Gamecocks Go Toe-to-Toe with Top-25 Opponents at GT Invite
South Carolina had one diving top-five finish and five swimmers qualify for A-finals on day one of the Georgia Tech Invite.
ATLANTA, Ga.— South Carolina men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams competed in day one of the Georgia Tech Invitational on Thursday at the McAuley Aquatic Center. The Gamecock women sit in third-place in the overall team standings following the first 12 events while the men sit in seventh following the opening day of the three-day meet.
Emma Barksdale just was just outreached in the women’s 200 IM as her 1:55.75 fell just half a second behind the winning time. Christina Lappin finished in a tie for fifth in the women’s 50 free A-final, reaching the finish at 22.67.
Anton Down-Jenkins finished fourth in the men’s 1-meter dive with a 332.50 to cap off the morning session that saw five Gamecocks qualify for A-finals in the evening session.
Fynn Minuth finished fourth in the men’s 500 free A-final with a 4:19.44.
Rafael Davila swam a 4:24.49 in the 500 free A-final while Cody Bekemeyer finished second in the B-final with a 4:24.37.
Albury Higgs qualified for the 200 IM A-final, swimming a 2:00.56 in the evening session and Hallie Kinsey topped the B-final with a 1:58.29.
TOP GAMECOCK FINISHES:
| NAME | EVENT | FINALS TIME | FINISH |
| Emma Barksdale | 200 IM | 1:55.75 | 2nd |
| Fynn Minuth | 500 free | 4:19.44 | 4th |
| Anton Down-Jenkins | 1M Diving | 332.50 | 4th |
| Christina Lappin | 50 free | 22.67 | T-5th |
QUOTABLE: HEAD COACH MCGEE MOODY
“It was a very solid first day for our men and women. We had some breakout swims this afternoon and we believe that our team will get stronger as the meet goes on. Fyyn Minuth, Anton Down-Jenkins, Emma Barksdale and Christina Lappin led the way for our team today and I look forward to who will be next to step up as the weekend unfolds.”
UP NEXT FOR THE GAMECOCKS
Day two will continue with preliminary heats scheduled to begin at 10 a.m., back at the McAuley Acuatic Center.
Day Two Events
– 200 medley relay
– 400 IM
– 100 fly
– 200 free
– 100 breast
– 100 back
– Women’s diving
– Men’s diving
– 800 free relay
For more swimming updates, follow South Carolina Swimming and Diving on Twitter at @GamecockSwim.
