South Carolina Earns Women’s and Men’s Wins Over Duke
The South Carolina Gamecocks are spending the weekend in the Triangle Area, having taken on Duke in dual meet action before swimming against North Carolina Saturday. The first half of that doubleheader went perfectly for South Carolina, with the women earning a 161-139 win and the men squeaking out a 155-145 triumph.
Madison Kolessar started off the meet with a win in the 1000 freestyle (9:50.76), and she returned to win the 500 free in 4:50.89. Amy Riordan scored the win in the 200 free (1:45.71). Greta Pelzel captured both butterfly events, clocking 1:55.11 in the 200 and 52.63 in the 100, and Sophie Verzul topped 3-meter diving (390.53).
The Gamecocks’ team of Riordan, Peyton Curry, Ellery Ottem and Dylan Scholes scored the win in the 400 free relay in 3:17.16 to conclude the meet.
The Blue Devil women were led by Kaelyn Gridley, the fifth-place finisher in both breaststroke events at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Gridley won the 100 breast in 58.68, a time which would have placed her in the B-final at last year’s NCAA Championships (in which she finished 17th). Gridley also clocked 2:09.35 for a dominant win in the 200 breast, and she split 26.62 as Duke won the 200 medley relay by almost three seconds, with Ali Pfaff, Aleyna Ozkan and Tatum Wall rounding out the relay in a time of 1:36.60.
Pfaff dominated the 100 back (51.66) and 200 back (1:53.69), and Wall won the 50 free (22.15) and 100 free (49.07). Martina Peroni won the 200 IM (1:59.80). Margo Omeara won 1-meter diving (332.93).
Beginning the competition for the South Carolina men, the team of Michael Laitarovsky, Liam Kerns, Eldor Usmonov and Wylie Kruse won the 200 medley relay in 1:27.07, and the 1000 free went to Raymond Prosinski (9:11.50). Kerns won the 100 breast (54.27). Kruse led the way in the 200 back (1:46.30), and Linus Kahl won the 200 breast (1:58.53) before Connor Fry led a 1-2-3 finish for South Carolina in the 500 free, clocking 4:25.66.
Usmonov swam a time of 47.34 to finish atop the 100 fly, and the day’s final individual event, the 200 IM, went to South Carolina’s Tommy Eaton in 1:47.86. Ryan Hufford, Kahl, Usmonov and Quinn Buck won the 400 free relay for the Gamecocks in 2:58.97.
JC Castrillon took the Blue Devils’ first win in the 200 free (1:38.49), and Michael Jiang came out on top in the 100 back (48.36). Yugo Tsukikawa was victorious in the 200 fly (1:48.28), followed by Milo Shue winning the 50 free (20.35) and Charlie Morici topping the 100 free (44.63). In diving, Duke’s Yannis Schattman topped 1-meter (342.45) and 3-meter (380.55).