the top seed in four events: Morgan Scroggy in the 200 freestyle, Trott in the 500 and the 1,650 freestyle, and the 800 freestyle relay. Botek is No. 5 in the 50 freestyle, Schmitt and Nauta are Nos. 2 and 7 in the 200 freestyle, Schmitt and Nauta are Nos. 3 and 6 in the 500 freestyle, Nauta is No. 2 in the 1,650 freestyle, Scroggy and Jana Mangimelli are Nos. 3 and 8 in the 200 individual medley, and Mangimelli is No. 4 in the 400 individual medley.

KEEPING UP WITH THE NCAAS
NCAA.com will stream the prelims and finals Thursday and Friday, and the prelims on Saturday from the NCAA Championships. ESPN360.com will stream the finals on Saturday. Additionally, ESPN2 will air a 90-minute show at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Live meet results can be found during prelims and finals at purduesports.com.

LADY BULLDOGS AT THE NCAAS
Georgia has been a contender at the NCAA Championships for more than a decade. The Lady Bulldogs won national titles in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2005, and they finished second in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2009.

Georgia’s last national title came at Purdue, the site of this year’s NCAAs. The Lady Bulldogs rolled up a program-record 609.5 points as Mary DeScenza and Kara Lynn Joyce each won two events and the Lady Bulldogs became the first team in NCAAs history to sweep all five of the relays.

“They are all special, but that one was pretty sweet,” Georgia head coach Jack Bauerle said. “We came into that meet having to out-swim everyone, and we did. Our young ladies did everything they needed to do to bring home a championship. I think that was our strongest team ever – and one of the strongest teams ever in college swimming.”

At last year’s NCAAs, the Lady Bulldogs finished second to California by a score of 411.5 to 400.5. Said Bauerle, “That was one of the closest national meets ever, and we were glad to be a part of it. It was a really nice feeling to know that our hot shots at that meet were young guns. The experience we got at that meet will serve us well for the next couple of years.”

GEORGIA’S ENTRIES
50 Freestyle (1): Anne-Marie Botek.
100 Freestyle (6): Anne-Marie Botek, Erica Malagón, Courtney Monsees, Megan Romano, Allison Schmitt, Morgan Scroggy.
200 Freestyle (6): Erica Malagón, Courtney Monsees, Chelsea Nauta, Megan Romano, Allison Schmitt, Morgan Scroggy.
500 Freestyle (7): Anne-Marie Botek, Kelsey Gaid, Erica Malagón, Kelly McNichols, Chelsea Nauta, Allison Schmitt, Wendy Trott.
1,650 Freestyle (3): Kelly McNichols, Chelsea Nauta, Wendy Trott.
100 Backstroke (4): Annie Broome, Kelsey Gaid, Megan Romano, Kristen Shickora.
200 Backstroke (3): Kelsey Gaid, Jana Mangimelli, Kristen Shickora.
100 Breaststroke (2): Michelle McKeehan, Kelly McNichols.
200 Breaststroke (1): Michelle McKeehan.
100 Butterfly (3): Anne-Marie Botek, Annie Broome, Lisa Caprioglio.
200 Butterfly (4): Adrienne Bicek, Annie Broome, Lisa Caprioglio, Lauren Cartwright.
200 Individual Medley (6): Lisa Caprioglio, Lauren Cartwright, Jana Mangimelli, Michelle McKeehan, Courtney Monsees, Morgan Scroggy.
400 Individual Medley (4): Adrienne Bicek, Lauren Cartwright, Jana Mangimelli, Wendy Trott.
1-Meter Springboard (1): Hannah Moore.
3-Meter Springboard (1): Hannah Moore.
Platform (1): Hannah Moore.

Bulldogs Resume Spring Practice

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400

ATHENS——-The Georgia football team returned to the practice fields Tuesday for the first time in 12 days with a two hour workout in shorts and helmets. It was the second of 15 spring practices that will culminate with the annual G-Day game on April 10.

Despite the layoff, Georgia head coach Mark Richt was pleased with the effort in Tuesday’s practice.

“I thought the boys were kind of rusty, and I guess you would expect that coming off Spring Break,” Richt said. “I thought practice actually improved as it went on, but we looked rusty. They are very eager to learn and to prove to the coaching staff they deserve to play. They’re working hard and learning what to do. I have no issue with their effort at all, and their attitude is pretty encouraging.”

With three new defensive coaches, a major emphasis in the first two practices has been fundamentals as the Bulldogs implement a new defensive scheme.

“Everybody loves to teach fundamentals and everybody has a little bit different way of doing it,” Richt said. “Our coaches are trying to set up fundamental drills that will help them be a better football player. There are a lot of things new out here right now, defensively especially.”

