University of South Carolina Men Defeat Purdue Men in Home Opener

Photo Courtesy: University of South Carolina

The men of University of South Carolina hosted Purdue in their home opener Saturday. The Gamecocks turned in a win of 167-129 over the Purdue Boilermakers.

University of South Carolina Press Release:

The University of South Carolina 18th-ranked men’s swimming and diving team opened up its home slate with a 167-129 win over Purdue on Saturday afternoon at the Carolina Natatorium/Blatt P.E. Center.

“We were really good today,” said Gamecocks coach McGee Moody. “I didn’t really know what to expect from the amount of training we had done this week. We knew it was going to be a very close competition. They match up really well with us. They were 17th in the country last year at the NCAA Championships and we were 19th. We had some outstanding swims.”

The Gamecocks got off to a fast start by winning the 400-yard medley relay. The quartet of Bryce Kananowicz, Nils Wich-Glasen, Kevin Leithold and Jonathan Boland touched the pad in 3:16.91, nearly three seconds ahead of Purdue’s top team.

Akram Mahmoud (9:03.03) and Cody Bekemeyer (9:10.64) went 1-2 in the 1000 -yard freestyle to keep the momentum on the Gamecocks side early in the meet.

After Purdue won both the 200 freestyle and 100 backstroke, Wich-Glasen got the Gamecocks back in the win column with a 55.18 clocking in the 100-yard breaststroke, bettering the “B” standard time of 55.39. Mahmoud followed that up with his second win, posting a 1:49.36 to capture the 200-yard butterfly.

Purdue closed out the first portion of the swimming events by taking the top two spots in the 50-yard freestyle.

Leithold (44.96) and Patrick McCrillis (46.36) went 1-2 for the Gamecocks in the 100-yard freestyle, but the Boilermakers continued to have the upperhand in the backstroke events, taking the top two positions in the 200.

Wich-Glasen captured his second individual win and third first-place finish on the day with a victory in the 200-yard breaststroke, tapping the pad in 1:58.84, just ahead of the “B” standard time of 1:59.79.

Mahmoud won for the third time, posting a “B” cut time of 4:24.15 to take the 500-yard freestyle, just ahead of teammate Bekemeyer. Carolina also took the top two spots in the 100 butterfly behind Leithold (49.19) and Boland (49.69).

South Carolina swept the top three spots in the 400 IM behind Tomas Peribonio (3:55.86), Bekemeyer (3:56.74) and Phillip Willett (3:58.79).

The Gamecocks capped the meet with an exhibition win in the 400 freestyle relay, with Leithold, Mahmoud, McCrisslis and Boland touching in 3:01.01.

Sophomore Jordon Gotro (336.30) grabbed the top spot on the 1-meter springboard, then posted a 418.73 on the 3-meter board to sweep the diving competition.

In a separate event, the South Carolina women defeated the Clemson women in diving, 30-8.

The Gamecocks got off to a fast start on the 1-meter board, taking the top three spots. Julia Vincent led the way with a score of 316.43 to earn nine points. Marissa Roth (283.05) and Lauren Lamendola (281.03) took second and third in the event, respectively.

Vincent made it an individual sweep by scoring 31.7.70 on the 3-meter board, just ahead of teammate Lamendola, who tallied 303.00.

The Gamecocks open SEC action next Saturday when they host the Alabama Crimson Tide on October 31at the Blatt P.E. Center/Carolina Natatorium. The meet starts at 10 a.m.

Purdue Press Release:

Purdue men’s swimming and diving had at least the top two finishers in three events and was victorious in a fourth event, but dropped a dual meet at South Carolina 167-129 Saturday afternoon.

Alex Toetz won the 100 backstroke and finished second to teammate Joe Young in the 200 back, helping the Boilermakers dominate the backstroke events. Stephen Seliskar and Young finished two-three behind Toetz in the 100.

Austin Flager and Adam Johnston finished one-two in the in the 50 freestyle and Filip Bujoczekwas victorious in the 200 free.

“South Carolina helped simulate a Big Ten opponent for us today and showed us some things we need to work on,” Purdue head coach and South Carolina native Dan Ross said. “They demonstrated why they ended up as a top-20 team last year at NCAAs. I’m grateful for the opportunity to compete at an SEC opponent. Now it’s back to work and we’re home next week for a dual with Miami (Ohio). Then it’s back to Big Ten action hosting Iowa for the Nov. 6 co-ed meet during homecoming weekend. Thanks you to the Purdue fans that supported us in Columbia today and joined me in lauding my mother Joyce, who drove up from Aiken, South Carolina.”

Marat Amaltdinov and Joe Cifelli finished as the runner up in the breaststroke and diving events, respectively. Josh Brooks was the team’s top finisher in both distance freestyle events. Seliskar took third as the top Purdue finisher in the 100 butterfly to go along with his runner-up showing in the 100 back.

Danny Conway improved on his 200 butterfly time (1:49.36) from last weekend by nearly two seconds while finishing as the runner up Saturday. Amaltdinov bested both of his breaststroke times from last weekend, lowering his NCAA provisional-qualifying time in the 200 breast to 1:59.24. But he was out touched by German standout Nils Wich-Glasen in both breaststroke events.

Other new team season-best times were posted by Flager (50 free), Bujoczek (200 free), Brooks (1,000 free), Young (200 back) and Adam Noens (400 IM).

The Boilermakers return to action Friday when they host Miami (Ohio) at 6 p.m. The divers will compete the following day at the women’s triple dual with Notre Dame and Ohio State.

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