UGAs Stafford, Moreno, make the jump to the NFL, while the Hoop, Swim, Court and Gym Dogs play on

January 7, 11:25 AMGeorgia Bulldogs ExaminerMechele R. Dillard

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Hoop Dogs Jeremy Price, left, Travis Leslie, center, and Albert Jackson sit on
the bench in the final seconds of UGAs loss to Tech, 67-62. Georgia will be
going for win #10 against Tennesse on Saturday. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Well, the Hoop Dogs (9-6) couldn’t quite pull off win #10 with Tech (9-5), going down to the Yellow Jackets 67-62.

Although the Dawgs were leading going into the second half, 38-28, Tech scored an impressive 44 points to the Dawgs’ 22, while also pulling down 23 rebounds.

With only 20 seconds remaining, Tech pulled ahead when Zachery Peacock laid the ball in the basket, and Gani Lawal scored another quick two. Terrance Woodbury missed a three-pointer with only seven seconds remaining—the Hoop Dogs’ last chance to even the score at 65. Tech put it away with two Lewis Clinch free throws in the last four seconds.

Overall, the Dawgs played hard, and led the Jackets by 13 points three times in the second half. Woodbury scored 15 points, and Trey Thompkins scored 20—13 of those in the first half—and had 9 rebounds. But, unable to stop Tech’s second-half scoring rally, the Dawgs just were not able to close the deal and walk away with the win.

The Hoop Dogs will have their next chance to take #10 when they host No. 15 Tennessee on Saturday, Jan. 10, at 12 p.m. (EST). This will be the SEC opener for both teams.

The Swim Dogs (3-2) fared better, as both the men and women splashed to a win over Southern Methodist University yesterday. Key men’s Swim Dogs, junior Troyden Prinsloo, sophomore Mark Dylla and senior Neil Versfeld all had wins, with Prinsloo taking both the 1,000 free (9:20.19) and the 500 free (4:34.12), Dylla winning the 200 individual medley (1.51.48) and Versfeld leading the 200 breaststroke (1:59.62). Freshmen Peter Benner and Todd McGraw added to the victory list, taking the 200 free (1:41:96) and the 200 butterfly (1:51:48), respectively. The men also won the 400 medley relay.

The Lady Swim Dogs (5-0) also scored a bevy of individual wins. Freshman Wendy Trott took the first win, with a 9:56.32. Junior Ann-Marie Botek took the 50 freestyle (23.58). Freshman Michelle McKeehan added to the Lady Dogs’ winning ways with a win in the 200 individual medley (2:01.11). Senior Aleksandra Putra scored the 200 backstroke (1:58.99). Sophomore Kelsey Ditto added to the day with a winning 4:47.98 time in the 500 freestyle. And 2008 Olympic bronze medalist Allison Schmitt, swimming in her first meet with the Lady Dogs, took home the 200 yard freestyle with a 1:47.34. The Lady Dogs also won the 400 medley and 400 freestyle relays.

Overall, the No. 1 Lady Swim Dogs defeated the SMU Mustangs 137.5-99.5, while the No. 11 men’s Swim Dogs walked away with a 140-101 win. The men and women will be back in the pool at 1 p.m. (EST) on Saturday, Jan. 10, when they go head-to-head with the Texas Longhorns at the Gabrielsen Natatorium.

And, coming up ….

The Lady Hoop Dogs (9-5) travel to Ole Miss tomorrow, tipping off at 8:00 p.m. (EST)

The men’s Court Dogs open the tennis season ranked No. 3, according to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings, which were released yesterday. The two-time defending NCAA champion Court Dogs are ranked behind Ohio State and Texas; UCLA and Virginia complete the top five for the 2009 pre-season rankings. Tennesee is the next-highest ranked SEC team, at No. 8, with Mississippi at No. 9 and Florida rounding out the top ten. The Court Dogs will face Clemson in Athens on Tuesday, Jan. 27, at 3:00 p.m. (EST).

The Lady Court Dogs are ranked sixth going into 2009. The two-time defending SEC Tournament champion Lady Dogs are the highest-ranked SEC team. Northwestern, California, UCLA, Baylor and Stanford make up the top five; Florida, Georgia Tech, Duke and Southern California follow Georgia to round out the top ten. The Lady Dogs will be back in action when they host the Georgia Invitational, Jan. 16-18.

And last, but certainly not least, Coach Suzanne Yoculan and the defending national champion Gym Dogs open their season in Athens at 7:30 p.m. this Friday, Jan. 9, against No. 23 West Virginia. The Gym Dogs will be striving for their fifth-consecutive national championship, as Yoculan wraps up her phenomenally successful career as coach for the University of Georgia Gym Dogs—enjoy your “senior year,” Coach!

And, we all knew it was going to happen ….

But, now it is out there: According to sources at ESPN.com, Knowshon Moreno and Matthew Stafford are definitely heading for the NFL in April. The Bulldog Nation releases a collective groan at this news, I know, but, really, guys, can you blame either one of them? This is their time—another season in college ball, a bad hit, a twisted knee, and dreams of the NFL could be ended in a heartbeat. So, let’s all cheer on our superstars, guys, and wish them well—and be proud that they will always be Dawgs, no matter where they call home in the NFL.