Richt also noted he has been impressed with Georgia’s running backs after two practices.

“I like what we’ve seen with Caleb (King) and Washaun (Ealey),” Richt said. “Carlton Thomas has been practicing extremely well. He’s competing, and he’s not just going to sit there and watch comfortably. He’s having a fine spring. I think we’ll see more of what Dontavius (Jackson) can do, because he was injured most of last season and now he looks healthy.”

Earlier Tuesday Georgia held its annual NFL Pro Day, which gave the seniors from last season and the underclassmen who declared early a chance to work out for scouts and administrators from NFL teams.

Georgia will return to practice Thursday in shells before wearing full pads for the first time on Saturday. The G-Day game is slated for Saturday, April 10 at 2 p.m. ET at Sanford Stadium. The game will be televised live on CSS.

SEC Honors Gym Dogs’ Tanella

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400

ATHENS——-Georgia gymnast Christa Tanella has been named SEC Co-Freshman of the Week, the league office announced Tuesday. Tanella was honored along with LSU freshman Ericka Garcia.

A native of Lucas, Texas, Tanella scored a 9.800 or higher in all three of her routines last weekend. She won her first career event title with a 9.850 on the balance beam and scored a 9.800 on bars in Georgia’s win over NC State. Tanella also had a 9.800 on her first career bars routine Friday at Michigan.

Tanella has competed on beam in three of the Gym Dogs’ last four meets. She scored a season-high 9.900 to help Georgia knock off third-ranked UCLA on March 6.

Tanella is the third Gym Dog to garner conference honors this season. Courtney McCool has twice been named SEC Gymnast of the Week, while Shayla Worley has been named Freshman of the Week two times.

Fourth-ranked Georgia, which concluded the regular season last weekend, will enjoy its first off week before the SEC Championship March 27 in Jacksonville, Fla. The Gym Dogs will be aiming for their 17th SEC title.

Georgia Golfers Continue Season In Las Vegas

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

ATHENS, Ga. - Fresh off its first victory of the season, the Georgia men’s
golf team will travel to Las Vegas this weekend for the 2010 Southern
Highlands Collegiate Masters.

The Bulldogs will play Southern Highlands Golf Club’s par-72, 7,510-yard
layout Friday through Sunday. Georgia and host UNLV will help make up a
field that features 11 teams from the Top 25.

“The Las Vegas tournament is always one of the best events of the season,”
Georgia coach Chris Haack said. “The golf course is very challenging and the
teams that compete there are some of the best in the country. Las Vegas
gives you a barometer of where your team is heading into the meat of the
schedule. We’ll have to play well to put ourselves in position to contend.
But that’s OK. We like the challenge.”

Haack will use a lineup of seniors Rob Bennett, Harris English and Russell
Henley, and freshmen Bryden Macpherson and T.J. Mitchell. English and Henley
are the only players in this week’s lineup who have played at Southern
Highlands.

The field for the Southern Highlands Collegiate Masters is made up of No. 1
Oklahoma State, No. 3 Texas, No. 4 Florida, No. 8 Texas A&M, No. 10 Arizona
State, No. 12 UCLA, No. 13 Georgia, No. 15 Georgia Tech, No. 16 Texas Tech,
No. 18 Southern Cal and No. 19 UNLV as well as Arizona, New Mexico, TCU and
Tennessee.

Play will begin each day with tee times off Nos. 1 and 10 starting at 11
a.m. Live scoring can be found at golfstat.com.

Georgia enters the Southern Highlands Collegiate Masters riding the momentum
of its victory at the Charleston Shootout. The Bulldogs finished at 18-under
846 (the third-best figure in school history) and claimed a 20-shot victory
over the College of Charleston. Henley earned medalist honors at 9-under 207
for his second win of the year and the fourth of his career. He picked up
SEC Golfer of the Week honors following the tournament.

After the Southern Highlands Collegiate Masters, the Bulldogs will have just
two events remaining before the SEC Championship April 16-18 on St. Simons
Island. Georgia then will play in an NCAA Regional May 20-22 in an attempt
to qualify for the NCAA Championship June 1-5. This year’s NCAAs will take
place in Ooltewah, Tenn.

ESPN2 To Broadcast Highlights Of SEC Indoor Track And Field Championships

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

ATHENS, Ga. - ESPN2 will televise highlights and interviews from the 2010 Southeastern Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships during a special highlight program on Thursday at 9 p.m.-10:30 p.m.

Both the Georgia men and women finished fifth at the conference meet in Fayetteville, Ark., on Feb. 26-28. This was a three-place improvement from their 2009 indoor finish for the Bulldog men and a six-place improvement for the Lady Bulldogs.

