Gamecocks Dominate First Meet of Poppell Era
COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina swimming & diving picked up a statement win over Gardner-Webb in its first meet under new head coach Jeff Poppell. Both teams were impressive with the women winning 222-68 and the men winning 192-75.
The Gamecocks took wins in every single event of the 32-event dual meet with the final five events moving to exhibition scoring.
Gamecock Notables
- Junior Janie Smith picked up where she left off last season, securing individual wins in the 200 free (1:51.59) and the 100 butterfly (55.75) as well as in two relay teams.
- Sophomores Sammie Ai and Aubrey Chandler picked up two wins each on the day.
- Transfer Laura Goettler made her debut as a Gamecock, winning the 200 breast with a time of 2:17.40.
- Freshman Greta Pelzek picked up a win in her first time in the pool as a Gamecock. She took the 200 butterfly with a time of 2:01.84.
- Freshman diver Sophie Verzyl achieved NCAA Zone qualifying scores in both the 1-meter (291.25) and the 3-meter (283.35).
- On the men’s side, fifth-year senior Tamas Novoszath picked up two freestyle wins in the 200 (1:40.01) and the 500 (4:33.20).
- Transfer Patrick Groters made his Gamecock debut, notching wins in the 200 backstroke (1:48.91) and the 200 IM (1:51.35).
- Juniors Jordan Yip Zhu Ern and Guy Gropper each picked up two wins on the day.
- Freshman Michael Laitarovsky secured his first wins as a Gamecock. He swam the lead in the winning 200 medley relay before picking up an individual win in the 100 backstroke (49.69).
- Transfer diver Manny Vazquez Bas achieved an NCAA Zone Qualifying score in the 1-meter dive (386.10).
Head Coach Jeff Poppell on the Team’s Performance
“We were very pleased with the efforts of our athletes today. They raced hard and did a nice job trying to implement the race strategies that we dicussed in advance of their swims. Our divers also got off to a great start to the season with some solid performances. We’ve still got a long way to go as a team but today was a good indicator of where we are presently and what areas we need to direct our focus moving forward.”
Up next for the Gamecocks
South Carolina hits the road to take on the Georgia Bulldogs in Athens, GA, on Oct. 23. The meet will begin at 11 a.m. in the Gabrielsen Natatorium.
For all the latest South Carolina swimming and diving information, continue to follow GamecocksOnline.com or the team on social media (@GamecockSwim).
