No. 23 Arkansas to Host No. 7 Georgia in Season Opener

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.- The No. 23 Arkansas swimming and diving team will open its 2018-19 season at HPER Natatorium, hosting No. 7 Georgia on Oct. 13 at 12 p.m.

“We’re really excited to get the season started,” head coach Neil Harper said. “We’ve been here for two months competing against each other with our heads down and nose to the grindstone, so it’s great for the divers and the swimmers to come together and compete as one.”

Harper enters his third season with the Razorbacks, take the program to a 9-3 dual meet record last season. The Hogs won their final three meets of the 2017-18 season and went 3-2 in SEC dual meets.

The team welcomed 13 newcomers to this year’s roster and returned 17 members from last year’s squad, with three having competed in the 2018 NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships.

Sophomores Maha Amer and Peyton Palsha both earned NCAA Top-20 finishes, while sophomore Brooke Schultz will look to defend her two conference diving titles and a 3m NCAA National Title.

Arkansas finished 27th overall last season, the highest finish for the program since the Hogs finished 26th in 2013.

“From a coaching standpoint, the season couldn’t start any better than against a national powerhouse like Georgia,” Harper said. “We have so much respect for them, especially their coaching staff, and they are the bar that everyone measures themselves against. They’ve earned three national titles in the last six years, so it’s going to be fun for us to see where we’re at and figure out what we need to improve on going forward.”

Georgia leads the all-time series 6-0, with the Razorbacks falling 180.5-113.5 in the last meeting between the teams in 2017. The Hogs have won their last three season openers and their last three home openers.

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