Gamecocks Drop Road Dual Meet
South Carolina men’s and women’s swimming and diving fell short in road SEC dual meets at Georgia on Saturday.
ATHENS, Ga.— Anton Down-Jenkins remained unbeaten in his young collegiate career with the Gamecocks winning all four diving events as South Carolina fell short to the ninth-ranked and 11th-ranked Georgia men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams, respectively. The Gamecocks finished the day with eight total event wins as the women were outscored, 171-124 while the men fell, 178-111 at the Gabrielsen Natatorium on Saturday.
The Gamecock divers swept all four diving events as Karlee Price took first in both women’s springboard events while Down-Jenkins finished first in both of the men’s events.
Kevin Liu gave the Gamecocks their first win of the day as he swam a season-best 49.54 to finish first in the men’s 100 backstroke. Liu also reached his best time of the season in a second-place finish in the 200 backstroke (1:46.72).
Emma Barksdale swept breaststroke events for third-consecutive meet, just edging out Georgia’s Danielle Della-Torre in both events. Barksdale has captured nine total event wins in the first 10 non-relay events of her senior campaign.
Christina Lappin won the 50 free for the first time this season, reaching a season-best time of 22.85. The Gamecocks closed the day with 1-2-3 finishes in the men’s and women’s 200 IM, as well as the men’s and women’s 400 free relays.
GAMECOCK EVENT WINNERS:
| NAME | EVENT | TIME |
| Emma Barksdale | 100 Breast | 1:01.84 |
| Emma Barksdale | 200 Breast | 2:14.00 |
| Anton Down-Jenkins | 1M Diving | 355.35 |
| Kevin Liu | 100 Back | 49.54 |
| Karlee Price | 3M Diving | 307.95 |
| Christina Lappin | 50 Free | 22.85 |
| Cody Bekemeyer | 200 IM | 1:51.94 |
| Hallie Kinsey | 200 IM | 2:02.71 |
| 400 Free Relay (M) | 400 FR | 3:24.07 |
| 400 Free Relay (W) | 400 FR | 3:05.75 |
QUOTEABLE: HEAD SWIMMING COACH MCGEE MOODY
“We had some solid swims today, but Georgia raced with determination and got their hand on the wall first in a lot of close races. Our team fought the entire meet. Every team we have faced this season has been a top-25 program which is a lot to ask of any team. I am proud of the way our team has competed. We’re ready to head to Atlanta for our midseason invite.”
QUOTEABLE: HEAD DIVING COACH TODD SHERRITT
“Had a great day with some great dives from everybody. Some great performances from Karlee Price and Anton Jenkins winning both boards. Yu Qian Goh had a great day finishing second on the 1-meter, reaching her NCAA Zone score in the process. Grant Summers and Mikaela Lujan both hit solid scores on the 3-meter and both finished third. We reached a lot of our objectives today which, along with those performances, made it a great all-around performance.”
UP NEXT FOR THE GAMECOCKS
The Gamecocks will have a week off before traveling to Atlanta for the annual Georgia Tech Invite on Nov. 15-17, culminating the fall portion of their 2018-19 schedule.
For more swimming updates, follow South Carolina Swimming and Diving on Twitter at @GamecockSwim.
