Oct. 17, 2008
COLUMBIA – Three South Carolina divers qualified for NCAA Zone competition and several freshmen made terrific debuts Friday as the Gamecocks fell to North Carolina in the season-opening dual meet. The women dropped a 176-124 decision while the men fell 184-115 at the Carolina Natatorium.
South Carolina dropped to 0-1 on both the men’s and women’s side while the Tar Heels improved to 1-1 overall for both teams.
“I’m never happy with losing,” Carolina head coach McGee Moody said. “But looking at individual performances, we had several that swam really, really well. We were very competitive, but North Carolina just has a lot more depth than we do. They have a very strong program, and Coach (Rich) DeSelm is making them better and better every year. It will be fun to swim them on a regular basis.”
While the Tar Heels won the majority of the events in the swimming portion of the meet, the Gamecock women were dominant on the boards as Taryn Zack took first place in both the one- and three-meter events. Freshman Helen Alvey and junior Allison Barr finished second and third, respectively, in the one-meter, while Barr finished second and Alvey fourth in the three-meter competition. Fellow freshman Ali Lane also placed, taking fifth in the one-meter event. Zack (284.17), Alvey (273.08) and Barr (272.78) turned in NCAA Zone qualifying scores in the one-meter, and Zack also posted a qualifying score in the three-meter with a strong 314.10.
On the men’s side, North Carolina took the top two spots in the one-meter with the Gamecocks’ Corry Christian and Ryan Kuser finishing third and fourth, respectively. Kuser finished third in the three-meter event with Christian posting a fifth-place finish.
In the swimming portion of the meet, it was the usual suspects turning in the top performances for the Gamecocks, as well as a few new faces. Senior Amanda Dunnigan had the most impressive showing, shaving nearly a second and a half off her previous personal best in the 100 breaststroke, touching the wall in 1:04.34 for a second-place finish in that event. She also finished second in the 200 breast with a 2:18.15 and second in the 200 IM with a 2:04.92
“I was very proud of the way Amanda swam tonight,” Moody said. “To get a PR in the first meet of the season just shows how far she’s come.”
Senior Nicholas Walkotten, the Gamecocks’ All-SEC performer last year, picked up a win in the 100 butterfly, cracking the 50-second barrier with a time of 49.33. He also swam a strong butterfly leg to give the Gamecocks a second-place finish in the 400-yard medley relay.
Freshman Lindsey Olson may have been the most pleasant surprise of the night as she won the 100 fly with a time of 56.46 to earn a big nine points for South Carolina. She also took a second-place finish in the 200 fly in 2:01.16. Along with Megan Sparks, Lydia Hackert and Sharntelle McLean, she was part of the 400 MR team that took a first-place finish in 3:47.97 to give the Gamecocks an early lead in the meet.
McLean was making her first appearance in the Garnet and Black since the 2006-07 season as she sat out last year in preparation for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where she competed for her home country of Trinidad and Tobago. She made the most of her return, scoring a second-place finish in the 50 freestyle in 23.55, a scant one one-hundredth of a second behind UNC’s Rebecca Kane. McLean also turned in a strong performance in the 100 free, finishing third in 51.92, just behind teammate Kassy Kugler (51.79).
Andrew Atzhorn took first in the 200 IM with a 1:53.88 and earned first-place points in the 500 freestyle with a 4:40.76. He also had a strong swim in the 200 backstroke, touching in 1:52.41 to take third place.
Trey Tharpe set a personal best in the 200 free with a time of 1:42.92, finishing fifth in the heat, while Kyle Cormier returned to action for the Gamecocks for the first time since the 2006-07 season and took second place with a 1:40.87. Claire Thompson got a second-place finish in the 200 free in 1:51.69, scoring four points for the Gamecocks. Kassy Kugler was fifth with a time of 1:52.49.
James Crawford made his collegiate individual debut in the men’s 100 back with a 51.18 and a third-place finish, then finished a close second in the 200 back (1:50.95). Chris Kelly, also swimming in his first collegiate meet, was fourth in the 100 back with a 52.31. It was also a successful debut for freshman Armin Hornikel, who touched third in both the men’s 100 breast (59.04) and 200 breast (2:10.36).
“Nicholas Walkotten was really good for us in the 100 fly,” Moody said. “And it was good to see Kyle Cormier and Sharntelle McLean back in action for us. Andrew Atzhorn had a great 200 IM. So there were a lot of bright spots, but until we can build some more depth, we have to get better in some spots. We’ve got to bring in another solid recruiting class.
“That said, this team has made huge strides. They are light years ahead of where they were last year. The kids are excited and driven to succeed, and that’s what we want moving forward.”
South Carolina will be back in action next Friday, Oct. 24, as the Virginia Cavaliers come to town for another dual meet. The competition is slated to begin at 2 p.m. at the Carolina Natatorium.
