Unusual Suspects | South Carolina's Dominant D-Group
Unusual Suspects | South Carolina's Dominant D-Group
Unusual Suspects features NCAA Division I swimming programs that have quietly experienced some success the past few years and are poised to break out at the 2018 NCAA Division I Swimming and Diving Championships.
In Unusual Suspects, we profile both men's and women's programs that have quietly experienced some success the past few years and are poised to break out at the 2018 NCAA Division I Swimming and Diving Championships.
Under the leadership of head coach McGee Moody, the South Carolina men's team has always had a handful of studs experience success at the elite level -- namely NCAAs -- including Michael Flach, Kyle Cormier, Nick Walkotten, and Marwan El Kamash, before he transferred to Indiana as a senior.
But ever since Mark Bernardino -- coach of 27 ACC championship teams at Virginia -- arrived as associate head coach in Columbia, SC, in 2014, things have seemingly shifted for the better -- especially with the distance group and IMers.
While the SEC is a formidable gauntlet of depth in college swimming, the Gamecocks have fared pretty well recently. But they have made their biggest jump up the rankings where it counts most with their continual improvement at NCAAs, which you can see below.
NCAA Championships -- 34th
NCAA Championships -- 19th
NCAA Championships -- 17th
NCAA Championships -- 15th
South Carolina is led primarily by Fynn Minuth, Akaram Mahmoud, Tom Peribonio, Cody Bekemeyer, and Nils Wich-Glasen. Those five guys were solely responsible for all of South Carolina's 99 points at the 2017 NCAA Championships, which resulted in a 15th-place finish -- the Gamecocks' highest result since 1988.
Even better -- all five of them are returning for the 2017-2018 season.
Minuth, Mahmoud, Peribonio, and Bekemeyer were all on USC's only scoring relay as well -- a 13th-place 800 freestyle relay which accounted for eight of their 99 points.
Almeida is an incoming freshman from São Paulo, Brazil. While he does not have any experience in short course yards, his resume in the long course meters pool speaks for itself. What events does he swim, you ask? The 400m/800m/1500m freestyle and 200m/400m IM, of course. Check out his best times in LCM below. While Almeida isn't proven on the NCAA scene yet, you can bet he will make a significant impact for the Gamecocks this season.
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Under the leadership of head coach McGee Moody, the South Carolina men's team has always had a handful of studs experience success at the elite level -- namely NCAAs -- including Michael Flach, Kyle Cormier, Nick Walkotten, and Marwan El Kamash, before he transferred to Indiana as a senior.
But ever since Mark Bernardino -- coach of 27 ACC championship teams at Virginia -- arrived as associate head coach in Columbia, SC, in 2014, things have seemingly shifted for the better -- especially with the distance group and IMers.
While the SEC is a formidable gauntlet of depth in college swimming, the Gamecocks have fared pretty well recently. But they have made their biggest jump up the rankings where it counts most with their continual improvement at NCAAs, which you can see below.
2014 Results
SEC Championships -- 10thNCAA Championships -- 34th
2015 Results
SEC Championships -- 7thNCAA Championships -- 19th
2016 Results
SEC Championships -- 7thNCAA Championships -- 17th
2017 Results
SEC Championships -- 8thNCAA Championships -- 15th
South Carolina is led primarily by Fynn Minuth, Akaram Mahmoud, Tom Peribonio, Cody Bekemeyer, and Nils Wich-Glasen. Those five guys were solely responsible for all of South Carolina's 99 points at the 2017 NCAA Championships, which resulted in a 15th-place finish -- the Gamecocks' highest result since 1988.
Even better -- all five of them are returning for the 2017-2018 season.
Minuth, Mahmoud, Peribonio, and Bekemeyer were all on USC's only scoring relay as well -- a 13th-place 800 freestyle relay which accounted for eight of their 99 points.
The Heavy Hitters
Fynn Minuth
| Event | Lifetime Best | 2017 NCAA Finish |
|---|---|---|
| 500 Freestyle | 4:09.55 | 5th |
| 200 Freestyle | 1:33.59* | 29th |
| 200 Butterfly | 1:42.05 | 13th |
Akaram Mahmoud
| Event | Lifetime Best | 2017 NCAA Finish |
|---|---|---|
| 500 Freestyle | 4:09.73 | 6th |
| 1650 Freestyle | 14:22.99 | 3rd |
Tom Peribonio
| Event | Lifetime Best | 2017 NCAA Finish |
|---|---|---|
| 500 Freestyle | 4:14.09 | 12th |
| 400 IM | 3:40.24 | 9th |
| 1650 Freestyle | 14:44.57 | 15th |
Cody Bekemeyer
| Event | Lifetime Best | 2017 NCAA Finish |
|---|---|---|
| 500 Freestyle | 4:17.73 | 26th |
| 400 IM | 3:45.70 | 24th |
| 1650 Freestyle | 14:44.17 | 13th |
Nils Wich-Glasen
| Event | Lifetime Best | 2017 NCAA Finish |
|---|---|---|
| 200 IM | 1:45.03 | Did Not Swim |
| 100 Breaststroke | 51.58 | 8th |
| 200 Breaststroke | 1:52.41 | 6th |
Brandonn Almeida
Almeida is an incoming freshman from São Paulo, Brazil. While he does not have any experience in short course yards, his resume in the long course meters pool speaks for itself. What events does he swim, you ask? The 400m/800m/1500m freestyle and 200m/400m IM, of course. Check out his best times in LCM below. While Almeida isn't proven on the NCAA scene yet, you can bet he will make a significant impact for the Gamecocks this season.
| Event (LCM) | Lifetime Best |
|---|---|
| 400m Freestyle | 3:49.46 |
| 800m Freestyle | 7:59.49 |
| 1500m Freestyle | 15:11.70 |
| 200m IM | 2:00.79 |
| 400m IM | 4:12.49 |
| 200m Backstroke | 1:59.71 |