Men's Swim and Dive Defeat SEC Powerhouse in Season Opener

Friday, September 23

Columbia, SC

3:00 PM

Army West Point

158

140

University of South Carolina

Men's Swim and Dive Defeat SEC Powerhouse in Season Opener

September 24, 2022 | Men's Swimming and Diving, Women's Swimming and Diving

MEET
MEN'S SCORES	Army 158, South Carolina 140
MEN'S RECORDS	Army (1-0) South Carolina (0-1)
WOMEN'S SCORES	Army 88, South Carolina 204
WOMEN'S RECORDS	Army (0-1) South Carolina (1-0)

Columbia, S.C.- In Army's season opener results are split between the men's and women's swimming and diving teams. The men defeated powerhouse South Carolina 158-140, while the Gamecocks defeated the women 204-88.

How it Happened:

Men's: The Black Knights defeated the SEC force University of South Carolina. Black Knights had the top two finishers in the men's 200-yard Freestyle with Tanner Falls finishing with a time of 1:39.64 and Wes Tate finishing with 1:39.81 respectively.

In many events the Black Knights dominated early and took the top two spots as well as finishing third. Evan Yoo finished second in the Men's 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 55.72, while Freshman Kohen Rankin finished first with a time of 55.62. Each received nine and four points towards Army's score respectively.

The men's 200 medley relay team turned into a real nail biter. The Black Knights' Billy Kim, Kohen Rankin, Jacob Powell, and Owen Harlow all finished first with a time of 1:29.99 against South Carolina's Michael Laitarovsky, Daniel West, Erge Gezmis, and Mark Shperkin. With this victory against the Gamecocks Army received 11 points.

Freshman Kohen Rankin had a first-place finish and a second-place finish, (1^st in the 100 yd breast, and second in the 200 breast.) Sophomore Evan Yoo also had 3 top finishes; he finished first in 200 yd. Breast, second in the 100 Breast, and third in the 200 IM. Junior Sam Wesley saw success against South Carolina. He finished first in the 200 Back and again in the 200 IM.

With this victory against South Carolina, the Black Knights are looking to continue their success in Wilmington, NC and will go up against UNCW.

Women's Team: The Black Knights fell to a strong USC team, finishing 88 to 204. While the Gamecocks took control early, the Black Knights were still in contention in several events. The Black Knights finished top four in the 1000 yd. Free and the 200 yd. Free. Freshman, Molly Webber had a first-place finish in the 500 yd. Free. Sophomore Diver, Minh Donnell finished in the top 5 in the diving events; she finished third in the 1 Meter Dive and fourth in the 3 Meter Dive. Freshman Molly Webber also had success and kept close behind South Carolina's Victoria Kwan finishing second with a time of 2:01.99. Freshman Catriona Gilmore also stayed close behind South Carolina finishing second with a time of 1:04.14.

Although falling to the Gamecocks, Army had top two finishers. Layne Peterson finished second in the 200 Meter Back, with a time of 2:05.91, Catriona Gilmore finished second in the 200 Breast, and Meghan Cole finished second in the 100 Butterfly.

Sophomore Diver, Minh Donnell finished in the top 5 in the diving events; she finished third in the 1 Meter Dive and fourth in the 3 Meter Dive. Freshman Molly Webber also had success and kept close behind South Carolina's Victoria Kwan finishing second with a time of 2:01.99. Freshman Catriona Gilmore also stayed close behind South Carolina finishing second with a time of 1:04.14.

Coaches Corner: Brandt Nigro on today's meet: "I was really proud of how the team competed and carried themselves today. We have a tendency to come out flat early in the season, especially after long travel and we made it a priority to be sure to strike first this season… On the men's side, I'm so proud of how far they've come over the last year. Owen Harlow stepped up big walking away with 4 wins and individual times/splits that are so far ahead of where he was last year. Evan Yoo picked up where he left off last year and took care of business in all 3 of his events. I'm so impressed with the way Sam Wesley raced today with passion, but more importantly, confidence and belief in himself. I could go on, but bottom line this was a team win and big moment for our program… On the women's side, we saw the results of many months of hard work, elevated commitment, and a great plebe class. Molly Webber was great today in all of her events and picked up a big win against so high-level competition. Catriona Gilmore was great in all her races and really adds depth and fire to our breaststroke and IM events. Minh Donnell was great on the boards, picking up a 3rd place on 1 M against a team that regularly sends divers to the NCAA Championship. The energy and bond that this team is bringing to each practice and now our first meet is impressive and I'm excited to see where we can go once we get everyone healthy and back together!"

Up Next: The Black Knights are back at it again when they compete against the University of North Carolina Wilmington at David B. Allen Natatorium on Saturday, September 24, at 11AM.