May 9, 2016

BERLIN, Germany — Two members of the University of South Carolina Swimming & Diving program swam well at the 2016 Deutschen Meisterschaften (German Championships) which concluded Sunday in Berlin. Kevin Leithold and Nils Wich-Glasen each qualified for finals in multiple events, with Wich-Glasen earning a podium spot.

Wich-Glasen made the A final in all three of his races, including a place on the podium in his opening event. The two-time NCAA All-American finished third in the 50m breaststroke, swimming the final in a time of 28.04.

The rising junior also raced the 100m and 200m breaststroke events. In the 100m, Wich-Glasen swam the race in 1:02.21 to finish seventh. In the 200m, his time of 2:14.70 was good for fifth.

Leithold, who graduated in December and earned his third All-America honor at the NCAA Championships in March, joined Wich-Glasen in the A final of the 50m breaststroke. He took seventh in the extremely tight race, with an evening swim of 28.63.

Later in the meet, Leithold qualified for the B final of the 100m freestyle. He finished 16th, turning in a second swim of 51.45.

“Nils and Kevin continue to do great things representing the Gamecocks on the international level,” South Carolina head coach McGee Moody said. “We’re proud of both of them and look forward to working on what they’ve learned from this experience when they’re back in Columbia.”

Thanks in large part to the All-American efforts of Wich-Glasen and Leithold, the Gamecock men finished 17th at the NCAA Championships, their best result since 1991.