Emil Perez has announced he will transfer to South Carolina for the upcoming 2026-2027 season. Perez just finished his sophomore season at UNLV.
Perez concluded his season at the 2026 MPSF Championships and scored 35 individual points. He ‘A’ finaled in all three of his individual swims and was 6th in the 50 free in a 19.91, 8th in the 100 free in a 44.06, and 8th in the 100 fly in a 47.75. He also helped UNLV to two relay titles as a member of the 200 free and 200 medley relays. Perez notably swam a lifetime best 19.76 50 free in prelims.
He scored 32 points at the 2025 Western Athletic Championships as a freshman and was 5th in the 100 free, 8th in the 100 fly, and 10th in the 50 free.
Perez’s Best SCY Times Are:
- 50 free: 19.76
- 100 free: 43.54
- 100 fly: 47.07
The South Carolina men finished 11th out of 11 teams at the 2026 SEC Championships with 349 points. Missouri was 10th with 427 points. Pierre Largeron led the team with 52 individual points including a 6th place finish in the 500 free (4:11.88).
Based on his best times, Perez would have led the South Carolina men in the 50 free, been 2nd in the 100 free, and 3rd in the 100 fly this past season. It took a 19.57 50 free, 42.95 100 free, and a 46.48 100 fly to score at the 2026 SEC Championships. South Carolina only had one other swimmer sub-20 in the 50 free as Bexon Harrison swam a 19.84 leading off the team’s 200 free relay at SECs. That relay finished 9th out of nine teams at Georgia and Missouri were DQed.
Bauer becomes at least the 7th publicly announced transfer to join the Gamecock men this fall. Also arriving will be Grayson Nye (Tennessee), Brayden Franklin (West Virginia), Tyler Bardak (McKendree), Alex Baurer (Pitt), Sam Empey (Auburn), and Joey Stebbins (West Virginia).
Another transfer 🔥
Vamos Emil