Luca Urlando Cleared to Return to Competition at Georgia Tech Invite

Luca Urlando was medically cleared to resume participation with the team and will be competing in the final two days of the Georgia Tech Invitational.

Urlando was out with a non-COVID-19 related illness, according to Georgia officials, but has now been cleared.

Georgia also confirmed that Jake Magahey will remain out at least for Friday with the same non-COVID-19 illness that kept him out Thursday.

Luca Urlando has been one of the top 200 butterflyers in the country, finishing fourth in a fast 200 fly final at last year’s NCAA Championships before placing a heartbreaking third in the 200-meter fly at the U.S. Olympic Trials. He also qualified for the 200 free final at Olympic Trials before scratching to focus on the 200 fly.

Luca Urlando has bounced back following Olympic Trials disappointment. The Sacramento, California, native was a top contender for a Tokyo berth in the 200 butterfly, but the fast-finishing duo of Zach Harting and Gunnar Bentz overtook the Georgia sophomore on the last 50 to relegate him to third in Omaha.

Heading into the Georgia Tech Invite this week, Luca Urlando leads the country in the 100 and 200 fly and is ranked second in the 100 back and 200 IM.

What is impressive is not only where he is positioned in the NCAA presently, but how close he has been to his best times in October and early November. Against Florida at the end of October, Luca Urlando was just over a half-second away from the 44.97 he swam at SECs in February. He has also been only a little over a second off his 100 back best time this season.

Magahey, meanwhile, won last year’s NCAA title in the 500 free as he out-dueled the American-record holder, Florida’s Kieran Smith. Magahey also finished second in the 1650 free at the NCAA meet behind eventual Olympic gold medalist Bobby Finke.