Nov. 21, 2012

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina men’s swimming and diving team fell one spot to No. 22 in the College Swimming Coaches Association of America Division I Team Rankings, the CSCAA announced Wednesday.

The Gamecocks dropped in the poll despite having a solid week at the Virginia Tech Invitational. South Carolina finished second at the event behind 12th-ranked Virginia Tech, and junior Michael Flach posted the nation’s top times in the 500 freestyle (4:18.38) and the 200 butterfly (1:45.51) on his way to earning the SEC and National Swimmer of the Week honors.

“I am extremely proud of the accomplishments of our men’s team this first semester,” South Carolina head coach McGee Moody said. “I think they’ve done an outstanding job while facing one of the toughest schedule’s in the country. However, I don’t believe this poll reflects who the best teams in the country are at this time. I think South Carolina, Louisville, Virginia Tech, LSU and NC State are better than their rankings. Hopefully, in the future the poll will more accurately reflect who the fastest teams in the country are at the current time.”

The CSCAA Team Rankings are voted on by nine CSCAA-member coaches and one media member. The 2012-13 rankings will be released on a regular basis throughout the season, alternating weeks between a men’s and a women’s team ranking.

This year’s poll is different than previous seasons in that the poll is not designed to predict the results of the NCAA Championship. The purpose is to rank in order which teams would win head-to-head against other teams in the country. Rankings are based on performances that have taken place since the previous poll and include dual meets and invitationals.

The Gamecocks will return to action on Jan. 12 in a road dual meet at Duke. The meet is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. in Durham, N.C.

NCAA Division 1 Men's Swimming and Diving Ranking as of Nov. 21, 2012Current rank        Record          Previous rank1. Michigan         (4-0, Big Ten 3-0)  12. Stanford         (1-0, Pac 12 0-0)   33. California       (2-0, Pac 12 0-0)   54. Texas        (1-1, Big 12 0-0)   45. Florida      (4-0, SEC 3-0)      26. Southern California  (3-0, Pac 12 2-0)   67. Indiana      (4-2, Big Ten 1-1)  78. Minnesota        (2-1, Big Ten 2-1)  99. Virginia         (4-1, ACC 0-0)      810. Ohio State      (4-0, Big Ten 0-0)  2211. Georgia         (3-1, SEC 1-1)      1012. Virginia Tech   (6-1, ACC 3-1)      1513. Arizona         (3-1, Pac 12 0-1)   1714. LSU         (2-1, SEC 1-1)      2015. Louisville      (1-2, Big East 0-1)     2316. Auburn      (3-0, SEC 3-0)      1217. North Carolina  (3-0, ACC 1-0)      1118. NC State        (2-1, ACC 1-0)      1619. Notre Dame      (5-0, Big East 2-0)     1820. Tennessee       (3-2, SEC 1-0)      1321. Iowa        (1-1, Big Ten 1-1)  1422. South Carolina   (2-3, SEC 1-1)      2123. Penn State      (2-2, Big Ten 0-1)  2424. Purdue      (2-1, Big Ten 1-0)  2525. Florida State   (5-2, ACC 1-1)      19
Also receiving votes: Missouri, UNLV, Wyoming, Utah, Denver