SEC Championships loom on horizon for South Carolina
The Gamecock swimming and diving teams will get back in action this weekend after two weeks off when they take on two formidable opponents in Queens University and Wingate University.
Coming off a huge win against Duke and a berth in the top-25 polls for both the men and women’s teams, confidence is sky-high in and around the Carolina natatorium as the teams look forward not only to this weekend but also to the SEC championships in mid-February.
Adding to the importance of this race is the fact that it’s also senior day for a class of 13 that it credited with changing the culture of the entire program. Seniors like Matt Nevata and Gerard Rodriguez aren’t downplaying the importance of the moment.
“It’s definitely a special moment,” Rodriguez said. “Many people think it’s just one more meet like the last home meet, but it’s not. Pretty much every athlete’s family is going to be out here to support us. My class has been together for four years, so it’s definitely something we deserve to celebrate.”
Navata agrees that while athletes should treat all contests with the same enthusiasm, senior day will be different from any other meet he has competed in.
“I think it’ll be more nerve-racking than anything,” Navata said. “It’s not too often that you get all the seniors and all their families together. … I think we’re just more or less excited.”
Coach McGee Moody raved about the senior class and emphasized how important the group’s success has been to the program’s status.
“What’s most important for me this weekend is that we have a group of seniors that this is the last time they’ll swim here and it’s a very special group that’s come through here,” Moody said. “It’s a special time watching them walk up the pool deck for the last time knowing that they’ve really poured their life into this program and university for the past four years.”
Moody went further to point out how much the class has improved in its leadership and its athleticism.
However, there are still plenty of swimmers with a lot to gain as individuals, especially for those who are on the cusp of qualifying for NCAA competition.
“Once I stepped onto the college scene, it has always been my goal to make NCAAs in anything, and through the four years that I’ve been here, I’ve found that the 400 IM is my best event hands down,” Navata said. “I’ve been lifting as much as possible, and I’m confident in my training, so hopefully everything works out for the best.”
Moody said his focus this weekend isn’t necessarily on the two teams the Gamecocks will be facing, but the 13 other teams that will be competing at the SEC championships in a few weeks, because he knows that’s when a team really makes their mark.
Routine, he said, was the biggest element this weekend in preparation for that five-day event in Athens, Ga.
“The big thing about this weekend is that a lot of it is about routine, because this is a back-to-back, Friday-Saturday race,” Moody said. “We have a conference meet at the SEC championships really like no one else in the country. It’s a five-day meet. It starts on Tuesday and doesn’t end until Saturday night, so we need times where we have back-to-back races that can get us in that routine.”