Swimming and Diving . January 4, 2025

Women’s Swimming & Diving Defeats Virginia Tech, Pelzek Sets Pool Record

Final Results

CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. – The South Carolina swimming & diving team completed the first dual meet of 2025, picking up 12 event wins and setting one pool record. The #22 Gamecock women defeated the Hokies 175-125 while the men fell 96-204.

Women

Greta Pelzek, Sophie Verzyl and Delaney Franklin led the women’s team, each picking up two individual event wins apiece. Additionally, four separate athletes set new best times.

Madison Kolessar kicked off the individual events with a win in the 1000 free, clocking a 9:49.56 after splitting under 30 seconds for every 50. Nora Fluck swam a 9:55.70 for third place.
Amy Riordan and Ellery Ottem went 1-2 in the 200 free, clocking 1:46.14 and 1:46.65 respectively.
Greta Pelzek picked up her first win of the day in the 200 fly, breaking the decade-old previous Christiansburg Aquatic Center pool record after clocking a 1:55.51. Currently this season Pelzek is undefeated in the event. The senior went on to claim her second win of the meet in the 100 fly after going a 53.13.
Breckin Gormley swam a new personal best of 1:56.89 in the 200 fly for a second place finish while Jordan Agliano completed a Gamecock sweep in the event, placing third with a 1:58.97.
Peyton Curry took second in the 50 free with a 22.77, only .04 away from first place. Dylan Scholes finished right behind her in third with a 22.91 as the only other swimmer to clock a time under 23.00. Curry went on to tie for first place in the 100 free with a 49.67 which is a new personal best for the senior. Scholes clocked a 50.12 for third.
Sophie Verzyl seamlessly dominated in both her events starting off with the 1-meter where she scored 295.88 which was over 20 points ahead of the runner-up. In the 3-meter the junior earned 369.53 points, 73.43 more than the next finisher.
Delaney Franklin swam a strong 200 breaststroke, consistently splitting 33s for the final three 50s to clock a new best time of 2:11.47 and win the event. Meaghan Harnish swam a season best 2:14.12 for third place. Franklin and Harnish went on to finish back-to-back in the 200 IM; Franklin took first place in 2:01.23 while Harnish was the runner-up with a time of 2:01.47.
The distance squad claimed the second through fifth places in the 500 free, led by Ellery Ottem who was the runner-up after swimming a 4:49.14.
The 400 free relay of Riordan, Curry, Ottem and Scholes swam the ninth fastest time in program history of 3:18.72 for a second-place finish to conclude the meet for the women.

Men

Connor Fry, Tommy Eaton and Max Spencer put up big points for the Gamecock men as they each picked up an individual event win.

Connor Fry opened individual events for the men on a high note with a strong win in the 1000 free after swimming a 9:06.20.
Kaden Smesko prevented a Hokie sweep in the 100 back, taking third place with a 47.17.
Linus Kahl placed third in the 100 breaststroke after swimming a 54.15, closely followed by Liam Kerns in fourth with a 54:52. Kahl and Kerns had strong performances in the 200 breaststroke as well, taking second and third respectively in a close race where second through sixth place all swam in the 1:59 range. Kahl clocked a 1:59.23 while Kerns swam a 1:59.34.
Tommy Eaton won the 200 fly with a 1:45.18, two seconds ahead of second place. The graduate student had a strong back half of the race, splitting 26.59 and 26.98 respectively.
Fry and Raymond Prosinski took a close second and third in 500 free, clocking 4:28.29 and 4:28.59 respectively.
Max Spencer and Charley Bayer led the field in the 3-meter, taking first and second place. Spencer won with 396.15 points while Charley Bayer was the runner up after tallying 348.68.

Up Next for the Gamecocks

South Carolina swimming & diving has two more dual meets on their slate before championship season begins. On January 11 the team heads back on the road to face Auburn before returning home to host Georgia Tech on January 25. Both meets begin at 10:00 a.m.

For the latest South Carolina swimming and diving information, continue to follow GamecocksOnline.com or the team on social media (@GamecocksSwmDive).