Gamecock swimming and diving seniors Emma Barksdale and Fynn Minuth came away with wins during the first day of competition at the annual S.C. College Invite meet on Jan. 25.
The men's and women's swimming and diving teams competed against Queens University of Charlotte, Wingate University and the University of North Carolina Wilmington, with many successful performances.
Barksdale came in first in the women’s 200 IM with a time of 1:59.45 and Minuth won the men's 200 butterfly with 1:46.18. Minuth barely edged out second-ranked freshman Alex Kunert from Queens University of Charlotte.
Head coach McGee Moody spoke highly of Minuth, stating that he was able to “get to the wall first." Moody said that is going to be a focus for the team going forward.
Kate Sanderson, Ana Menendez-Nava, Mari Kraus and other Gamecocks were also able to come away with victories during the meet.
“They are some of the hardest workers I’ve ever seen,” Moody said.
The Gamecocks finished first and second with their A and B relay teams in the women’s 400 medley relay.
The diving team also competed well today, and diving head coach Todd Sherritt said that he was happy with the team's preparations heading into the competition.
“I was pretty happy with everyone’s performance,” Sherritt said. "We came off a really good meet last week and I think we carried a lot of momentum into this one."
After the first day of their last home meet, Sherritt lauded both of his seniors’ diving skills and their demeanor.
Sherritt said that Mikaela Lujan and Marissa DelGado are both extremely powerful divers and pleasant people to be around.
Both coaches are making sure their respective teams are prepped for the upcoming SEC meets in February and national competitions. Sherritt said that he is happy with where the diving team is currently at in its season.
“I think they've done all the work,” Sherritt said. “I feel like we're right on the money."
For South Carolina, Moody said that there were only some "small details" to work out, and might need to change up some things going into day two of the meet on Saturday.
The swimming and diving team will be in action for day two of the tournament Saturday and will look for continued improvements.
Competition for day two will begin at 10 a.m. at the Carolina Natatorium in the Blatt PE Center, but fans are welcome to come 15 minutes early to watch the Senior Day festivities, as this is the Gamecocks' last home meet of the season.