The student-athletes initiated were Ty Frix (Football), Maddie Locus (Swimming and Diving), Lucie Ondraschkova (Track and Field) and Shannon Vreeland (Swimming and Diving).

Ty Frix, Photo by Danny Bishop

Frix, who completed his football career at Georgia in the Capital One Bowl on Jan. 3, served as the Bulldogs long snapper in from 2009 until the end of the 2012 season after redshirting his freshman year in 2008. In his senior season, Frix was elected the team’s special teams captain while appearing in all 14 games.

The Calhoun native was also a standout student throughout his time at Georgia, earning SEC Academic Honor Roll every year he was on campus. Frix was inducted into UGA’s Student-Athlete Leadership Academy known as L.E.A.D (Leadership Education and Development) in 2012, named a Peach of an Athlete honoree in 2011 and was named to the COSIDA Capital One Academic All-America Second Team in 2012. He graduated with a degree in Biological Engineering in May 2012.

Locus, who has just completed her sophomore season with the Lady Bulldogs swimming and diving team, was also named to the L.E.A.D program in 2012 as well as the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).

During her freshman season, the UGA Athletic Association chose Locus as a Presidential Scholar as she maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout the fall semester. She was also named to the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll for the spring semester and recognized by the Athletic Association for achieving all A’s throughout her academic career.

Photo courtesy of University of Georgia

Ondraschkova’s successful indoor season included a second-place finish at the Southeastern Conference Championship where she scored a personal best 4,208 points. She recorded four then-personal bests at the meet.

The success Vreeland has experienced since the summer of 2012 has made her one of the most successful at the University. She won an Olympic gold medal at the London Games as part of the United States 800 freestyle relay team before returning to school where she helped the Lady Bulldogs to their fifth national championship and first since 2005.

Vreeland’s success has gone well beyond the boundaries of the pool as she was also chosen for the UGA Athletic Association’s L.E.A.D Program. Vreeland was also named to the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

The Blue Key Honor Society was founded in October 1924 at the University of Florida with the second chapter being founded at the University of Georgia two years later in 1926.

An important tradition of The University of Georgia Chapter is the Blue Key Alumni Banquet, which was designed to bring together business and government leaders from across the state to participate in a dinner program hosted by the student Blue Key members. The Banquet also has served as an occasion to present an annual Blue Key Award from the student chapter to distinguished individuals who have made significant contributions to the University of Georgia, the state and the nation. Over one hundred such awards have been given since the Chapter was founded.

Bridesmaids to California the last two seasons, the Lady Bulldogs rolled up 477 points to eclipse the Golden Bears’ 393.

“I am just so proud of this group of young ladies,” Georgia coach Jack Bauerle said. “They were determined to reach this goal from the first day of workouts and they never deviated from the plan. A team that works that hard and has that kind of discipline deserves success. This team is made up of a bunch of fighters, and they never flinched and they never backed down.

“I want our ladies to enjoy every moment of this. This is something that few student-athletes get to enjoy. This is as special as it gets. As long as I coach, I’ll always want this for my squads because I know how good it feels and how it impacts the rest of their lives. This is something that can never be taken away. It’s a pretty neat legacy.”

“It’s almost impossible to describe how incredible this feels,” senior Allison Schmitt said. “We all love being a part of a team, and winning a team title means so much more than any individual title ever could. I am blessed to be a member of this team. This is a night that I will never, ever forget.”

The title is the fifth in the program’s history. Georgia won in 1999, 2000 (also in Indianapolis), 2001 and 2005, giving Bauerle-led teams titles in three different decades.

Georgia punctuated its victory by winning the 400-yard freestyle relay and breaking the NCAA and U.S. Open records. The team of Shannon Vreeland, Chantal Van Landeghem, Schmitt and Megan Romano stopped the clock in 3:09.40, eclipsing the 3:09.88 set by Cal in 2009.

Romano claimed second in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 47.37 to pace Georgia. Schmitt came in fifth in 48.04, followed by Vreeland in seventh at 48.41. Van Landeghem won the consolation final for ninth in 48.21.

Lauren Harrington came in second in the 200-yard butterfly with a time of 1:54.39. Hali Flickinger followed in 13th at 1:56.46.

In the 1,650-yard freestyle, Amber McDermott touched in 15:52.52 to come in fourth, while Brittany MacLean finished seventh with a time of 15:54.63.

Annie Zhu went 2:06.69 in the 200-yard breaststroke to place fourth, while Melanie Margalis took 11th in 2:08.60.

In platform diving, Laura Ryan came in fifth with 294.65 points.

Kelsey Gaid placed 15th in the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 1:55.39.

The national title is the 39th in Georgia history for all sports. Gymnastics leads with 10, followed by men’s tennis with eight, and swimming and diving, women’s tennis and equestrian with five each.