For the second yr in a row, the Georgia Bulldogs have come out robust on the recruiting entrance. Earlier this month, the Georgia girls nabbed three verbal commitments for the category of 2026 to go along with solely the second verbal dedication from a top-20 ranked swimmer within the final 5 years.
Now, the Georgia males have matched the ladies’s class of 2026 by securing verbal commitments from three German swimmers—Finn Hammer, Sascha Macht, and Finn Wendland—for the category of 2025. Wendland made his dedication public final month, whereas Hammer and Macht dedicated in February.
All three will arrive in Athens within the fall of 2025 as a part of the Dawgs class of 2029.
Finn Hammer
Finest Instances (LCM):
- 200 IM: 2:01.68
- 400 IM: 4:21.04
- 200 again: 2:02.05
Hammer most lately raced on the European Junior Championships, the place Macht additionally competed. Within the 200 IM, Hammer swam a lifetime-best 2:01.68, splitting 28.44 on the freestyle leg as he got here from behind to out-touch Italy’s Jacopo Barbotti for the bronze medal. He additionally completed tenth within the 400 IM although he was off his lifetime greatest 4:21.04 from earlier this yr.
Hammer’s 400 IM and 200 backstroke expertise can be significantly fascinating to Georgia—a lot of their present IM group is concentrated on the 200 IM now that Ian Grum graduated, although Jake Magahey started taking over the 400 IM final season. And the 200 backstroke was considered one of their strongest occasions final season and once more, they graduated key items of that depth.
In a yr, Hammer has dropped 3.01 seconds from his 200 IM, 2.11 seconds from his 400 IM, and .54 seconds from his 200 backstroke.
Finn Wendland
Finest Instances (LCM):
- 200 IM: 2:00.36
- 400 IM: 4:23.15
- 200 breast: 2:14.23
- 100 breast: 1:01.88
After swimming the above lifetime bests within the 200 IM and 200 breast in April 2024, Wendland headed to the European Championships. He didn’t enhance on his lifetime bests in his major occasions however did make the semifinals within the 200 IM and 200 breast, ending eleventh and Twelfth, respectively.
On the 2023 European Junior Championships, Wendland completed fourth within the 100 breast, 200 IM, and 400 IM.
He’s received the quickest 200-meter IM of this trio, checking in at 2:00.36. After nabbing Drew Hitchcock, the quickest 200-yard IM’er within the class of 2024, it’s clear that Georgia is trying to strengthen their IM group occasion additional by including Hammer, Wendland, and Macht. However crucially for the Dawgs, they don’t overlap fully of their specialties; on paper, Hammer appears to be like like he’ll be a 200 backstroker for his third occasion, however Wendland ought to give attention to the breaststrokes.
Wendland owns lifetime bests of 1:01.88/2:14.23 within the LCM breaststroke occasions. His 100-meter breast PB is from 2023, however he’s made huge strides in his 200-meter breast during the last yr. His 2:14.23 private greatest from April marked a 2.83-second enchancment.
Sascha Macht
Macht stands out from Hammer and Wendland as a result of he now swims stateside at Bolles, which signifies that he’ll have a good quantity of yards expertise underneath his belt earlier than he arrives in Athens.
Like Hammer and Wendland the 200 IM is considered one of his major occasions, however not like them, he extends into the dash freestyle and butterfly occasions, which implies there’s the potential that he develops right into a relay piece for the Dawgs.
Finest Instances (SCY):
- 200 IM: 1:46.32
- 200 free: 1:38.87
- 100 free: 44.61
- 100 fly: 47.71
Most of those lifetime bests in yards come from final November, however Macht did swim the 1:38.87 200 freestyle on the Florida Spring Senior Championships for a Twelfth-place end. At that meet, he collected a trio of Seventh-place finishes within the 100 free, 100 fly, and 200 IM.
He’s continued to enhance in meters as nicely; on the European Junior Championships, he swam lifetime bests within the 50 free, 100 free, and 200 IM. He swam a 2:05.76 within the 200 IM which was additionally his highest end on the championships (twentieth).
These three athletes will be a part of #7 Sean Inexperienced, BOTR Wyatt Porch, and Jayson Ross in Georgia’s class of 2029.
