By james art 
Georgia Tech vs. South Carolina
- January 25, 2025
- Columbia, South Carolina
- SCY (25 yards)
- Results:
- Women: South Carolina, 211.5 def. Georgia Tech, 86.5
- Men: Georgia Tech, 169 def. South Carolina, 131
- Full results
Summary of women
The South Carolina women closed the regular season strong, defeating Georgia Tech 211.5-86.5 to win their third straight dual meet. Senior Greta Pelzek highlighted the action for the Gamecocks, breaking their second playoff record of the season. She broke the pool record in the 200m, her main event, with a season-best 1:53.93. The swim was 0.75 seconds off her season-best of 1:54.68, which she swam at South Carolina’s dual against Auburn earlier this month.
Pelzek also won the 100 butterfly in 52.47 and helped the Gamecocks win the 200 medley relay to start the meet. Amy Reardon (24.93), Annalise Streeter (27.88), Pelzek (23.18) and Dylan Scholes (22.14) swam 1:38.13 to win the race, edging out Georgia Tech’s ‘A’ relay team of Vivienne Rothwell (24.62), Sabine Brisson (27.90), Zora Ripkova (23.89) and Nina Stanisavlevich (21.88) by .16 seconds. Georgia Tech’s ‘A’ relay clocked a 1:38.29 and was an exciting race to start the day’s action as the top three teams were 0.38 seconds apart.
After winning the 200 medley relay, the Gamecocks continued to roll, winning the next three events. Freshman Emma Reiser swam a lifetime best of 9:48.67 to lead the podium for South Carolina in the 1,000 freestyle. then, Ellery Ottem won the 200 freestyle in 1:46.02, just two-hundredths off his lifetime best at the Gamecock Invitational this season.
Riordan holds the South Carolina program record in the 200 freestyle, 100 backstroke and 200 backstroke. She focused on the backstroke at that meet, earning South Carolina’s fourth straight victory with a 52.90 in the 100 backstroke. She later finished the 200 backstroke with a 1:54.81.
Brisson finally broke through for the Yellow Jackets. She won the team’s first and only event of the day, the 100 breaststroke. Brisson was behind South Carolina’s Elizabeth Goodwin-Burney at the turn, but rallied with a 31.71 back half to win.
The Gamecocks got back into the win column with Pelzek’s career-high 200 field goals after Brisson’s win. Pelzek and Riordan weren’t the only doubles winners of the day Peyton Curry and Delaney Franklin each earned a pair of wins in the event. Curry swept the sprint freestyle, swimming a personal-best 22.46 in the 50, which moves her to fourth in program history. Franklin has been on fire this month, posting personal bests in the 200 breaststroke and 200 IM. After winning the 200 breaststroke (2:12.31), Franklin swam another personal best, this time to win the 400 IM (4:13.88).
Curry, Reardon, Ottem and Scholes teamed up in the 400 freestyle relay, the final event of the day. The quartet won another close race against Georgia Tech’s ‘A’ relay, clocking 3:16.47 to the Yellowjackets’ 3:16.82.
Summary men
The men’s side of the meet was littered with close contests. Georgia Tech was on the right side of most of them, powering the team’s 169-131 victory over the Gamecocks. The nail-biting competitions began in the first event, as Berke Saka (21.72), Uros Živanović (23.87), Leandro Odorizzi (20.65) and Robin Yeboa (19.73) swam 1:25.97, winning by a tenth over South Carolina.
That victory kicked off a three-event run for the Georgia Tech men, similar to the women’s run at South Carolina. Mert Killavuz won the 1,000 freestyle (9:01.61), while Vitor Sega went 1-2 for the Yellowjackets in the 200 freestyle. Sega pushed the back half of the race, splitting 24.54/24.51 to touch in 1:36.39, .04 seconds ahead of his teammate Ricky Balduccini and .33 seconds ahead of South Carolina Ryan Hufford.
Mikhail Laitarovsky got the Gamecocks into the win column in the 100 back by holding off a 23.89 back half from Saka to win in 46.52. Saka was second with 46.63. South Carolina then went on a three-game winning streak of its own. Linus Kahl took the 100 breaststroke in 53.50, hitting the wall one hundredth ahead of Zivanovic. then, Tommy Eaton won the 200 butterfly (1:44.48).
Georgia Tech flexes in sprint freestyle events. Odorizzi and Yeboa took the top two spots in the 50 freestyle, clocking 20.09 and 20.20. The Yellowjackets were even stronger in the 100 free, earning a podium finish with Balduccini, Odorici and Yeboah. Balduncini swam 44.04 to touch first ahead of Odorizzi with 44.11 and Yeboa’s 44.22.
After placing second in the 100 backstroke, Saka earned his first individual win of the day in the 200 backstroke. He held off a big shutout from South Carolina Kaden Smeskoswimming 1:43.01 to touch ahead of Smesko. Georgia Tech and South Carolina also split the butterfly events, with Balduccini swimming a 46.99 to win the 100 fly. South Carolina controlled the breaststroke, however, as Cal won the 200 in 1:56.41 to complete the sweep and give Gamecock a 1-2 lead.
Connor Fry won the 500 freestyle (4:24.88) and Raymond Prosinski 400 IM (3:51.41) for South Carolina. Odorici, Jeboa, Saka and David Gapinski finished the meet in 2:55.02 to win the 400 freestyle relay.
Next up
It was the last dual meet for both South Carolina and Georgia Tech. South Carolina will then send select swimmers to UVA’s Cavalier Invitational Feb. 6-8. Georgia Tech will send a contingent to the Auburn First Chance Meet Feb. 7-8.