Swimming and Diving . February 19, 2025

Verzyl Wins Gold on Third Day of SECs, Gamecocks Set Two School Records

Final Results

ATHENS, Ga. – The South Carolina swimming & diving team capped off the third day of the SEC Championships with one gold medal performance, two school records and 10 athletes competing in individual events in finals.

The Gamecock women moved up one spot and now sit in fifth place with 273 points at the conclusion of day three. The men are in tenth with 152.

The Gamecock women kicked off day three action with yet another school record. Breckin Gormley became the first South Carolina woman to swim under 4:40 in the 500 freestyle, clocking a new school record of 4:39.03 from the prelims to book a spot at the top of the B finals in 9^th place. The junior swam 50 splits of 28.42 or faster including two marks in the 27 range and a 25.78 leadoff time. Freshman Nora Fluck secured a night swim as well in the 500 for her SEC debut, clocking a new personal best of 4:43.36 to place 19^th overall.

Fluck turned up the heat in C finals, shaving off nearly three more seconds in comeback fashion to touch the wall second by less than a tenth. The Hungarian native stayed in the middle of the pack for the majority of the first half of the race before kicking into a higher gear to battle with Megan Barnes in the lane over for first place. The two went back and forth before Barnes out-touched Fluck by .04 to take the heat win. The Gamecock clocked a 4:40.68, the second fastest time in program history, after splitting 28.80 or faster for each 50. Gormley added a second to her prelims time in finals but still placed in the top 15 in the conference.

Connor Fry was the lone Gamecock representing the men’s program in the 500 free finals, clocking a new best time of 4:17.47 in the prelims to make it back to the evening session. He swam steady splits in the mid 26 range for the middle six 50s before bringing it home in a 24.94, his fastest split of the race. Additionally, Fry is the first Gamecock to crack the all-time top 10 list in the event this season. In finals he swam a 4:20.50, placing 23^rd overall.

Three Gamecock women made it back in the 200 IM led by Greta Pelzek who clocked a 1:57.39 to place 13^th overall which was a season best and less than half a second off of her personal best. Delaney Franklin and Annaliese Streeter both picked up new best times in their prelim swims, clocking 1:58.02 and 1:58.35, respectively. Franklin’s time earned her a 14^th place finish while Streeter took 19^th. In finals, Streeter lowered her best to 1:57.88 which ranks fourth all-time in program history.

Linus Kahl represented the men in the 200 IM, placing 17^th in prelims to earn a night swim after swimming a new best of 1:44.33. He showed out in finals, breaking the 1:44 mark to clock another best time of 1:43.69 which is the second fastest time in Gamecock program history and is less than half a second off of the school record.

Peyton Curry dominated in the 50 freestyle, breaking the school record three separate times throughout prelims and finals. She started off with a 22.07 prelim time, shaving nearly .50 off of her previous best, to squeeze into the A final heat after taking 8^th place. The senior followed up with a 22.04 leadoff leg in the 200 free relay at the beginning of the finals session before wrapping up with a 22.01 in the championship final to place fifth overall. Dylan Scholes joined her in finals, swimming a best time of 22.27 in prelims to place 17^th. The junior clocked a 22.35 at night to place 20^th overall.

The women’s 200 free relay consisting of Curry, Scholes, Aubrey Finn and Amy Riordan nearly broke the school record, swimming the second fastest time in program history of 1:28.59 to place 9^th overall. The men’s relay of Quinn Buck, Ryan Hufford, Eldor Usmonov and Michael Laitarovsky also swam a season best, clocking the sixth fastest time in program history of 1:17.94 for 10^th.

Sophie Verzyl brought home gold for the Gamecocks, becoming the SEC Champion in the 3-meter with a final score of 392.15. The junior had a near flawless event, putting up scores higher than 60 on five of the six dives including a stellar 78.20 on her final dive of a 5154B forward 2 ½ somersault 2 twist pike where she was competing at a 3.4 level of difficulty.

“I’m happy with how I did,” Verzyl stated. “I had a goal, and I achieved it, and I was just having a great time doing the sport I love with the team that I love. It was just a great time.”

Day four of the SEC Championships consists of the 400 IM, 100 Fly, 200 free and men’s 1-meter. Live results and streaming links can be found here.

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

Finals Results

Women’s 200 Free Relay

9^th – Curry, Scholes, Finn, Rordan – 1:28.59

Men’s 200 Free Relay

10^th – Buck, Hufford, Usmonov, Laitarovsky – 1:17.94

Women’s 500 Freestyle

14^th – Breckin Gormley – 4:40.04

18^th – Nora Fluck – 4:40.68

Men’s 500 Free

23^rd – Connor Fry – 4:20.50

Women’s 200 IM

13^th – Delaney Franklin – 1:58.59