Dec. 5, 2014
COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina swimming and diving program signed 11 student-athletes during the early signing period, head coach McGee Moody announced Friday.
Joining the men’s squad next season will be Cody Bekemeyer (Lawrenceville, Ga.), Fynn Minuth (Upper St. Clair, Pa.), Jack Smith (Charlotte, N.C.) and Phillip Willett (St. Louis Mo).
The Gamecocks signed Emma Barksdale (Davis, Calif.), Marissa Delgado (Cincinnati, Ohio), Maggie Harman (Roanoke, Va.), Mikaela Lujan (Penn Valley, Calif.), Paige Maynard (Vacaville, Calif.), Allyson Nied (Lithia Fla,)and Katie Shannahan (Scottsdale, Ariz) to the women’s team.
Men’s Swimming and Diving
Cody Bekemeyer (Lawrenceville, Ga.)
Events: Freestyle/IM
Best Times:
- 500 Free- 4:21.96
- 1650 Free- 15:10.71
- 200 Back- 1:48.65
- 200 IM- 1:49.48
- 400 IM- 3:51.30
Moody on Bekemeyer: “Cody is one of the top recruits in the country. He is primarily a distance freestyler, but is also extremely versatile and can score points in multiple events in our conference. We believe he has a big future on the national and international stage.”
Fynn Minuth (Upper St. Clair, Pa.)
Events: Buttefly/IM
Best Times:
- 100 Fly- LCM- 56.21
- 200 Fly- LCM- 2:03.75
- 200 IM- 2:07.51
Moody on Minuth: “Fynn is a very talented butterfly and IM specialist that will add good depth to those events. We believe that he will develop into one of the best butterflyers in the SEC. He has shown fast improvement over the last year and we believe that trend will continue.”
Jack Smith (Charlotte, N.C.) Events: Butterfly/IM
Events: Butterfly/IM
Best Times:
- 100 Fly- 49.53
- 200 Fly- 1:49.54
- 200 IM- 1:50.80
- 200 Fly- LCM- 2:03.60
Moody on Smith: “Jack is from Charlotte, N.C. and is from one of the best swimming programs in the country. He has progressively gotten faster over the past year and will have an immediate impact on our butterfly events. He will also provide some needed depth in the IM events. We are excited to see what the future holds for Jack.”
Phillip Willett (St. Louis, Mo.)
Events: Breaststroke/IM
Best Times:
- 100 Breast-LCM- 1:04.98
- 200 Breast- LCM- 2:19.20
- 200 IM- SCY- 1:49.48
Moody on Willett: “Phillip is a national level swimmer out of Missouri that we will look to help replace the loss of Alex Vance and Jared Kauffman to graduation. His times have steadily dropped and he will continue to improve working with our breaststroke coach, Kevin Swander.”
Women’s Swimming and Diving
Emma Barksdale (Davis, Calif.)
Events: Breaststroke/IM
Best Times:
- 200 IM- 2:01.76
- 400 IM- LCM- 4:52.08
- 100 Breast- 1:03.53
- 200 Breast- 2:20.54
Moody on Barksdale: “Over the summer, Emma established herself as one of the best 400 IMer’s in this graduating class. Emma has already qualified for the 2016 Olympic Trials in that event. She is a very versatile swimmer and a great young lady. She swims for Billy Doughty at the Davis Arden Racing Team in Arden Hills, CA.”
Marissa Delgado (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Events: Butterfly/IM
Best Times:
- 100 Fly-55.93
- 200 Fly- 1:59.97
- 200 IM- 2:03.60
Moody on Delgado: “Marissa comes South Carolina after racing for the Cincinnati Marlins throughout her club career. She has a great work ethic and will benefit from specific training in the butterfly events. She has experience racing on the national level.”
Maggie Harman (Roanoke, Va.)
Events: Freestyle
Best Times:
- 100 Free- 52.00
- 200 Free-1:51.95
- 500 Free-4:54.88
Moody on Harman: “Maggie is an outstanding young lady who has an electric personality. She is a very talented freestyler, who will play a role on our free relays. She is as talented in the classroom as she is in the pool. We look forward to Maggie joining our team.”
Mikaela Lujan (Penn Valley, Calif.)
Events: Diving
Sherritt on Lujan: “Mikaela is extremely acrobatic and powerful. She will be able to perform the most difficult optionals in our sport. She is already an excellent springboard and tower diver. She will be a huge asset to our team. “
Paige Maynard (Vacaville, Calif.)
Events: Butterfly/Backstroke
Best Times:
- 100 Fly- 53.93
- 200 Fly- 1:58.96
- 100 Back- 55.87
- 200 Back- 1:58.59
Moody on Maynard: “Paige will be coming to South Carolina with her teammate, Emma Barksdale. We are very fortunate to have Paige joining us. She immediately strengthens our butterfly and backstroke events. She has pure speed, as well as the endurance to finish strong in her 200’s. She will also make a difference on multiple relays and put us in a position to qualify our medley relays at NCAA’s.”
Allyson Nied (Lithia, Fla.)
Events: Diving
Sherritt on Nied: “Allyson come from one of the top diving programs in the country. She brings years of experience and success in ours sport. She is an incredible platform diver and will have an immediate impact in our conference next year.”
Katie Shannahan (Scottsdale, Ariz.)
Events: Butterfly/IM
Best Times:
- 100 Fly- 54.99
- 200 Fly- 2:02.59
- 200 IM- 2:02.98
Moody on Shannahan: “Katie is one of the top recruits out of Arizona. She is consistently improving and we believe she has her best swimming ahead of her. Katie has the potential to score good points at the conference and national level. She swims for Scottsdale Aquatic Club.”
