South Carolina Gamecocks Swimming and Diving

Too bad for South Carolina Gamecocks Swimming and Diving that they are in the Southeastern Conference. I mean, the SEC is a great conference and great place to be. But, it dominates college swimming. As a result, South Carolina is one of the bottom teams in the conference -- even though they are ranked in the top 30 nationally.

The USC (the "real" USC) swimming and diving teams had a good season opener against Virginia Tech in the beginning of October. However, despite their efforts, they were no match for Virginia Tech and finished the meet with a score of 191-108 in favor of Hokie men and 176-124 for Hokie women. Virginia Tech established a lead early during the match and maintained it throughout the competition. Gamecock head coach, McGee Moody, was nevertheless pleased with the performance of the team and felt it was a good base to improve as the season progresses.


Next on schedule was a meet with LSU Tigers in Columbia, South Carolina. Coach Moody was excited about the game and felt that after a week of good training, the team is ready to meet their first Southeastern Conference rival, the LSU Tigers. The competition was heated between the South Carolina Gamecocks swimming and diving women’s team and LSU Tiger women, who nonetheless managed to gain an upper hand, finishing with a 164-136 decision. The Gamecock men’s team didn’t fare as well, losing handsomely to the LSU Tigers. By the end of the meet, the score was 204.5-94.5 in favor of Tigers. While disappointed, coach Moody saw the meet as positive, giving the team perspective on what they need to improve on. There were a lot of close races, he said, that should not have been lost, which give a clear direction on what to improve on during the next two weeks of practice.


Following the two defeats, the Gamecocks traveled to Knoxville, Tennessee for a tri-meet against University of Tennessee and Kentucky. Unfortunately, the string of losses continued even here as both the men’s and women’s teams lost their respective matches.


The Tennessee Lady Vols took the upper hand against South Carolina, posting 213-87 by the end of the match.


The Gamecocks fared no better against the Kentucky Wildcats, scoring 183-117, giving the Wildcats a decisive victory. The Gamecock men didn’t have much luck either, finishing with a decision of 202-96.


Traveling to Clemson, South Carolina to meet their in-state rival, the Gamecocks were not deterred by the recent string of losses. The South Carolina Gamecocks swimming and diving women’s team managed to get their first victory for the season, finishing with a score of 157-143. The men, however, fared no better than during the previous meet, suffering a decisive defeat by the Tigers with the final decision of 206-97 in favor of the Tigers.


Get your favorite Gamecock merchandise at South Carolina Gamecocks Fan Store.

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