Gamecocks Ready for SEC Championships Test in Athens
The 2019 SEC Championships will be hosted by the University of Georgia from Tuesday through Saturday at the Gabrielsen Natatorium.
COLUMBIA, S.C.- South Carolina men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams get set to kick off championship season as they head to Athens, Ga., for the 2019 Southeastern Conference Championships at the Gabrielsen Natatorium. This year’s SEC Championships will run from Feb. 19-23 with a morning preliminary session and an evening finals session on each day of competition.
“This is why our student-athletes come here,” said head coach McGee Moody. “They want to be a part of this environment.”
The meet will begin Tuesday with diving prelims at 10:30 a.m., followed by swimming and diving finals starting at 5 p.m. From Wednesday through Saturday, the swimming prelims will open at 10 a.m., followed by diving prelims at 12:30 p.m. and all finals at 6 p.m
Athens and the University of Georgia will play host to the swimming and diving SEC Championships for the first time since 2014 and the 12th time overall.
Each session will air on SEC Network +. The Friday and Saturday finals will have Rich Burk doing play-by-play with analysis from Rowdy Gaines (swimming), Cynthia Potter (diving), and Victoria Arlen (deck reporter).
GAMECOCKS SEC CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY:
- Fynn Minuth looks to continue etching his name into the SEC Championship history books as he travels to Athens as a two-time defending SEC Champion in the 500 free.
- Minuth defended his title in the 500 free with an SEC record time of 4:10.53 and captured his second conference championship of the week with a 1:41.25 in the 200 fly at last year’s SEC Championships.
- Marissa Delgado set a school record in the 200 fly (1:57.21) at last year’s SEC Championships.
- South Carolina’s men have had 11 conference championship performances since joining the Southeastern Conference while the women’s side has tallied 14 individual SEC Championships.
- Carolina has had 13 total diving conference champions, each of which came on the women’s side.
2019 GAMECOCK TOP SWIMS:
| NAME | EVENT | TIME | MEET | Natn’l Rk. |
| Christina Lappin | 50 free (W) | 22.57 (B) | GT Invite | |
| Christina Lappin | 100 fly (W) | 52.98 (B) | GT Invite | |
| Kate Sanderson | 1000 free (W) | 9:52.70 | vs. ECU | 31 |
| Kate Sanderson | 1650 free (W) | 16:17.76 (B) | GT Invite | 33 |
| Emily Cornell | 200 back (W) | 1:55.72 (B) | GT Invite | |
| Emma Barksdale | 100 breast (W) | 1:01.57 (B) | at UNC | |
| Emma Barksdale | 200 breast (W) | 2:13.61 (B) | vs. Arkansas | |
| Emma Barksdale | 200 fly (W) | *1:55.63 (B) | GT Invite | 21 |
| Emma Barksdale | 200 IM (W) | 1:55.75 (B) | GT Invite | 10 |
| Emma Barksdale | 400 IM (W) | 4:08.97 (B) | GT Invite | 16 |
| Albury Higgs | 100 breast (W) | 1:01.59 (B) | GT Invite | |
| Albury Higgs | 200 breast (W) | 2:10.44 (B) | GT Invite | 30 |
| Melinda Novoszath | 200 fly (W) | 1:58.12 (B) | GT Invite | |
| Hallie Kinsey | 200 fly (W) | 1:58.25 (B) | GT Invite | |
| Hallie Kinsey | 200 IM (W) | 1:58.29 (B) | GT Invite | |
| Mikaela Lujan | 3-meter diving | 338.48 | vs. Arkansas | |
| Karlee Price | 3-meter diving | 346.13 | vs. ECU | |
| Marissa Roth | Platform | 263.50 | GT Invite | 15 |
| 400 free relay (W) | 400 FR (W) | *3:18.88 | GT Invite | 30 |
| 800 free relay (W) | 800 FR (W) | 7:17.10 | GT Invite | 37 |
| 800 free relay (M) | 800 FR (M) | 6:32.91 | GT Invite | 34 |
| Fynn Minuth | 500 free (M) | 4:19.44 (B) | GT Invite | 40 |
| Fynn Minuth | 200 fly (M) | 1:44.70 (B) | GT Invite | 44 |
| Rafael Davila | 500 free (M) | 4:22.18 (B) | GT Invite | |
| Rafael Davila | 1000 free (M) | 9:08.52 | GT Invite | 48 |
| Rafael Davila | 1650 free (M) | 15:12.35 | GT Invite | 46 |
| Cody Bekemeyer | 1650 free (M) | 15:12.35 (B) | GT Invite | 43 |
| Kevin Liu | 200 back (M) | 1:44.40 (B) | GT Invite | |
| Lionel Khoo | 100 breast (M) | 53.41 (B) | GT Invite | 38 |
| Lionel Khoo | 200 breast (M) | 1:58.12 (B) | GT Invite | |
| Anton Down-Jenkins | 1-meter dive | 358.70 | at UNC | |
| Anton Down-Jenkins | 3-meter dive | 438.98 | vs. ECU |
* South Carolina school record
QUOTEABLE: HEAD COACH MCGEE MOODY
“This is why our student-athletes come here. They want to be a part of this environment. The team race that goes on (at the SEC Championships) is incredible. The atmosphere is fun and there’s so much fast swimming. The rest of the swimming world stops to see what the SEC is going to do— we sort of set the standard for the rest of the standard as far as what other conferences need to do to make NCAAs.”
QUOTEABLE: HEAD DIVING COACH TODD SHERRITT
“The biggest thing I see is that the team has started to pick up its pace. I thought we made a really good turn coming out of Christmas. Between our last meet and now, we’ve made some minor adjustments and things are really coming together. It’s fun to see that because some of these kids think they won’t peak at the right time, but they don’t always know that coach has that map and at certain times things are going to kick into place.”
UP NEXT FOR THE GAMECOCKS
South Carolina’s divers will compete next at the NCAA Zone Championships in Auburn, Ala., from March 11-13. Select student-athletes will compete at the 2019 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships on March 20-23 (women’s) and March 27-30 (men’s).
For more swimming updates, follow South Carolina Swimming and Diving on Twitter at @GamecockSwim.
