Wall Smashes 100 Free Team Record, Saka Wins 7 events At Georgia Tech vs Duke

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By Will Baxley on SwimSwam

Georgia Tech vs Duke

• January 17-18, 2025
• Atlanta, GA
• SCY (25 yards)
• Results
• Men: unranked Georgia Tech 258 – unranked Duke 102
• Women: #16 Duke 201 – unranked Georgia Tech 167

This weekend, Georgia Tech hosted conference rival Duke for a two-day meet which included the mile, 400 IM, three diving events, and four relays. The two teams split the meet, with Berke Saka leading the male Yellowjackets to a near-sweeping victory and the Blue Devil women holding off Georgia Tech.

Women's Meet

Sprint star Tatum Wallwas Duke's star swimmer as the Blue Devils took down their ACC foe

Wall captured four total wins and most impressively fired off a new team record in the 100 freestyle. The junior shaved nearly half a second off her personal best from the 2024 Wolfpack Invitational, going from 48.22 to 47.65. She's also the first woman in program history to break 48, taking down Alyssa Marsh's 48.10 record from five years ago.

Wall also raced to a 22.07 50 free, which is .3 off her school record from the Wolfpack Invitational midseason meet. Further, she assisted in two relay victories against the Yellowjackets: the 200 medley (1:37.49) and the 400 free relay (3:15.69).

Wall's junior classmate Martina Peroni had a busy schedule across the two-day meet, and she ultimately pulled off two individual victories: the 200 fly (1:57.37) as well as the 200 IM (2:00.48).

The breaststroke events went to Duke's Kaelyn Gridley, whose 59.40 100 and 2:13.25 200 made it three Duke junior class double-winners. This was well off her 58.15 team record from last week, but still good enough for a 1.5 second victory margin. With Wall’s record today and Ali Pfaff‘s 100 backstroke team record in November, three of their four medley relay legs have established program-bests this season.

Yi Xuan Chang, a senior, joined her junior teammates with double wins by sweeping the 500 and mile in 4:53.10 and 17:00.28.

The Yellowjacket's highest point scorer of the weekend went to junior Phoebe Wright. Wright led a 1-2-3 podium sweep for the home team in the 200 backstroke, clocking 1:56.15. She also swam to a new season best of 1:47.60, which was yet another Georgia Tech podium sweep, this time led by Sophie Murphy (1:46.57).

Georgia Tech was also victorious in two relays out of four, taking the 200 free (1:30.05) and 400 medley (3:36.76) relays. There were notably five early takeoffs in the meet between the two women's teams.

Men's Meet

Georgia Tech backstroker Berke Saka left no question as to who the meet's MVP was, placing first an incredible seven times on his final home meet as a senior. Though not particularly close to his personal bests, Saka comfortably picked up three individual wins while also partaking in all four of the Yellowjackets' winning relay teams.

Saka’s Event Wins

• 100 backstroke (47.09)
• 200 backstroke (1:45.65)
• 200 IM (1:45.20)
• 200 medley relay (1:26.40)
• 200 free relay (1:19.30)
• 400 medley relay (3:09.81)
• 400 free relay (2:53.84)

Georgia Tech swept all the swimming events and boasted several other multi-event winners, including Mert Kilavuz in the 500 (4:26.14) and mile (15:16.46) as well as Robin Yeboahin the 50  (20.05) and 100 (43.86) freestyles.

The Yellowjackets' Uros Zivanovic rounded out the individual double-winners, turning in 53.21 in the 100 breaststroke and 1:59.15 in the 200 breaststrokes for the wins. The latter was nearly a best time, just missing the 1:59.04 mark he swam last week against Auburn and CNU.

Georgia Tech would've secured a clean sweep if it weren't for Duke sophomore Charlie Berman leading the field in the 3m springboard.

Other event winners:

• Ali Pfaff, Duke — women's 100 back (53.22)
• Charles Perks, Georgia Tech — men's 500 free (4:27.77)
• KyAnh Truong, Duke — women's 100 fly (53.18)
• Vitor Sega, Georgia Tech — men's 200 free (1:37.09)
• Audrey Portello, Duke — women's 400 IM (4:15.81)
• Antonio Romero, Georgia Tech — men's 200 fly (1:46.58)
• Luke Vetkoetter, Georgia Tech — men's 400 IM (3:54.51)

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