By SwimSwam on SwimSwam
Three-time SEC champion and 2016 NCAA runner-up Akram Mahmoud was one of six former Gamecocks inducted into the South Carolina Athletics Hall of Fame in late October, as was three-time All-American diver Brandon Hulko. The two were inducted alongside A’ja Wilson (women’s basketball), Natasha Hastings (women’s track and field), Mollie Patton (women’s soccer), and Paul Jubb (men’s tennis).
Below, see their Hall of Fame profiles, courtesy of South Carolina Athletics.
Courtesy: South Carolina Athletics
HALL OF FAME PROFILE: AKRAM MAHMOUD
Akram Mahmoud (2014-2018) was a star swimmer before he even came to South Carolina, where he is part of the 2025 class of the Association of Lettermen’s Athletics Hall of Fame. The native of Egypt started his international career in 2014 at the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China, where he captured Egypt’s first-ever gold medal. He won the 800-meter freestyle, and a year later he won four individual gold medals at the All-Africa Games. He came to South Carolina because he wanted more, and it didn’t take long to know he was in the right place.
“That was really big for my country because it was something that had never been done before,” said Mahmoud, who graduated with a degree in business administration with a focus on finance. “It was a different transition going from Egypt to the States. I came in December and had to swim a qualifying time to make SECs. I broke the school record in my first try. Everyone was cheering me on.
“I was lucky to be surrounded by such a great and supportive coaching staff, and my teammates such as Tomas Peribonio, Travis Morrin, and Nils Wich-Glasen. They were very supportive and helped me a lot. Going to another country can be very challenging, but they made sure it was a very easy transition for me.”
Mahmoud currently lives in Soma Bay, Egypt, where he works as the Operations Manager for ONEFlow Sports, a German global sports management agency specializing in providing top-tier facilities and support for athletes.
“We have our own pool where we bring internationals in and host them for camps,” Mahmoud said. “It mainly focuses on swimming but we’re expanding with soccer and tennis.”
Mahmoud thrived in college as a 10-time All-American, taking honors in multiple events including the 500 freestyle (2016, 2017, 2018), 1,650 freestyle (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018) and 800 freestyle relay (2015, 2016, 2017). He is a three-time First Team All-SEC honoree and three-time SEC Champion in the 1650 freestyle. He earned the silver medal in the 1650 freestyle at the 2016 NCAA Championships. Mahmoud is the current school record holder in the 1000 and 1650 freestyle, second in the 500 freestyle, sixth in the 200 butterfly, plus multiple top 10 times in relays.
“Winning my first SEC title my sophomore year is one of my best memories,” Mahmoud said. “I just missed the SEC record. It was super-cool because we hadn’t had an SEC champion in a really long time before that. I remember vividly seeing my teammates on the sidelines, cheering me and going crazy. I think I won that race by like 15 seconds.”
“South Carolina is going to be with me for the rest of my life. It shaped not only the athlete I am today, but the person as well. I went through ups and downs, but I wouldn’t be where I am without the support and guidance of my coaching staff and teammates at South Carolina.”
During his collegiate career, he competed at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in the 400 and 1500 meter freestyle events.
Mahmoud got the Hall of Fame call from his former coach, McGee Moody, who led the program from 2008 through 2021.
“I was mind-blown!” Mahmoud said. “I’m honored to be selected with such a tremendous group of people. I thought this day might come eventually, but I did not expect it to come so soon!”
Mahmoud left the U.S. in 2020 and is looking forward to being back on campus for Hall of Fame Weekend.
“I’m looking forward to seeing everybody and going back to places like the Blatt (P.E. Center) and the Dodie (Anderson Academic Enrichment Center) where I have so many amazing memories,” Mahmoud said. “I have so many beautiful memories that I will always carry with me.
“I’m very lucky and honored for this recognition. South Carolina is going to be with me for the rest of my life. It shaped not only the athlete I am today, but the person as well. I went through ups and downs, but I wouldn’t be where I am without the support and guidance of my coaching staff and teammates at South Carolina.”
The Association of Lettermen will hold its induction ceremony on Thursday, October 23 inside Williams-Brice Stadium. The 2025 Hall of Fame class will also be honored during South Carolina’s football game with Alabama on Saturday, October 25.
