2024 Gamecock Swimming Invitational
- November 19-24, 2024
- Colombia, SC
- 25 Yards (SCY)
- Participating Teams: South Carolina, UNC, UNC-Wilmington, Tampa, Vanderbilt, ECU, Carson-Newman, Georgia Southern, Milligan, North Florida
- Finals Results: Day 1 | Day 2
Women’s Meet
The race in the women’s team standings has tightened as the South Carolina Gamecocks closed the gap to cross-border rivals UNC, edging out to a 2.5-point lead with one day of competition remaining.
South Carolina snapped UNC’s streak of 1-2 relay finishes during the women’s 200 medley relay. UNC’s team of Greer Pattison (24.05), Skyler Smith (26.28), Elizabeth Sowards (23.27), and Georgia Nel (21.90) won the event in an NCAA ‘A’ cut 1:35.50. But the Gamecocks were able to get ahead of the Tar Heels’ ‘B’ relay with a 1:38.28, good for sixth in program history.
The first half of UNC’s relay, Pattison and Smith, won their individual 100s of stroke. First, Smith dominated the women’s 100 breaststroke, winning in a lifetime best 58.26. That improves on the 58.65 she swam to make the 2024 NCAA ‘B’ final, where she finished 12th, and resets her school record.
Then, Pattison won the 100 backstroke in 52.77. After turning just two-hundredths ahead of South Carolina’s Dylan Scholes, Pattison split 27.30 on the second 50 yards to distance herself and win by .13 seconds. Scholes’ 52.90 for second place prevented a 1-2-3 sweep from the Tar Heels, as Sophia Frei and Sowards took 3rd and 4th.
Mary Macaulay completed her IM sweep, leading a podium sweep for the Tar Heels. She swam away on the back half of the race, clocking a 4:11.17 to finish .15 seconds ahead of her teammate, Aislin Farris (4:11.32). Ava Muzzy (4:12.21) touched third, and all three moved up in the Tar Heels’ all-time rankings. Macauley now sits sixth, Farris in a tie for seventh, and Muzzy is ninth.
Further back, Tampa freshman Burlingtyn Bokos swam a program record of 4:16.89 to finish eighth.
UNC was building momentum after winning the first two events of the session, but South Carolina responded with two event wins of their own. After swimming a season-best 52.57, Greta Pelzek won the women’s 100 butterfly in 52.57. The 100 fly was a strong event for the Gamecocks; UNCW’s Cameron Snowden finished second (53.33) but the Gamecocks had five swimmers in the 10-person ‘A’ final and went 1-3-5-6-8.
Amy Riordan, last year’s breakout swimmer for the Gamecocks, followed up by winning the 200 freestyle. She posted a 1;45.60 to beat Nel by .58 seconds. South Carolina seemed to split their top swimmers evenly for the 800 freestyle relay, where they claimed the top two spots.
Ellery Ottem (1:46.00), Meagan Harnish (1:47.95), Megan Willar (1:49.59), and Emma Reiser (1:48.47) won in 7:12.01.
Men’s Meet
The UNC men are in full control of the team standings with 923 points. Tampa remains in second place, though South Carolina has closed the gap from 47 points to 23.
The Tar Heels won every event but the 800 free relay to end the session. Their 200 medley relay highlighted the night, as Walker Davis (21.07), Ben Delmar (23.87), Boyd Poelke (20.28), and Louis Dramm (18.46) swam a 1:23.68 to earn another school record.
The Tampa men kept their momentum from the first night going in the first event as well. Their fourth-place time of 1:25.83 from William Beckstead-Holman (22.10), Jared Mindek (24.16), Tibor Tistan (20.12), and Caleb Brandon (19.45) set a new Spartan record.
Dramm had a quick turnaround for the 400 IM. He won in 3:42.43, joining his teammate Macauley in the IM sweep. South Carolina’s Raymond Prsinski took second in 3:47.16. That upset a Tar Heel podium sweep, but UNC got one in the next event, as PJ Foy (45.25), Poelke (45.40), and Seb Lunak (45.66) claimed the top three spots in the 100 fly.
Tibor Tistan finished fourth for Tampa in 46.62, moving to the top of the Division II rankings in the event. It’s his second division-leading time of the meet, adding to the 19.31 he swam to win the 50 freestyle yesterday. The time is a 1.13-second drop from his lifetime best of 47.75 coming into the meet.
Canadian Olympian Patrick Hussey shaved six-hundredths off his 200 freestyle personal best to win the event in Columbia. Hussey shed about three seconds off his 500 freestyle best yesterday, and he’s followed that up with a 1:33.00 in the 200 free, improving from his 1:33.06 from 2024 ACCs. Behind UNC’s 1-2 finish, Tampa took third and fourth with Rafael Ponce de Leon (1:36.61) and newly-minted DII record holder Jacob Hamlin (1:36.97).
Delmar and Davis won the 100 breast and 100 back for the Tar Heels, respectively. Delmar touched in 52.44 to win the breaststroke, while Davis swam 45.96—a tenth off his personal best earlier this season—to win the backstroke.
Tampa’s quartet of Parker Knollman (1:37.16), Hamlin (1:36.21), Jaxson Row (1:37.56), and Ponce De Leon (1:36.23) combined for a winning time of 6:27.12, breaking the pool record that had stood since 1995. The Spartans won the 800 freestyle relay at DII NCAAs last season in 6:20.78.
Team Scores Thru Day 2
Women
- South Carolina — 954.5
- UNC — 952
- Tampa — 303
- East Carolina — 258
- UNC-Wilmington — 254
- Vanderbilt — 223
- Georgia Southern — 127.5
- North Florida — 91
- Carson-Newman — 53
- Milligan — 28
Men
- UNC — 923
- Tampa — 583
- South Carolina — 555
- UNC-Wilmington — 383
- Carson-Newman — 186
- Milligan — 165
