Gamecocks Finish SEC Championship Meet Strong
AUBURN, Ala.— South Carolina swimming and diving finished the 2020 SEC Championships on a high note, sending two swimmers to A-finals and breaking two school records. The Gamecocks finished the meet ninth on the women’s side with 427 points and 10th on the men’s with 504 behind 12 program-record breaking times over the five-day event.
Three Gamecocks advanced to the finals in the 200 back, led by senior Kevin Liu swimming a 1:43.11 in the prelims to reach the B-final. Senior Emily Cornell and junior Mari Kraus advanced to the C-final as the No. 1 and 2 seeds.
In the 100 free, sophomore Lewis Burras broke the Gamecocks’ 11-year-old record twice as his prelim 42.33 sent him third into the A-final, and his 42.28 there was good for fourth. Freshmen Mark Shperkin and Guy Gropper advanced to the C-final Saturday night. Shperkin joined Burras as the only Gamecocks all-time to touch under 43 seconds in the event, turning in a 42.73 in the final.
The South Carolina breaststrokers were back at work Saturday with senior Albury Higgs advancing to an A-final for the second-straight night. Her 2:09.33 in the final was good for seventh. Freshman Taylor Steele landed in the C-final where she posted a personal-best 2:11.32. On the men’s side, both senior Lionel Khoo and freshman Jordan Yip made it to the C-final as well.
The Gamecocks finished the meet strong with the 400 freestyle relay team of Lappin, Smith, Cornell and Kinsey swam the second fastest time in program history, 3:17.16, for the women. The men’s team of Burras, Costin, Shperkin and Gropper capped off the meet in historic fashion, swimming a program record of 2:51.16
Top Gamecock Times:
| NAME | EVENT | TIME/SCORE | PLACE |
| Emily Cornell | 200 Back (W) | 1:55.43 | 17th (Prelim) |
| Kevin Liu | 200 Back (M) | 1:4311 | 13th (Prelim) |
| Janie Smith | 100 Free (W) | 49.34 | 25th (Prelim) |
| Lewis Burras | 100 Free (M) | 42.28* | 4th (Prelim) |
| Albury Higgs | 200 Breast (W) | 2:08.85 | 6th (Prelim) |
| Lionel Khoo | 200 Breast (M) | 1:57.00 | 17th (Prelim) |
| Haley Arner | 1650 Free (W) | 17:01.78 | 36th |
| Coleman Kramer | 1650 Free (W) | 15:22.43 | 19th |
| Lappin, Smith, Cornell, Kinsey | 400 Free Relay (W) | 3:17.16 | 10th |
| Burras, Costin, Shperkin, Gropper | 400 Free Relay (M) | 2:51.16* | T-5th |
*Denotes Program Record
QUOTABLE HEAD COACH MCGEE MOODY
“I thought tonight was really good. This is one of the toughest meets to work your way through, it’s the longest college meet in the country. When you get to day five of the meet, it’s a challenge to keep your team motivated and up and full of energy and our team did that. If you’re able to break records on the final night of the SEC Championship your training has paid off. I was really proud of Albury Higgs’s 200 breaststroke as it was her final one here at the SEC’s. I was also really happy with Taylor Steele stepping into that role and going a lifetime best tonight. Lewis Burras took our 100 freestyle record to a whole new level tonight, dropping it by over a second. In our final event, our men’s 400 free relay set a new school record by right around four seconds, which is unheard of. Our sprint group has stepped up this year, they’ve been awesome, Coach Erin Mullins and Coach Mike Simpson have taken that group and given it an identity and are becoming one of the elite sprint groups in the country. All in all great meet and we’re excited to move on to the NCAA Championship.”
Up Next for the Gamecocks
The Gamecocks will return home on Sunday where they will prepare the Georgia Last Chance meet Feb. 28-March 1. Diving will prepare for its NCAA Zone B Championships in Athens, Ga., March 9-11.
For more swimming updates, follow South Carolina Swimming and Diving on Twitter at @GamecockSwim.
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