2025 Hall of Fame Profile: Brandon Hulko

At 6’3” tall, Brandon Hulko (1998-2002) often got confused by others for being an athlete for a variety of different sports, but the former South Carolina All-American diver was never confused about his goals when he first came to campus.

“When I first came to the University, I wanted to make sure I was the best student-athlete I could be,” said Hulko, who graduated with a degree in exercise science and physiology in 2002 and later earned a master’s in healthcare administration. “I felt like this was a place where I could excel in both of those. My father was very big on education first and sports second. The support services and everything they had at the University at the time really engaged that particular goal of mine. I came here and worked as hard as I could every single day.

“Achieving Athlete of the Year and at the same time achieving the Outstanding Exercise Science Student of the Year Award, which was that school’s highest award, I felt like I achieved that goal. That meant a lot. Then to have this news with the Hall of Fame, that’s just huge. I was floored! It’s such an accomplishment to be honored in such a way. It wasn’t something I ever considered when I first came to the University.”

Hulko earned multiple All-American nods during his career. He was a three-time All-American (2000, 2001, 2002) in the 1-meter event and earned All-American honors in the 3-meter dive in 1999 and 2000. He also took home All-American accolades in 1999 and 2000 in the platform event. A four-year letterman for the Gamecocks, Hulko is a three-time SEC bronze medalist and was a NCAA and SEC Championship finalist all four years. He was named South Carolina’s Male Athlete of the Year following his senior season in 2002.

“My best memories were every day,” Hulko said. “I tell people that I would give just about anything to go back for a week. I felt so supported and so challenged at school, in the pool and on the diving board. I felt like that’s where I excelled. Everybody had high standards for me. My teammates and the other athletes, we all had a great time together. We were all friends and a big community.”

While a student-athlete, Hulko also represented the United States on the national team for four years, competing internationally. He was an Olympic Trials qualifier, but later in his career he gave up his spot to a younger athlete.

“I was kind of a ‘tweener,’” Hulko said. “I had graduated in 2002, and the next Olympics was 2004. I had to consider whether I wanted to continue to train. I made the decision that I was going to start giving back. That was sort of a turning point in my life, where I realized I needed to give back. There was a 14-year-old boy who was diving and was really good, and I gave my spot up to him. He almost made the Olympic team!”

While his national team experience was a tremendous opportunity during his days as a student-athlete, it meant he would miss a lot of class time. He noted that the University was supportive, but it wasn’t giving him a free pass.

“I was doing really well and was in the top four in the country at one time,” Hulko said. “Diving went year-round, so I was constantly competing, especially when you consider what I was doing outside of the NCAA. I missed weeks at a time. There were no free passes. Anyone that gives athletes free passes is doing them an injustice. I was on trips studying for organic chemistry, and the amount of support around the University, not only from the Athletics Department, but also from the education area was tremendous.

“All my professors were very understanding. They set the expectation where they weren’t going to give me a lot of leeway. They’d give me some extra time for some things, but at the end of the day they told me they were going to hold me to a standard. That really helped me and pushed me to not just hang out in the hotel room but made me study and be ready for exams to meet my goal of being the best student-athlete I could be.”

That standard influenced him in his professional life. Living in Columbia, he’s currently the Vice President of UnitedHealthcare where he oversees Medicare for the state of South Carolina.

“I have about 200,000 beneficiaries that I provide healthcare benefits to across the state,” Hulko said. “Health care is tough industry these days, and that’s why we need people who are very motivated, like student-athletes, to get into that industry. You can feel challenged and solve problems.”

Hulko looks forward to enjoying Hall of Fame Weekend with his wife, Ashley, and five-year-old son, Brooks.

“I’m looking forward to spending time with the other inductees,” Hulko said. “That will be a lot of fun! It will be great to have family in town as well. Being around the University and re-living some of those experiences with my family will be great as well.”

The Association of Lettermen will hold its induction ceremony on Thursday, October 23 inside Williams-Brice Stadium. The 2025 Hall of Fame class will also be honored during South Carolina’s football game with Alabama on Saturday, October 25.