Gamecocks Set Two School Records on Second Night of SECs
ATHENS, Ga. – The South Carolina swimming & diving team completed the second day of the SEC Championship meet with two new school records from both the men’s and women’s programs.
Max Spencer, Charley Bayer and Tyler Hoard kicked off action for the Gamecock men, competing in the men’s 3-meter. Spencer (343.70) and Bayer (332.45) advanced to the consolation final after placing 11th and 12th respectively in the prelims. Spencer took second place and 10th overall after posting a 349.95 which included scores of 56.00 or better on all six dives with degree of difficulties of 3.0 or higher. The sophomore hit a high of 60.45 on his second dive, a 107B forward 3 ½ somersault pike. Bayer placed 14th overall with a score of 333.10, composed of individual dive scores of 52.50 or better including a high of 60.45 on his first dive. Combined the two brought in 30 points for the men.
The women’s 200 medley relay kicked off the swimming events of SEC Championships on a high note, setting a new school record and winning their heat in a time of 1:37.08. The quartet of Dylan Scholes, Liz Goodwin-Birnie, Greta Pelzek and Peyton Curry took eighth place overall, grabbing 44 points for the women’s program.
The men’s 200 medley relay carried the momentum into their event, setting the second school record of the night after also touching the wall first in their heat. Michael Laitarovsky, Liam Kerns, Eldor Usmonov and Ryan Hufford swam for a combined time of 1:23.79 which was good enough for seventh place overall and an NCAA B-cut.
The women’s 800 free relay of Ellery Ottem, Amy Riordan, Jordan Agliano and Meaghan Harnish took seventh place with a season best and fourth fastest time in program history of 7:04.29 after swimming in the outside lane of the second heat. Ottem led off with the second fastest split on the relay and new personal best of 1:45.66. Riordan narrowly out-split Ottem to swim the top time on the relay of 1:45.65 from the second leg.
The men’s 800 free relay capped off the night with a season best 6:23.00. The group of Hufford, Linus Kahl, Raymond Prosinski and Wylie Kruse etched their names onto the top 10 all-time list for the first time of the 2024-25 campaign, swimming the eighth fastest time in program history. Hufford led off in a new personal best time of 1:35.10.
After day two of the championship, the Gamecock women sit in sixth place with 118 points, only two points behind Tennessee. New SEC member Texas leads the pack with 238 points, 98 points ahead of Florida who is in second place. The Gamecock men are in eighth with 110 points, only one point behind Texas A&M. The Longhorns also lead on the men’s side, sitting atop the 11-team field with 176 points.
Day three of the SEC Championships consists of the 500 free, 200 IM, 50 free, women’s 3-meter and 200 free relay. Live results and streaming links can be found here.
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Results
Men’s 3-meter
10th – Max Spencer – 349.95
14th – Charley Bayer – 333.10
34th – Tyler Hoard – 260.55
Women’s 200 Medley Relay
8th – Scholes, Goodwin-Birnie, Pelzek, Curry – 1:37.08
Men’s 200 Medley Relay
7th – Laitarovsky, Kerns, Usmonov, Hufford – 1:23.79
Women’s 800 Free Relay
7th – Ottem, Riordan, Agliano, Harnish – 7:04.29
Men’s 800 Free Relay
10th – Hufford, Kahl, Prosinski, Kruse – 6:23.00
