March 25, 2015

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina men’s swimming and diving team will be represented by four swimmers in individual events, two divers and a relay team at the 2015 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships. The meet runs Thursday through Saturday at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center Natatorium in Iowa City, Iowa.

MEET INFORMATION
MEET: 2015 Men’s NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships
DATE: Thurs., March 26 – Sat., March 28
TIME: Prelims 11 a.m. CT/Finals 7 p.m. CT
LOCATION: Campus Recreation and Wellness Center Natatorium in Iowa City, Iowa
NCAA Championship Notes | Championship Central | NCAA Championship Central | | Live Diving Results | Friday/Saturday Finals Video | All Other Sessions Video

HOW THEY GOT HERE
Kevin Leithold qualified with a time of 52.97 in the 100 breaststroke and is also eligible to compete in the 200 IM and 100 freestyle.

Akram Mahmoud recorded times of 14:15.27 in the 1,650 freestyle and 4:15.11 in the 500 freestyle to earn the 13th and 14th seeds, respectively. He is also eligible to swim in the 200 butterfly.

Tomas Peribonio is the 10th overall seed in the 1,650 freestyle with his time of 14:50.25. He is also seeded 26th in the 500 freestyle and is eligible to compete in the 400 IM.

Nils Wich-Glasen’s NCAA automatic qualifying time of 1:52.81 earned him the seventh overall seed in the 200 breaststroke. He will also race in 100 breaststroke and the 200 IM.

Cole Miller qualified in all three diving events finishing fifth on the platform, sixth on the 3-meter and ninth on the 1-meter at the NCAA Zone B Diving Championships. Jordan Gotro qualified with his eighth-place finish on the 1-meter and will also compete on the platform.

REWRITING THE RECORD BOOK
This season the Gamecock men have…

• Set nine school records, eight of which are accounted for by Leithold, Mahmoud, Miller, Peribonio and Wich-Glasen
• Combined for 31 top-10 times in school history (swimming only), 23 in individual events and eight relays. Seventeen of the 23 individual top-10 times can be attributed to those competing at the NCAA Championships

WATCH OUT FOR WICH-GLASEN
Freshman Nils Wich-Glasen holds the school record in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 1:52.81, which he clocked at the SEC Championships to finish second overall. Wich-Glasen had previously broken the record earlier in the season going 1:55.98 in the finals at the Virginia Tech Invitational. He ranks second in school history in both the 100 breaststroke and 200 IM.

LEITHOLD IN THE LEAD
Redshirt sophomore Kevin Leithold owns the school record in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 52.97, which he set at the SEC Championships. He held the record entering the 2014-15 season and reset it at the Virginia Tech Invitational in November prior to SEC Championships. Leithold also ranks second in school history in the 100 freestyle and third in both the 100 butterfly and 200 IM.

GOING THE DISTANCE
Freshmen Akram Mahmoud and Tomas Peribonio have quickly become the Gamecocks’ top distance swimmers this season. Peribonio holds the school record in the 1,650 freestyle, while Mahmoud ranks second. Mahmoud owns a pair of school records as he claimed the No. 1 spot in both the 500 and 1000 freestyle with his performance at the SEC Championships. He also ranks fourth in school history in the 200 butterfly. Peribonio has the second-fastest time in school history in both the 1000 freestyle and 400 IM and also ranks third in the 1000 freestyle.

THREE-PEAT?
The Gamecock men earned All-American honors in the 800 freestyle relay both of the last two years, with a 12th-place showing in 2014 and finishing in 15th place in 2013. Junior Marwan El Kamash will join Leithold, Mahmoud and Peribonio to make up this year’s team. They currently own the second-fastest time in school history (6:21.05), which they clocked at the SEC Championships. El Kamash was a member of the 2013 and 2014 relay teams while Leithold raced with the 2013 squad.

DIVE RIGHT IN
Senior Cole Miller owns the school records for 3-meter diving (12 dives), platform diving (6 dives) and platform diving (12 dives), all of which he set this season.

HISTORY AT THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
Last season South Carolina finished 33rd overall. Then sophomore El Kamash finished 22nd overall in the 500 freestyle and the Gamecocks also swam in three relays. This is the 31st year the Gamecocks have had at least one student-athlete compete at the NCAA Men’s Championships. South Carolina has 12 top-25 finishes all-time at the NCAA Championships, with the last being a 20th-place showing in 2004. The Gamecocks’ best finish was a 10th-place showing in 1987 after winning the Metro Conference Championship. During that year’s championships, South Carolina had All-America performances from nine individuals and two relays.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
THURS. PRELIMS 11 A.M. CT
200 Freestyle Relay
500 Freestyle
200 IM
50 Freestyle
400 Medley Relay
1M Diving (1:45 p.m.CT)

THURS. FINALS 7 P.M.CT
200 Freestyle Relay
500 Freestyle
200 IM
50 Freestyle
1M Diving
400 Medley Relay

FRI. PRELIMS 11 A.M.CT
200 Medley Relay
400 IM
100 Butterfly
200 Freestyle
100 Breaststroke
100 Backstroke
3M Diving (1:45 p.m.CT)

FRI. FINALS 7 P.M.CT
200 Medley Relay
400 IM
100 Butterfly
200 Freestyle
100 Breaststroke
100 Backstroke
3M Diving
800 Freestyle Relay

SAT. PRELIMS 11 A.M.CT
200 Backstroke
100 Freestyle
200 Breaststroke
200 Butterfly
400 Freestyle
Platform Diving (1:45 p.m.CT)
1,650 Freestyle (early heats – 4:45 p.m.CT)

SAT. FINALS 7 P.M.CT
1,650 Freestyle (last heat of timed finals) 200 Backstroke
100 Freestyle
200 Breaststroke
200 Butterfly
Platform Diving
400 Freestyle Relay

COVERAGE
ESPN3 will carry the finals on Friday and Saturday, Hawkeyesports.com will stream all other sessions. Live results for preliminaries and finals are available all three days.