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Winter Juniors qualifier Riley Richards has announced his verbal commitment to compete for the University of South Carolina beginning in the fall of 2026. He publicized the news on Instagram, writing:
I am super excited to announce my verbal commitment to the University of South Carolina. Most importantly, I would like to thank God for the ability to swim and the opportunity He has given me. Next, I would like to thank Coach Nils, Coach Jason, and the rest of the South Carolina Swim and Dive staff for this opportunity to represent South Carolina. I would then like to thank Chris junior, Chris senior, Scot, Coach Edgar, McGinty, and everyone else at Swim Atlanta that has been with me for my journey, thank you for supporting me in the sport of swim, and pushing me to go hard each day. Lastly, I’d like to thank my mother and the rest of my family who has always shown their support for me no matter the circumstance. This chapter of my life, is only the beginning. GO COCKS!!!!
A senior at Hebron Christian Academy in Lawrenceville, Georgia, Richards has been a member of his school’s varsity swimming and diving team since his freshman year. He also currently swims year-round with SwimAtlanta, where he primarily specializes in sprint freestyle.
Richards has steadily improved throughout his high school career, dropping time in his primary events each season. This year has been particularly strong, as he lowered his career bests from 21.19 to 20.50 in the 50 free, from 46.08 to 45.28 in the 100 free, and from 1:42.84 to 1:41.85 in the 200 free, though he only competed in the 200 three times during the season.
Richards is the defending Georgia High School Association 1-3A state champion in the 100 free. He won his first state title last February with a 45.56 and also finished runner-up in the 50 free with his first-ever sub-21 time of 20.99. He additionally anchored his team’s 400 free relay with a 45.44 split to secure a third-place finish.
Most recently, Richards competed at the Winter Junior Championships – East, where he finished 34th in the 50 free and 44th in the 100 free with his current lifetime bests.
In long course meters, Richards qualified for Junior Nationals over the summer, placing 60th in the 50m free (23.98) and 67th in the 100m free (52.37), slightly off his season-best times of 23.61 and 51.53 from earlier in the summer.
Top SCY Times:
- 50 Freestyle: 20.50
- 100 Freestyle: 45.28
- 200 Freestyle: 1:41.84
South Carolina, guided by head coach Jeff Poppell, competes in the SEC with powerhouses like Texas, Tennessee, and Florida. At the 2025 SEC Championships last February, the Gamecocks took 11th before sending two athletes on to compete at the NCAA Championships, where they finished 39th.
To earn a second swim at last season’s conference championships, it took times of 19.53/42.75 in the 50/100 free and 1:34.99 in the 200 free, putting Richards outside the cutoff in each of his top events. On the team itself, he would have ranked eighth in the 50, 100, and 200 free last season, contributing some added depth to the relay pool and dual meet lineup. The Gamecocks will lose three of the seven sprinters currently ahead of Richards to graduation at the end of this season, but with the additions from last fall’s recruiting class, his projected spot in the lineup should remain relatively unchanged.
Currently set to join him in the Gamecocks’ class of 2030 are fellow sprint freestyles William Alexander (20.89/45.52), Noah Schotz (22.93/50.39 LCM), and breaststroker Owen Harmon, who should all make for strong training partners over their four years together.
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