Georgia Tech senior diver Max Fowler broke his own 1-meter program record during the team’s season-opening dual-meet victories over Emory on Saturday morning at the McAuley Aquatic Center. The Yellow Jackets secured a 206-90 win on the men’s side, while the women’s squad defeated Emory 192-105, with the program winning 29 of the 32 total events contested during the meet.
Max Fowler Sets New 1-Meter Program Record
Max Fowler opened his 2026-27 account by controlling the 3-meter session with a final score of 421.58 points. According to Georgia Tech athletics, only three other divers in program history have scored more points in a 3-meter session.
Fowler followed that performance by dominating the 1-meter event. He built a 217.35 score through his first three dives before landing an inward 2 1/2 somersault tuck that earned 76.73 points, marking his highest-scored dive of the day. Fowler landed three dives scoring 75 points or higher, finishing with a 419.18 total to establish a new 1-meter program record.
Freshman Standouts and Multiple Event Winners
Freshman swimmer Kerem İlyem made an immediate impact in his collegiate debut by sweeping both the 100 and 200 breaststroke events. İlyem clocked a time of 1:57.45 in the 200 breast, securing a top-10 program time and making him the 10th-fastest Georgia Tech swimmer in the discipline.
Fowler and İlyem were among seven Yellow Jackets athletes to secure multiple event victories. Leo Verschooten swept the men’s 50 and 100 freestyle events, while Hailey Dopson captured the women’s 500 and 1000 freestyle races.
Additional multi-event winners included:
- George Groves: Won the men’s 200 and 500 freestyle events.
- Zara Masud: Placed first in the women’s 200 free and 100 butterfly races.
- Meriç Uygun: Secured victories in the 200 breaststroke and 200 individual medley.
Program Top-10 Record Additions
Alongside Fowler’s record-setting performance, three other Georgia Tech divers etched their names into the program’s top-10 record books. Lizzie Powley broke the 300-point threshold in the 1-meter event with a score of 306.53, placing her seventh all-time in school history. Elijah Klier moved into ninth place all-time on the 3-meter leaderboard with 371.03 points, following his platform school record set last season. In her competitive debut, Betsy Parker scored 299.85 in the 1-meter event to claim 10th place all-time in the record book.
Georgia Tech returns to competition at the Seminole Fall Classic in Tallahassee, Florida, scheduled for October 9-10. The Yellow Jackets will then host their second-annual Dual Meet Tournament from October 16-17.
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