Georgia boasted individual SEC champions in Torrin Lawrence (400-meter dash) and Tommy Barrineau (heptathlon). Senior Bridget Lyons (5000-meter run), sophomore Nikola Lomnicka (weight throw) and freshman Petr Novotny (shot put) also brought runner-up finishes home to Athens. In addition, junior Cory Holman set an SEC Championships meet record in the heptathlon high jump after soaring over the bar at 7 feet, 1 ¾ inches.

Since the SEC meet, Lawrence, whose time of 45.10 also broke an SEC Championships record, was named the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) South Region Men’s Track Athlete of the Year for the second straight year.

SEC-TV Weekly, which airs on ESPNU every Tuesday, already featured pieces on Feb. 23 and March 2 highlighting the meet.

Gym Dogs Stay At No. 5

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

ATHENS——-The Georgia gymnastics team remained at No. 5 for the third consecutive week in the latest edition of the GymInfo Top 25 released Monday.

Alabama (197.155) is No. 1 followed by Oklahoma (196.920), UCLA (196.900), Florida (196.615) and Georgia (196.615) to round out the top five. Stanford (196.450) is No. 6 ahead of Arkansas (196.375), Oregon State (196.355), Utah (196.220) and 10th-ranked LSU (196.110).

The Gym Dogs (5-4) are coming off a 197.900-197.875 win over No. 3 UCLA last weekend. It was the second-highest score in the country this season and the highest combined dual meet total in Georgia gymnastics history.

In the team event rankings, Georgia is 13th on vault (49.145), third on bars (49.240), second on beam (49.230) and 11th on floor (49.125).

Individually, Georgia has three gymnasts ranked in the top-25 nationally in three events: Courtney McCool is third on floor (9.920), tied for eighth on beam (9.885) and tied for 21st on bars (9.855); Grace Taylor is tied for third on beam (9.910), while Kat Ding is tied for 10th on bars (9.885).

Against UCLA, Taylor recorded the nation’s first perfect 10 on beam this season. It was the 155th perfect 10 in school history and the third of Taylor’s career.

Georgia will close out the regular season with two meets this week including Friday at 12th-ranked Michigan and Sunday at home against NC State. Sunday will mark the final home meet for five Georgia seniors: Lauren Johnson, Courtney McCool, Marcia Newby, Lauren Sessler and Grace Taylor. For tickets, log onto www.georgiadogs.com or call the UGA Ticket Office at (706) 542-1231.

Georgia Men’s Tennis Returns Home To Face William & Mary

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

ATHENS——-The 11th-ranked Georgia men’s tennis team will take a break from SEC play and kick off a six-match homestand when it welcomes No. 57 William & Mary on Tuesday at 2 p.m. at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex.

The Bulldogs are 9-2 on the season, including a perfect 6-0 mark in Athens, and are riding a four-match winning streak. Georgia is coming off a weekend sweep of SEC rivals Alabama and Auburn.

“We had a light practice today, and our guys will hopefully be ready for a big challenge tomorrow,” said Georgia head coach Manuel Diaz. “Some of them were a little tired from the weekend. This is going to test our resiliency.”

With a record of 22-9, No. 29 Javier Garrapiz has led Georgia as he has faced 18 ranked opponents this season and is 3-1 at No. 1 singles and 4-2 at No. 2. Drake Bernstein is 20-9 overall and 5-2 at No. 4 singles. No. 105 Nate Schnugg is 15-9 overall and Jamie Hunt is 12-6 including a 6-2 mark at No. 3 singles.

In doubles, the Schnugg-Hunt tandem is 13-5 overall and 5-4 at No. 1 in dual matches. Bernstein and Garrapiz are 7-2 at No. 2 doubles while Bo Seal and Christian Vitulli are 6-3 at No. 3. Georgia has swept the doubles point four times this season.

The showdown with William & Mary will pit two streaking teams against one another as the Tribe head to Athens with a six-match winning streak on the line, while the Bulldogs have won the last four.

The last losses for W&M and Georgia were nearly a month ago, Feb. 13 & 14, respectively.

Georgia head coach Manuel Diaz is in need of just three more wins to reach No. 500 for his storied career.

Already standing as the only active men’s tennis coach with multiple NCAA Championships to his name, Diaz has accounted for four of them as the head coach (1999, 2001, 2007, 2008). He was also an assistant coach under Dan Magill on both of the other winning squads (1985, ’87), while his teams have claimed a conference-leading seven SEC Tournament titles.

Upon reaching No. 500, Diaz would become the sixth Georgia coach in any sport to reach that milestone: Suzanne Yoculan (gymnastics), 836; Andy Landers (women’s basketball), 748; Dan Magill (men’s tennis), 706; Jeff Wallace (women’s tennis), 533; Steve Webber (baseball), 500; Manuel Diaz (men’s tennis), 497.

