Gamecock Women Upset No. 19 Auburn for the First Time in Program History
AUBURN, Ala. – The No. 22 South Carolina women’s swimming & diving program ended Auburn’s 9-0 all-time win streak in dual meets against the Gamecocks on Saturday afternoon, defeating the No. 19 Tigers 152.5 – 147.5. South Carolina’s effort was backed by nine individual event wins, primarily during the second half of the meet.
The Gamecock men fell 85 – 215 to the Tigers after earning 13 podium finishes, two of which were first places from Connor Fry and Linus Kahl.
Women
Auburn got off to a hot start as their 200 medley A and B relays took first and second in the event to put up 15 points. The distance Gamecocks attempted to even out the score, preventing the Tigers from any podium finishes in the 1000 freestyle after sweeping the event. Auburn responded with winning every individual event other than the 200 fly and 3-meter in the first half of the meet. The Gamecocks bounced back with a second half surge, winning the final six individual events and taking second place in the 400 free relay to claim the overall dual meet win.
- Madison Kolessar won her third 1000 freestyle of the season after shaving two seconds from her previous best time to clock a 9:46.61. Nora Fluck also picked up a new best time, finishing right behind her in second place with a 9:47.18. Kolessar and Fluck now rank second and third respectively in the top 10 all-time list. Emma Reiser rounded out the sweep in third place with a 9:55.06.
- After a close race in the 200 freestyle Ellery Ottem (1:46.32) and Amy Riordan (1:46.69) placed second and third, respectively. Both Gamecocks finished within a second of the event winner after all three swimmers kept within .20 of each other for the first three 50s.
- Dylan Scholes was the runner-up in the 100 backstroke with a 53.30 closely followed by Pia Murray who took third after clocking a new season best of 53.37.
- Greta Pelzek cruised to her seventh win of the 2024-25 campaign in the 200 butterfly after clocking a season best 1:54.68. Breckin Gormley finished behind her in second with a best time of 1:56.29.
- Peyton Curry prevented a sweep for Auburn in the 50 freestyle after swimming a personal best of 22.69 for second place. The senior followed up with another best in the 100 freestyle, clocking a 49.30 for third place.
- Scholes took second place in the 100 free with a season best 49.28.
- Sophie Verzyl swept both her events, first winning the 1-meter with 331.50 as the only diver to score over 300 points in the event. She then tallied 372.90 in the 3-meter.
- Riordan and Murray finished 1-2 in the 200 backstroke after clocking 1:55.06 and 1:55.75 respectively. The two Gamecocks were the only swimmers under 1:56.00 in the event.
- Delaney Franklin put up a major best time in the 200 breaststroke, winning the event by two seconds with a 2:10.89. The result moves her from seventh to sixth place on the top 10 all-time list
- The Gamecocks swept the 500 freestyle led by Gormley who won the event from an outside lane with a new best time of 4:44.71, which is the sixth fastest in program history and second fastest on the team this season. Fluck (4:46.41) and Ottem (4:47.39) joined Gormley on the podium after placing second and third, respectively.
- Pelzek claimed her sixth 100 fly win of the season after narrowly out touching Auburn by .14. The senior swam a season best 51.90 which is only .20 off of her best time and school record in the event.
- Meaghan Harnish claimed first place in the 200 IM with a time of 1:59.39 followed by Franklin who tied for second place with a season best 1:59.41.
- The 400 free A relay of Curry, Riordan, Ottem and Scholes swam the fourth fastest time in program history of 3:16.24 for second place. This marks the first time this season the event has cracked the top 10 all-time list.
Men
- Connor Fry swam a season best 8:57.03 in the 1000 freestyle to pick up his fourth win in the event of the season. He swam a steady and consistent race, finishing strong after clocking a 25.40 for his final two laps which was his second fastest 50 split in the race. Raymond Prosinski took third with a time of 9:13.26.
- Michael Laitarovsky made his way onto the podium in the 100 backstroke, finishing in second with a 46.69.
- Linus Kahl (53.71) and Liam Kerns (53.91) dominated in the 100 breaststroke, taking first and second place respectively. The two Gamecocks finished two and a half seconds ahead of the third-place finisher.
- Tommy Eaton and Gage Hulbert went 1-2 in the 200 butterfly after clocking 1:45.10 and 1:47.55, respectively.
- Eldor Usmonov clocked a 20.15 in the 50 freestyle for third.
- Wylie Kruse swam a 1:45.78 in the 200 back for a third-place finish.
- Kahl prevented an Auburn sweep in the 200 breaststroke, touching the wall second with a 1:57.60.
- Fry took third place in the 500 freestyle after swimming a 4:25.35.
- Usmonov placed second in the 100 butterfly with a 46.93, only .09 behind first place.
- Max Spencer placed third in the 1-meter with a season best score of 327.60.
Quotables
“I’m so proud of this group of women! We’ve taken some huge strides as a program over the past 4 years but there have still been a lot of meets against great teams where we have been close but fallen short,” head coach Jeff Poppell stated. “Today, we got over that hump and did the things necessary to win a close meet against an Auburn team, ranked in the top 20 nationally. In addition, that was the first time in school history that South Carolina has ever beaten Auburn in swimming and diving. What a great day and memorable experience for our seniors. We look to build on this team win as we continue to prepare for the SEC and NCAA Championships!”
Up Next
The Gamecocks conclude the regular season at home with a dual meet against Georgia Tech on January 25 at 10:00 a.m. Seniors will be recognized at the event for their final meet at the Carolina Natatorium.
For the latest South Carolina swimming and diving information, continue to follow GamecocksOnline.com or the team on social media (@GamecocksSwmDive).