Swimming & Diving Places Five on All-SEC Teams, Schultz Named Diver of the Year
Columbia, S.C. – South Carolina swimming & diving saw five student-athletes named to the All-SEC Teams on Wednesday, the most the team has had since 2019. The Gamecocks placed one on the First Team, three on the Second Team, and one on the Freshman team.
Criteria for placement on the All-SEC Teams are as follows – The First Team consists of the top finisher in each event at the SEC Championships, the Second Team consist of the second and third place finishers in each event, and the All-Freshman Team consists of any redshirt or true freshman who finished either in the top eight or is the highest scoring freshman of each event at the SEC Championships, not including relays.
Representing the team on the All-SEC First Team was graduate diver Brooke Schultz. Schultz swept the springboards at the SEC Championships for the fourth time in her career this season and second time while donning the Garnet & Black. She was also named SEC Diver of the Meet for her efforts.
Schultz later went on to qualify for NCAAs on both the 1-meter and 3-meter springboards, placing ninth in the nation on the 1-meter and third in the nation on the 3-meter. She earned All-America status for her third place finish on the 3-meter.
The Fayetteville, Arkansas, native was also named the Women’s Diver of the Year for the second time in as many seasons. In 2022, Schultz was named Co-Diver of the Year in a three-way tie, but earned solo possession of the title this season. This is the fourth time of her career earning the honor, having also achieved the feat in both 2018 and 2019 while at the University of Arkansas.
On the All-SEC Second Team for the women was fellow diver Sophie Verzyl. Verzyl earned the first SEC medal of her career this season, placing second on the 3-meter board, just 6.7 point behind Schultz. Verzyl later went on to earn her first NCAA qualifications, picking up event berths in both springboard events.
Also on the All-SEC Second Team, representing South Carolina’s men’s team was sophomore swimmer Michael Laitarovsky and senior diver Manny Vazquez Bas.
Laitarovsky earned his spot on the team placing third in the 100 back, taking the bronze medal. His time of 45.27 lowered his own school record that he had previously set that morning in the preliminary heats. The performance gave Laitarovsky the first SEC medal of his career and earned him a spot in the event at the NCAA Championships.
Vazquez Bas secured his spot on the team with his second-place finish on the platform event. His silver-medal winning performance also set a new school record with a score of 432.75. The senior later went on to qualify for NCAAs on the platform where he placed fourth in the nation.
South Carolina’s final entry on the All-SEC team is Charley Bayer who made his way onto the All-Freshman Team. Bayer made the finals of the 3-meter competition at the SEC Championships where he placed seventh overall. He was the only freshman in the league to make finals of the event. He also was the highest-placing freshman in the 1-meter event at SECs with his 12th place finish.
SEC Women’s Diver of the Year
Brooke Schultz
All-SEC Teams
First Team
Brooke Schultz
Second Team
Sophie Verzyl
Michael Laitarovksy
Manny Vazquez Bas
Freshman Team
Charley Bayer
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