Kupets Honored At Atlanta Sports Awards Banquet

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

UGA Sports Communications
March 8, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ATHENS——-Former Georgia gymnastics standout Courtney Kupets was named College Athlete of the Year presented by AT&T on Monday night at the 2010 Atlanta Sports Awards at the Fox Theater in downtown Atlanta.

Sponsored by the Atlanta Sports Council, the Atlanta Sports Awards honors the most accomplished athletes and teams at all levels throughout the metro Atlanta community.

As a senior in 2009, Kupets led Georgia to its fifth straight NCAA Championship, and she won the all-around, bars, beam and floor individual competitions. She became the first gymnast ever to win a national title in all four events and received five First-Team All-America honors, making a total of 15 for her career, the maximum for only competing three years.

Other Georgia finalists included Drew Butler (football) for College Athlete of the Year, Anne Marie Armstrong (women’s basketball) for High School Athlete of the Year and the Georgia gymnastics team for Team of the Year.

TOM BRENNAN TO REPRESENT GEORGIA AS SEC BASKETBALL LEGEND

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

ATHENS -- Tom Brennan, a Georgia Bulldog in the late 1960s who later
achieved notoriety as a coach and broadcaster, will represent Georgia as
part of the 2010 class of the Chick-fil-A SEC Basketball Legends. This
group, which includes one ex-player or coach from each of the 12 member
institutions, will be honored at the SEC Tournament March 11-14 in
Nashville, Tenn.

Each Chick-fil-A SEC Basketball legend will be recognized at halftime of his
institution’s first tournament game. He will also make appearances at the
Dr. Pepper SEC FanFare exhibition.

Brennan played his college basketball at Georgia from 1969-71 before
achieving distinction first in the coaching profession and later as a
popular broadcaster.

Brennan, a native of Phillipsburg, N.J., lettered from 1969 until 1971 as a
Bulldog under coach Ken Rosemond. He was named recipient of the team’s
Leadership Trophy as a senior. He served an assistant basketball coach at
Villanova under Rollie Massimino, Seton Hall under Bill Raftery, and William
& Mary under Bruce Parkhill before going to Yale as head coach for four
seasons from 1982 until 1986.

Brennan became head coach at the University of Vermont in 1986 where he
remained until his retirement in 2005. His last four Catamount teams won
the America East Conference championship and he was named conference coach
of the year three times. Brennan’s last two teams played in the NCAA
Tournament and his 2005 NCAA Tournament team upset Big East Champion
Syracuse in the first round.

While coaching at Vermont, he also co-hosted the state’s most popular talk
radio show, and just after his retirement, he began a four-year stint as a
studio host for college basketball on ESPN.

This marks the 12th year of the SEC Basketball Legends program. Previous
representatives from Georgia include: 1999 – Vern Fleming; 2000 – Alec
Kessler; 2001 – Zippy Morocco; 2002 – Dominique Wilkins; 2003 – James Banks;
2004 – Lavon Mercer; 2005 – Ronnie Hogue; 2006 – Joe Ward; 2007 – Litterial
Green; 2008 – Hugh Durham; 2009 – Shandon Anderson.

Bulldogs' Thompkins Named First-Team All-SEC by Coaches

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

ATHENS -- University of Georgia sophomore Trey Thompkins is one of five
players that were selected unanimously to the 2010 Coaches’ All-Southeastern
Conference first team, according to an announcement by the league office on
Tuesday.

The other four unanimous first-team picks included DeMarcus Cousins and John
Wall of Kentucky, Jermaine Beal of Vanderbilt and Devan Downey of South
Carolina. Three remaining players completed the 8-man All-SEC first team:
Patrick Patterson of Kentucky, Wayne Chism of Tennessee and Jarvis Varnado
of Mississippi State.

With his appointment, Thompkins becomes Georgia’s first All-SEC first-team
honoree since Jarvis Hayes in 2002 and 2003.

Thompkins, a 6-10 forward from Lithonia, has led the Bulldogs in scoring and
rebounding throughout the 2010 season. He completed the regular season
averaging 17.7 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and 30.9 minutes per game,
shooting 48.6 percent from the field and 76.1 percent from the free-throw
line. He has nine double-doubles thus far this season, scored his career
high of 35 points against Florida Atlantic and was named SEC Player of the
Week on Dec. 21. Thompkins ranks in the SEC’s top five in scoring, overall
rebounding, defensive rebounds and field-goal percentage.

Thompkins and the Bulldogs will face Arkansas this Thursday night in the SEC
Tournament first round in Nashville, Tenn. Scheduled tipoff time is at 9:45
p.m. (EST).