Courtesy: South Carolina Athletics
Columbia, S.C. – South Carolina swimming & diving announced its 2023-24 schedule on Thursday. In its third season under head coach Jeff Poppell, the team will see an action-packed season that includes five dual meets, a pair of tri-meets, and a multitude of invitationals.
“I’m really excited about this upcoming season’s meet schedule as it will feature a wide variety of new teams that we have not faced in recent years,” said Poppell. “Furthermore, I feel that the strength of these teams will prepare us well for the rigor we will see during the championship segment of our season in February and March.”
South Carolina will begin its season on the road, traveling to Wilmington, N.C., to take on UNCW on Friday, Sept. 29, at 4 p.m. The Gamecocks and Seahawks have been familiar opponents over the last several years with South Carolina’s men leading the all-time series 12-1 and the women leading 14-0. The Seahawks are the reigning CAA Champions on both the men’s and women’s side with their men making the 2023 title their second consecutive.
The Gamecocks will kick off the home portion of their schedule on Friday, Oct. 7, hosting a tri-meet against SEC foe Texas A&M and the ACC’s Virginia Tech. The meet will begin at 10 a.m.
The team will then head back to North Carolina where they will face Queens on Fri., Oct. 20, at 4 p.m. before returning home to host UNC on Friday, Nov. 3 at 3 p.m.
South Carolina will again host the Gamecock Invitational for its mid-season invite. The invitational will take place Nov. 15-17 and will be swim only. During the same week, the team’s divers will head west to Tennessee to compete in the Tennessee Invitational that will run from Nov. 16-18. These invitationals will be the final NCAA competitions of 2023.
Before the end of the calendar year, both the swim and dive teams will have the opportunity to compete on the national scale with opportunities to make themselves seen ahead of Olympic trials.
The Gamecock divers will compete at USA Diving Nationals Nov. 28 – Dec. 6 in Knoxville, Tenn., while the swimmers will compete at the U.S. Open Nov. 29 – Dec. 2 in Greensboro, N.C.
Following the winter break, the dive team will return to action with another trip to Knoxville to compete at the Tennessee Diving Invitational Jan. 3-5 while the swimmers will travel to Gainesville, Fla., to take on the Gators on Jan. 5 at 1 p.m.
South Carolina will conclude the home portion of its season on Jan. 20, hosting Duke and UNC-Asheville (women only) in a tri-meet at noon.
The team’s final dual meet of the season will take place in Atlanta, Ga., against Georgia Tech on Jan. 26, at 4 p.m.
Following the completion of the dual season, the Gamecock swimmers will attend the UVA Cavalier Invitational Feb. 9-11 in Charlottesville, Va.
The postseason will officially begin with the SEC Championships that will take place Feb. 20-24 in Auburn, Ala. The swimmers will then have one final opportunity to make NCAA cut times at the UGA Last Chance Invitational in Athens, Ga., March 2-3.
NCAA Zone B Diving will take place March 10-13 in Athens, Ga., where qualifying divers will battle for their spot at the NCAA Championships.
This year’s women’s NCAA Championships will take place in Athens, Ga., March 20-23 while the men’s NCAA Championships will be held in Indianapolis, Ind., March 27-30.
For all the latest South Carolina swimming and diving information, continue to follow GamecocksOnline.com or the team on social media (@GamecockSwmDive).
2023-24 South Carolina Swimming & Diving Meet Schedule
- Sept. 29 – at UNCW – Wilmington, N.C. – 4 p.m.
- Oct. 7 – vs. Texas A&M and Virginia Tech – Columbia, S.C. – 10 a.m.
- Oct. 20 – at Queens – Charlotte, N.C. – 4 p.m.
- Nov. 3 – vs. UNC – Columbia, S.C. – 3 p.m.
- Nov. 15-17 – Gamecock Invitational (Swim only) – Columbia, S.C. – All Day
- Nov. 16-18 – Tennessee Invitational (Dive only) – Knoxville, Tenn. – All Day
- Nov. 28-Dec. 6 – USA Diving Nationals (Dive only) – Knoxville, Tenn. – All Day
- Nov. 29-Dec. 2 – U.S. Open (Swim only) – Greensboro, N.C. – All Day
- Jan 3-5 – Tennessee Diving Invitational (Dive only) – Knoxville, Tenn. – All Day
- Jan. 5 – Florida (Swim only) – Gainesville, Fla. – 1 p.m.
- Jan. 20 – Duke and UNC-Asheville (Women only) – Columbia, S.C. – Noon
- Jan. 26 – Georgia Tech – Atlanta, Ga. – 4 p.m.
- Feb. 9-11 – UVA Cavalier Invitational – Charlottesville, Va. – All Day
- Feb. 20-24 – SEC Championships – Auburn, Ala. – All Day
- March 2-3 – UGA Last Chance Invitational – Athens, Ga. – All Day
- March 10-13 – NCAA Zone B Diving (Dive only) – Athens, Ga. – All Day
- March 20-23 – Women’s NCAA Championships – Athens, Ga. – All Day
- March 27-30 – Men’s NCAA Championships – Indianapolis, Ind. – All Day