Vanderbilt Swimmers Kickoff with Stellar Performance in South Carolina

Vanderbilt Swimming: Record-Breaking Performance at the Gamecock Invitational

The first day of the Gamecock Invitational at the USC Natatorium witnessed an impressive performance from Vanderbilt Swimming, headlined by a record-breaking feat in a relay.

The quartet of Sophia Kosturos, Faith Knelson, Kailia Utley, and Ellie Taliaferro ended the night by setting the program’s fastest time in the 400 medley relay. Additionally, Emily Carpenter, Megan Ciezczak, and Abby Francis joined Kosturos and Taliaferro to achieve times that rank among Vanderbilt’s top 10 all-time best in individual events.

Individual victories were also clinched by Knelson, Kosturos, and Madelyn Porter during the night’s finals.

Continuing into the second day, the Gamecock Invitational will commence with preliminary heats on Thursday at 9 a.m. CT.

Highlight of the Meet

Opening the night, the 200 free relay team comprising Francis, Ciezczak, Kosturos, and Taliaferro finished second overall. Other standout performances include Mercedes Traba’s fifth place and Carpenter’s fourth place in the A Final 500 free and B Final 500 free, respectively.

In the A Final of the 200 IM, Taliaferro and Francis achieved third and fifth place, respectively. In the same event’s B Final, the victory was claimed by Knelson, with Maddie Smith gaining third place for Vanderbilt. Kosturos added another victory for Vanderbilt in the 50 free B Final, and Porter triumphed in the D Final of the 500 free.

Vanderbilt wrapped up the night with a solid third-place finish in the 400 medley relay.

Noteworthy Performances

The new record set by Vanderbilt in the 400 medley relay clocked in at 3:37.66, nearly three seconds faster than the previous mark set at the 2014 SEC Championships.

The 200 free relay team also made waves posting the second-fastest time in Vanderbilt’s history, finishing in 1:31.87. For the first time this fall, both relays met the CSCAA NIC A Standard.

Several school records were also challenged, with Taliaferro and Ciezczak posting career-best times in the 200 IM and 50 free finals, respectively. Both Carpenter and Francis broke into the school’s top ten best times for the 500 free and 200 IM, respectively. Kosturos also made the top-10 list with her performance in the 50 free final. Traba’s performance in the 500 free final also met the CSCAA NIC B Standard.