Oct. 7, 2009

There’s no denying the progress that the South Carolina swimming and diving program has made in the last two years under head coach McGee Moody and his staff. During the 2008-09 season, the Carolina men turned in a 29th-place finish at the NCAA Championships – their best in three seasons – and the women finished seventh at the SEC Championships – also their top finish in three years.

And with the amount of talent that continues to pour into the Gamecock program, reaching a higher, elite level might only be a year or two away.

But this season is another stepping stone for the Carolina program, another opportunity to show the conference and the nation that the Gamecocks are becoming a force to be reckoned with.

WOMEN’S SWIMMING

Led by senior and two-time Olympian Sharntelle McLean, along with juniors Claire and Christine Thompson and Megan Sparks, the Gamecock women return all but two letterwinners from last year’s squad.

However, those two losses were big ones. Amanda Dunnigan was the Gamecocks’ top option in the breaststroke and individual medley events, and broke the school records in both IM events last season. In addition, Kassy Kugler provided depth in the sprint freestyle events and was a mainstay for the Carolina relay squads.

“Losing Amanda Dunnigan last year was hard, but I think the athletes we have can step up to the plate,” Moody said. “In the IM events, we’re going to be a little weaker than in the past; that will always happen when you graduate the varsity record-holder. We’ll probably look at Megan Sparks to do some IM this year; it fits pretty well into the dual-meet lineup.”

McLean holds the school record in the 50-yard freestyle and will be at the forefront of the sprint events, with the Thompson twins holding down the mid- and long-distance freestyle events. In addition to swimming the IM, Sparks is the top returner in the backstroke events as well. Lydia Hackert and Mallory Cage are the top returners in the breaststroke.

The top butterfly performer last season as a freshman, Lindsey Olson, will likely take a redshirt this year after having shoulder surgery in the offseason. Moody would not rule out the possibility of her returning in the spring, but said it was unlikely.

However, some of the newcomers will have a chance to step into major roles immediately. Freshman Meghan Brockington looks to be the lead butterfly specialist with Olson out.

“Meghan’s times convert to what Lindsey had when she came in,” Moody said. “So what we initially thought was going to be a 1-2 punch is now an area where there’s a lot of weight on Meghan’s shoulders.”

Another freshman that has impressed is Haley Staubach. A Georgia native, Staubach may be able to provide major depth in the backstroke events.

“She’s looked really good in preseason,” Moody said. “I think she’s going to have a big impact on our backstroke events. She would allow us to put Megan Sparks in an IM and not have to worry about the backstroke events.”

MEN’S SWIMMING

Despite the losses of All-Americans Nick Walkotten and Kyle Cormier, Moody expects a solid year from the Carolina men’s team.

“Overall, the attitude of the men’s team has changed dramatically,” he said, “in terms of the way they’re viewing the competition that’s coming in. They’re a lot more focused than they’ve been in the past. They worked really hard in the summer, and they’re ready to race.”

Senior Andy Atzhorn, a team captain, is the top returner for the Gamecocks. He will swim the IM events after putting together a strong summer that included solid performances at the U.S. Open.

“Andy had a huge summer,” Moody said. “He dropped 10 seconds off his long-course 400 IM, so he’s ready to make an immediate impact. He knows what he needs to do to contribute.”

Sophomores Armin Hornikel and James Crawford look to build on successful seasons as the top returners in the breaststroke and backstroke events, respectively. Hornikel advanced to finals in two events at the SEC Championships, and Crawford was part of two top relay squads.

A big help could be the return of junior Dominique Lendjel. Injured before the start of the 2008-09 season, he is still working to get back to 100 percent. But his ability in the backstroke and IM events could give the Gamecocks major depth.

“(Dominique) eases the loss a little bit of Kyle and Nick because he does have NCAA and international meet experience,” Moody said. “If he can hold it together and stay injury-free, I think he can get back and swim fast. And we need him to.”

Versatile sophomore Chris Kelly will concentrate mostly on the IM and backstroke events and looks to be a part of the 800 FR team. Another sophomore, David Livsey, will shift to the sprint free events.

Sophomore Dan Jackson, who scored in the 1650 free at SEC Championships, will have plenty of help on the way for the distance events with three freshmen – Brooks Ross, Michael Flach and Matt Columbus – pushing for spots in those events.

Speaking of recruits, the incoming men’s class was rated No. 21 in the country by CollegeSwimming.com. Two of the signees were ranked in the nation’s top 100.

“I think we have three that are really going to stand out,” Moody said. “Max Heinze from Germany, Bobby Cave from London, Michael Flach from Virginia… I think all three of those guys have NCAA potential immediately. They all have potential to score at SECs immediately, and they’re going to be huge on a dual-meet scoring scenario. But our whole freshman class – not just those three – are going to be big contributors.”

DIVING

Diving coach Todd Sherritt, in his 17th season at South Carolina, has put together what he calls the best collection of talent in his career. And for a coach that has produced nine SEC Champions and an NCAA Champion, that’s saying something.

Taryn Zack returns for her junior year after capturing the SEC title on the 1-meter board in 2009. She is nearing full strength after battling through a wrist injury for the latter half of the season; necessitating offseason surgery. But when she gets back to 100 percent, there are few in the country that can compare.

“Taryn is going to be a major player this year,” Sherritt said. “We’re looking for her to be in position to win the NCAA and SEC Championships. Helen Alvey and Allison Barr, they have potential to be top-eight in the SEC, top-16 in the country.”

Two new additions to the roster will add even more firepower to already potent lineup. Freshman Christina Canali brings plenty of talent to Columbia, while Junior Courtney Forcucci, a transfer from Houston, brings conference championship and NCAA experience as she has competed in the national meet the last two years.

“Courtney is coming off a great summer… Top 12 in the country,” Sherritt said. “She’s in a position to win the conference and score well at NCAAs as well.”

On the men’s side, freshman Rylan Ridenour looks to make an immediate impact after a strong summer, and fellow freshman Nikolas Sachs has shown the potential to be a top-flight diver at the SEC level. They will join sophomore Ryan Kuser – the men’s team’s only returner – and redshirt freshman Jacob Sims to give Sherritt his deepest men’s team in several years.

“I think we can get points out of several of these guys at SECs,” Sherritt said. “There’s a lot of talent in this group.”

OUTLOOK

The fall season gives South Carolina several immediate opportunities to face top-level competition. The year opens with a home meet against SEC foe Kentucky on Oct. 9, which is then followed by trips to North Carolina (where they will also face Virginia Tech), Clemson and Tennessee. The team will then host the Gamecock Invitational, which will see more top teams such as Florida, UNC and East Carolina visit Columbia.

Following the holiday break, the team will have a dual meet at the College of Charleston, followed by home meets against Duke, UNC Wilmington and Vanderbilt. The regular-season wraps up with a tri-meet with Alabama and Georgia in Athens, Ga., which also happens to be the site of the SEC Championships three weeks later. With so many fresh faces on the roster, Moody knows the SEC season will be an eye-opening experience.

“The large majority of our team right now are freshmen and sophomores,” Moody said. “But they have to be ready to compete. They’re going to have their eyes opened in our first meet against Kentucky when they see what SEC competition is all about.”