Six Gamecocks Earn Invitations to NCAAs
Columbia, S.C. – The NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming & Diving Committee announced the swimming participants that will compete in the upcoming 2023 NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships. The championships, hosted by the University of Tennessee, will be held March 15-18 at the Allen Jones Aquatic Center in Knoxville, Tenn.
Six of South Carolina’s women have made the cut, a huge improvement from the previous two seasons where the Gamecocks only had one swimmer qualify for the event.
Graduate Victoria Kwan eared qualifying times in two events – the 200 IM and the 400 IM. Kwan swam career best times in the Garnet & Black at this past weekend’s UGA Last Chance Invitational. She secured the 200 IM invite by swimming a 1:55.78, and the 400 IM invite by swimming a 4:07.46.
This will be Kwan’s third time competing at the Championships but fourth time qualifying. As a sophomore, Kwan earned invites in the 200 fly and 400 IM in 2020 before the event was cancelled due to covid-19. She has a career high NCAA finish of 24th place in the 200 fly in 2021, and 24th place in the 400 IM in 2022.
Also in the 400 IM will be junior Laura Goettler. Goettler swam a 4:10.27 at the SEC Championships in February to secure her invitation. It will be the first appearance of her career at the NCAAs.
In the butterfly events, South Carolina will be represented by junior Nicholle Toh in the 100 and sophomore Greta Pelzek in the 200. Toh recently set a new school record in the 100 fly at the UGA Last Chance meet where she swam a 51.89 for her NCAA qualifying time.
Pelzek swam her qualifying time at the SEC Championships. Her 1:55.64 makes her the third fastest swimmer in program history. This will be both Toh and Pelzek’s first appearance at the NCAAs.
Moldovan Olympian Tatiana Salcutan will represent South Carolina in the 200 back. Her qualifying time of 1:53.74 was swam at the SEC Championships. This will be Salcutan’s second appearance at the NCAAs, having competed in 2022 for Louisville. Salcutan finished 20th in the 200 back and 43rd in the 100 back that year.
South Carolina’s final swimmer in the Championships will be senior Janie Smith. Smith, a four-year letter winner for the Gamecocks, will be making the second NCAA appearance of her career, having been South Carolina’s lone qualifier at the 2021 Championships.
In 2021, Smith placed 45th in the 50 free, 44th in the 100 fly, and 34th in the 100 free. Smith earned her 2023 invite for her performance in the 100 free at the SEC Championships. Her 48.32 won the B-final and took down her own school record.
The Gamecock divers are still in search of qualifications and will compete at the NCAA Zone B Championships on March 5-8 in Knoxville, Tenn.
For all the latest South Carolina swimming and diving information, continue to follow GamecocksOnline.com or the team on social media (@GamecockSwim).
Qualifiers
Victoria Kwan – 200 IM, 400 IM
Laura Goettler – 400 IM
Nicholle Toh – 100 Fly
Greta Pelzek – 200 fly
Tatiana Salcutan – 200 back
Janie Smith – 100 free
