Swimming & Diving Team Takes Family Atmosphere to a New Level

Many athletics programs claim to have a family atmosphere, but with four sets of siblings on the roster, South Carolina’s swimming and diving team is taking it to a different level. Senior Marissa Delgado and freshman sister, Anna, junior Hannah Gerlock and freshman sister, Claire, sophomore Tamas Novoszath and freshman sister, Melinda, and senior Allison Wade and freshman brother, Alex, make the family theme seem obvious, but they say that culture exists in the program, even without all of the siblings.

Tamas & Melinda  Novoszath

“This is only my second year, but when I came back this year I felt like I was home,” Tamas  Novoszath said. “The whole team makes me feel like part of the family.”

“It’s cool because most of my teammates live in the same complex, so if I really need to talk to someone, there’s always somebody there,” Hannah  Gerlock said. “There are so many people like that on our team. They’re all like your sisters and brothers, so it’s awesome.”

“Everyone on the team is so close; girls and guys,” Anna  Delgado said. “Even without all the siblings here, it would still be such a big family.”

“I’m really close with all the freshman guys here, and it’s only been a couple of months,” Alex  Wade said. “They’re like brothers to me.”

Having a sibling already on the team certainly played a part in having another family member choose South Carolina.

“She basically discovered the school for me,” said Alex  Wade. “She opened my eyes with what the University and the swim team had to offer.”

“I would count everyone here as my family,” added Allison  Wade. “It just adds another layer to have your actual brother on the pool deck.”

“I don’t know that I was actively recruiting her to come here, but I like to think I played a part in peaking that interest by showing her how much I loved it here,” Marissa  Delgado said.

“I think the reasons my sister decided to come here was me, but also because of (former) assistant coach Mark Bernardino, and he was the one that recruited me,” Tamas  Novoszath said. “She really liked the environment here.”

“It was obviously a good thing to have my brother here,” Melinda  Novoszath said. “Coaches from other schools contacted me, but coming from Hungary, it was an easier decision to come here because of Tamas.”

“I’ve really enjoyed the team and the coaches here, and I think her seeing that made it feel like more of an option for her,” Hannah  Gerlock said.

“Honestly, as soon as she left to go to college, I couldn’t imagine going to school or swimming without her,” Claire  Gerlock said. “She has been such a good influence on my life, in and out of the pool. Being able to build a relationship with her teammates and the coaches when I was visiting her, I really saw how special the University of South Carolina is.”

“As a team, we have each other’s backs all the time. Having an actual relative here solidifies that even more.”
– Marissa  Delgado

The older siblings can also play a role in helping the younger ones adjust to college life.

Marissa & Anna  Delgado

“He told me everything about the university and the program,” Melinda  Novoszath said. “I felt like I had a good idea of how things were run before I got here.”

“She guided me with what I needed to know,” Alex  Wade said. “She let me loose after she taught me the team unspoken rules and such.”

“It was great having my older sister here because it helped when it came to things like how to register for classes, getting in touch with coaches and other advisory kind of things,” Anna  Delgado said.

Of course, there were sibling rivalries when they were growing up.

“I think I was really annoying,” Tamas  Novoszath said.

“Yes, he was pretty annoying,” Melinda  Novoszath confirmed with a laugh.

“Alex always wanted to do better than I did when we were growing up, but it was good that he was always pushing himself,” said Allison  Wade.

“There was a healthy rivalry with us growing up,” Claire  Gerlock said. “We both like to compete.” 

And sometimes there was competition between the siblings outside of the pool.

Hannah & Claire  Gerlock

“The only competition we had between us…” Tamas  Novoszath started.

“Was food!” Melinda  Novoszath interjected.

While older siblings may get tired of their younger brothers and sisters tagging along when they were growing up, they do feel a sense of responsibility to look after them.

 “Of course, you feel some responsibility, but I don’t want to overstep my bounds,” said Allison  Wade. “I want him to make mistakes and learn from them. I do have that protective nature, though.”

“It was king of that ‘mama bear’ mentality,” Hannah  Gerlock said. “You always want to make sure she is OK. I had older sisters, too, so I was always tagging along with them. I think her coming here, she needed to make her own friends and do her own thing. We do things together, and we do things separately, but we’re very much there for each other, whenever.”

“When she needs me, I’m here for her, but at the same time I have to step back and let her figure things out and find her own path,” Marissa  Delgado said.

“During the first couple of weeks, I was trying to help her out, but I also knew she had to figure out somethings for herself,” Tamas  Novoszath said. “I think I hovered a lot during her first couple of weeks, but then I just let her go.”

Even with sibling rivalries, there are more pros than cons to having a brother or sister so close every day.

“The biggest ‘pro’ of it is that I always have someone I can trust, and there is always someone here if I need anything,” Anna  Delgado said. “The con is trying to live up to your sister in the pool; speed-wise and practice-wise. That’s also a ‘pro’ though.”

“I like that I get to have a little more of a legacy here by having her to keep the Delgado name alive,” Marissa  Delgado said. “You have sibling arguments and things like that, but it’s nothing bad.”

“The most difficult thing about being here is being far from home, so having part of the family here helps a lot,” Tamas  Novoszath said. “Seeing part of the family every day means a lot.”

“At the beginning, I made friends easier because of Tamas,” Melinda  Novoszath said. “That made it so much easier.”

Alex & Allison  Wade

“I love having him here and getting to see him experience college,” Allison  Wade said. “I wouldn’t want him anywhere else. It’s great to see him grow as a person. The best part of him being here is it’s like have a little piece of home with me. Everything is good about him being here.”

“The best part is I have someone to take care of me if I need some food or need someone to drive me somewhere,” Alex  Wade chuckled. “The worst part is she can get on my case a lot and tell my parents if I do something wrong.”

“I think the best thing is that we know each other’s past, and I know I have someone I can really trust and rely on,” Claire  Gerlock said. “She has been such a great role model in my life and someone that really encourages me.”

“She’s been a rock and a role model for me, too, even though she is younger,” Hannah  Gerlock said.

There haven’t been too many “I’m going to tell mom” moments, and that feeling of family within the program creates a level of trust, allowing the day-to-day events easier to manage, in and out of the pool.

“I’ve only known my distance group for a few months, but I feel like I’ve known them for years.” Melinda  Novoszath said. “Back in Hungary, we don’t have a team spirit like we have here. I was surprised I was able to make friends who are so close and who are real friends.”

“As a team, we have each other’s backs all the time,” Marissa  Delgado said. “Having an actual relative here solidifies that even more.”

“Within the first week, the people that I just met felt like family,” Claire  Gerlock said. “They’re so welcoming, inviting and loving. When I was able to experience that, I knew I made the right decision.”