March 25, 2016

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ATLANTA, Ga. – Two more members of the University of South Carolina Swimming & Diving program earned All-America honors on Friday at the 2016 NCAA Division I Men’s Swimming & Diving Championships. Nils Wich-Glasen grabbed his first All-America finish of the meet, while Tomas Peribonio claimed his third, and both Gamecocks set school records in the process.

Wich-Glasen finished seventh in the 100-yard breaststroke, and Peribonio scored 16th in the 400-yard IM. Thanks to the duo, the Gamecocks increased their point total to 36 after three days at the McAuley Aquatic Center, good for 17th position overall.

RECAP

Wich-Glasen came into the 100 breaststroke prelims carrying the nation’s 23rd-best time this season, but that didn’t stop the sophomore from blazing through the morning swim in 52.12, a full half-second better than his previous program best. The fifth-place result meant that Wich-Glasen was headed for his second career NCAA championship final.

In the finals, Wich-Glasen placed seventh with a swim of 52.31. The NCAA finish matched the sophomore’s career best after he finished seventh last season in the 200-yard breaststroke, and it was a huge improvement over his freshman finish in the 100 breaststroke, when he came in 28th.

Peribonio entered the 400 IM prelims with the nation’s 28th-fastest time in the event, but he surpassed all expectations and smashed the Carolina record with a swim of 3:43.20, more than two seconds faster than his previous record. The performance was the 16th-best of the morning and booked the sophomore a consolation finals spot by .16 seconds.

In his evening swim, Peribonio turned in a time of 3:43.95 to place eighth in the heat and 16th overall. The sophomore finished the day with an All-America honor for the third consecutive event, and he’ll go for a fourth on Saturday in the mile.

Jordan Gotro competed for the second day in a row, diving on the 3-meter springboard. The junior finished 38th, with a score of 320.80. He closed strong, with his last dive, a Reverse 1 1/2 Somersault 3 1/2 Twist Free, receiving a mark of 66.50.

QUOTABLES

HEAD SWIMMING COACH McGee Moody – “All in all, it was another great swim. We didn’t put Nils in the A final last year, and we did that this year. It’s the first time for him. He sets himself up really well for tomorrow, and the 200.” ââ’¬” On Nils Wich-Glasen’s All-America day

“We were talking even this morning as we got here to warm up whether we would declare a false start for Tom or not, because we wanted him to be ready for the mile tomorrow. Tomorrow’s really our strongest day as a program. But we decided to go ahead and do it, and it paid off big for us. He got in that B final and had another solid swim tonight. It was the second-fastest for him ever.” ââ’¬” On Tomas Peribonio making a surprise B final in the 400 IM

“We haven’t had an event yet that we haven’t scored in. We haven’t had an event yet where we haven’t broken a school record. So this has been a pretty solid meet for us up to this point. Going into tomorrow, we’re in a pretty tight team race, between 15th and 19th place. We’re looking to get into that top-15, so we need to have a good morning tomorrow in the 200 breast and then just race the mile.” ââ’¬” On his team’s prospects with one day left

HEAD DIVING COACH Todd Sherritt – “We come back tomorrow and have another event. Jordan’s platform has been strong all year, and he certainly has the capability to crack that top-16. And that’s our goal tomorrow: to come out of here with an All-America certificate, and I certainly think he can do it. The main thing is that tomorrow, he has to come here with some fire in his belly. At the end of the day, you’ve got to put (today) in the past and step up again tomorrow and do the job.” ââ’¬” On the platform competition Saturday, where Jordan Gotro looks for his first All-America finish

NOTABLE

• Peribonio joined an exclusive group of Gamecocks on Friday, becoming just the seventh member of the men’s program to tally five career All-America honors.
• He also became the ninth Gamecock to win three All-America honors in one season and the first since Cole Miller finished top-16 in all three diving events last season. He’s the first swimmer to achieve the feat under head coach McGee Moody.
• Wich-Glasen’s All-America finish was his second after he achieved the honor in the 200-yard breaststroke last year.
• Peribonio is the fourth Gamecock to make All-America in the 400 IM, joining Istvan Bathazi (2001, 2002, 2004), Gary Binfield (1986, 1987, 1988) and Brent Mathers (1988, 1989).
• Wich-Glasen became Carolina’s first breaststroke All-American last season when he made it in the 200, and he became the first Gamecock to achieve the honor in the 100 on Friday.

• UP NEXT FOR CAROLINA

  The 2016 NCAA Men’s Championships reach a thrilling conclusion on Saturday as several Gamecocks compete in their top events. Wich-Glasen enters the meet owning the nation’s 12th-fastest 200-yard breaststroke time, with prelims starting at 10 a.m. Gotro dives for the final time this season as the platform begins at 12:15 p.m. Early heats of the 1,650-yard freestyle, where Peribonio holds the nation’s 14th-best mark and Cody Bekemeyer comes in ranked 24th, start at 3:45 p.m.

  Finally, Akaram Mahmoud is a national title contender in the 1650 free, where he comes in with the second-best time of the season. That race starts the last finals session of the week at 6 p.m.