HALL OF FAME PROFILE: BRANDON HULKO
At 6’3” tall, Brandon Hulko (1998-2002) often got confused by others for being an athlete for a variety of different sports, but the former South Carolina All-American diver was never confused about his goals when he first came to campus.
“When I first came to the University, I wanted to make sure I was the best student-athlete I could be,” said Hulko, who graduated with a degree in exercise science and physiology in 2002 and later earned a master’s in healthcare administration. “I felt like this was a place where I could excel in both of those. My father was very big on education first and sports second. The support services and everything they had at the University at the time really engaged that particular goal of mine. I came here and worked as hard as I could every single day.
“Achieving Athlete of the Year and at the same time achieving the Outstanding Exercise Science Student of the Year Award, which was that school’s highest award, I felt like I achieved that goal. That meant a lot. Then to have this news with the Hall of Fame, that’s just huge. I was floored! It’s such an accomplishment to be honored in such a way. It wasn’t something I ever considered when I first came to the University.”
Hulko earned multiple All-American nods during his career. He was a three-time All-American (2000, 2001, 2002) in the 1-meter event and earned All-American honors in the 3-meter dive in 1999 and 2000. He also took home All-American accolades in 1999 and 2000 in the platform event. A four-year letterman for the Gamecocks, Hulko is a three-time SEC bronze medalist and was a NCAA and SEC Championship finalist all four years. He was named South Carolina’s Male Athlete of the Year following his senior season in 2002.
“My best memories were every day,” Hulko said. “I tell people that I would give just about anything to go back for a week. I felt so supported and so challenged at school, in the pool and on the diving board. I felt like that’s where I excelled. Everybody had high standards for me. My teammates and the other athletes, we all had a great time together. We were all friends and a big community.”
While a student-athlete, Hulko also represented the United States on the national team for four years, competing internationally. He was an Olympic Trials qualifier, but later in his career he gave up his spot to a younger athlete.
“I was kind of a ‘tweener,’” Hulko said. “I had graduated in 2002, and the next Olympics was 2004. I had to consider whether I wanted to continue to train. I made the decision that I was going to start giving back. That was sort of a turning point in my life, where I realized I needed to give back. There was a 14-year-old boy who was diving and was really good, and I gave my spot up to him. He almost made the Olympic team!”
“Health care is tough industry these days, and that’s why we need people who are very motivated, like student-athletes, to get into that industry. You can feel challenged and solve problems.”
While his national team experience was a tremendous opportunity during his days as a student-athlete, it meant he would miss a lot of class time. He noted that the University was supportive, but it wasn’t giving him a free pass.
“I was doing really well and was in the top four in the country at one time,” Hulko said. “Diving went year-round, so I was constantly competing, especially when you consider what I was doing outside of the NCAA. I missed weeks at a time. There were no free passes. Anyone that gives athletes free passes is doing them an injustice. I was on trips studying for organic chemistry, and the amount of support around the University, not only from the Athletics Department, but also from the education area was tremendous.
“All my professors were very understanding. They set the expectation where they weren’t going to give me a lot of leeway. They’d give me some extra time for some things, but at the end of the day they told me they were going to hold me to a standard. That really helped me and pushed me to not just hang out in the hotel room but made me study and be ready for exams to meet my goal of being the best student-athlete I could be.”
That standard influenced him in his professional life. Living in Columbia, he’s currently the Vice President of UnitedHealthcare where he oversees Medicare for the state of South Carolina.
“I have about 200,000 beneficiaries that I provide healthcare benefits to across the state,” Hulko said. “Health care is tough industry these days, and that’s why we need people who are very motivated, like student-athletes, to get into that industry. You can feel challenged and solve problems.”
Hulko looks forward to enjoying Hall of Fame Weekend with his wife, Ashley, and five-year-old son, Brooks.
“I’m looking forward to spending time with the other inductees,” Hulko said. “That will be a lot of fun! It will be great to have family in town as well. Being around the University and re-living some of those experiences with my family will be great as well.”
The Association of Lettermen will hold its induction ceremony on Thursday, October 23 inside Williams-Brice Stadium. The 2025 Hall of Fame class will also be honored during South Carolina’s football game with Alabama on Saturday, October 25.
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