Georgia Invitational Receives Pop From Young Guns Chase Kalisz and Ryan Murphy

Two of the young guns in the American arsenal put together superb performances on the middle night of the three-day Georgia Invitational, Chase Kalisz and Ryan Murphy excelling in the midseason collegiate competition. While Kalisz pulled off a double for the University of Georgia, Murphy was untouchable in his prime event for Cal-Berkeley.

The silver medalist in the 400 individual medley at last summer’s Olympic Games, Kalisz won the short-course version of that event on Saturday night, going 3:36.98 to beat fellow Olympian and Georgia teammate Jay Litherland (3:38.19). Kalisz was back in the water later in the session to win the 100 breaststroke in 52.31.

Kalisz is back on the college scene after taking a redshirt season last year to place his sole focus on Olympic preparation. With his return to the roster, and with the Bulldogs featuring a deep squad, coach Jack Bauerle has Georgia positioned for a strong showing at the NCAA Championships in March, a top-five finish certainly within target.

While Kalisz doubled individually, Murphy complemented a solo triumph in the 100 backstroke with contributions to a pair of victorious relays. A few months removed from winning three gold medals in Rio, including a world-record effort on the front of the American 400 medley relay, Murphy blasted the field in the 100-yard back, going 44.61. He also handled legs on the …

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