ATHENS, Ga. - The 2001 Georgia Swimming and Diving Fall Invitational concluded Sunday afternoon at the Gabrielsen Natatorium with the Georgia women and the Minnesota men claiming the top spots on their respective sides of the three-day event. Georgia's men posted some great times to move from fourth to third on the final day.

"I think we did better day-by-day," said head coach Jack Bauerle. "I thought we were a little rusty the first day because we had not raced in a long time. The last night is our best session, but I would have like to see us come out of the gate a little bit better. Overall, I thought we had a great meet. It is always great to win a meet."

Stefanie Williams and Maritza Correia punched another event on their card for the 2002 NCAA Championships as the pair finished 1-2 in the 100-yard freestyle with automatic qualifying times. Williams claimed top honors with a winning time of 48.76, followed by Correia in second at 49.09. Freshman Paige Kearns finished 10th.

Caroline Burns showed her endurance as the freshman took fifth in the 1,650-yard freestyle with a time of 16.50.94. Her time was a provisional qualifying time for NCAAs. Rebecca Rose finished 12th, while Debbie James took 21st. Neka Mabry recorded a provisional qualifying time with a second-place finish in the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 1:59.41. Rose finished fifth in the consolation final for 13th overall.

Lindsey Ertter clocked in with a time of 2:16.18 in the 200-yard breaststroke, which was good for fourth place. Senior Ashley Roby was not too far behind, touching the wall in 2:17.92 for a sixth-place finish. Viki van den Barselaar and Virginia Pate finished seventh and 10th, respectively, in the event.

Sophomore Linn Thorburn recorded a season-best and automatic qualifying time of 1:59.76 for second-place in the 200-yard butterfly. Freshman Katie Yevak claimed the third spot with a time of 1:59.98. Seniors Stephanie Buck and Morgan Fleming finished ninth and 10th, respectively. The Lady Bulldogs finished the weekend with a first-place finish in the 400-yard freestyle relay. The foursome of Williams, Mabry, Kearns and Correia won the event with an automatic qualifying time of 3:19.17.

The men, who trailed Florida State by eight points for third place heading into the final session, had their best night of the invitational to move into third place and finish 37 points ahead of the Seminoles. Scot Davis swam the 1,650-yard freestyle in 16:04.65 which was good for eighth place. Marc Lindsay, who won the 200-yard freestyle at the 2001 SEC Championships, finished third in the event Sunday. Colin Underhill and Peter Osborn finished eighth and 13th, respectively. Five swimmers scored for Georgia in the 100-yard freestyle, led by Jason Gagnon with a fourth-place finish (45.25), followed by Matt Brado in fifth (45.35).

Senior Brian Scannell posted a season-best time of 1:48.56 to take second place in the 200-yard butterfly, while teammate Randy Lam was third with a time of 1:49.77.

Chris Maurer touched the wall in 2:04.00 to take12th in the 100-yard breaststroke, while Matt DuBois was right behind in 13th with a time of 2:04.05. Justin Wingo finished 16th. The team of Gagnon, Kintz, David Fleischman and Brado earned a fourth-place finish in the men's 400-yard freestyle relay with a time of 3:00.99.

The men had two representatives in Sunday's platform competition. Freshman Todd Avery finished third with 444.40 points, while fellow classmate Colby Carter took fifth with 370.15 points.

"Brian Scannell and Jason Gagnon were our brightest spots on the men side, and Steph was terrific on the women's side as was Neka Mabry," added Bauerle. "They get the dog bones for the weekend. It was great for Linn Thorburn to get an A-cut, and that is really helpful for us. She has really grown up as a swimmer. I think our divers did a heck of a job, especially Kris Daugherty and Todd Avery.

"I am happy with the overall performance and happier with the effort," offered Bauerle. "We certainly need to get a little better going into January. That is what December is for. We had some outstanding performances from some second-line people, especially Scott Gardner and Matt DuBois."

Georgia will take a break from competition for final exams and the holiday break. The Bulldogs will return to action on Jan. 4 for a dual meet at Alabama. Georgia will host the 2002 Diving Invitational at Gabrielsen Natatorium Jan. 4-6.

Women's Day Two Scores:
University of Georgia 813.50
Northwestern University 611
University of Michigan 511
Florida State University 505.50
University of Alabama 498
University of Minnesota 441
Clemson University 380
Florida Atlantic University 119
Georgia Tech 37
Auburn University 16

Men's Day Two Scores:
University of Minnesota 1018.50
University of Alabama 672.50
University of Georgia 613
Florida State University 576
Clemson University 398
Georgia Tech 347
Florida Atlantic University 239
Auburn University 103