BULLDOG BEAT: Eight players named to the preseason All-SEC team

Eight Georgia footballers were named to the preseason All-SEC team during media days in Hoover Friday. Six Dawgs were named to the first team, which was the second-most among all SEC programs. Quarterback Aaron Murray, tight end Orson Charles, offensive tackle Cordy Glenn, kicker Blair Walsh, punter Drew Butler and return specialist Brandon Boykin made the first team. Center Ben Jones and defensive tackle DeAngelo Tyson made the second team.

Also at media days, Georgia was picked to finish second in the East.

CROSS COUNTRY …

The Georgia cross country team announced its 2011 schedule on Tuesday. The slate is highlighted with the season-opening home meet at the team’s home course in Bishop. The Georgia Invitational will take place on Sept. 3.

“We have some quality competition coming to town with Alabama, Mississippi State, Georgia Tech and others,” said distance coach Jeff Pigg. “It will be a fun opportunity for our freshmen and some other newcomers to the program to start the year off and their collegiate careers off at home. We will get a chance to see where everyone is and what they need to do to get where they need to be for later in the season.”

Other meets include the Georgia State Invitational in Hampton, a trip to South Bend for the Notre Dame Invitational and a trip to Madison, Wisc., for the Wisconsin Invitational before heading to Knoxville for the SEC Championships on Oct. 29. The NCAA Regionals will take place in Tuscaloosa on Nov. 12, where the Bulldog harriers will have a shot at qualifying for the NCAA Championships.

BRAVES HONOR MCGILL …

Former tennis coach and Georgia athletics legend Dan McGill will throw out the first pitch at the Braves game on Sunday. The honor was bestowed as one of McGill’s 90^th birthday gifts.

McGill coaches the men’s tennis squad for 34 years, winning two national titles and cementing the Bulldogs as one of the nation’s top college programs. The Athens native also served as the school’s sports information director and started the athletic department’s fundraising branch, the Georgia Bulldog Club.

Currently, McGill is the curator of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s Hall of Fame, which is housed in Athens.