University of Tennessee Athletics
Vols Ready for SEC Championships
February 15, 2011 | Men's Swimming & Diving
Feb. 15, 2011
Drew Rutherford
UTsports.com
Sitting in second place after last weekend's diving competition, the eighth-ranked Tennessee swim team is set to begin the 2011 SEC Swimming Championships at Florida's O'Connell Center Natatorium.
The meet, which kicks off the swimming competition on Wednesday, showcases one of the nation's toughest conference fields. The Vols trail Auburn in the team standings 135-133.5 after a successful weekend of diving.
"Our divers got us off to a successful start," head coach John Trembley said. "Michael Wright became our first SEC champion this year and Ryan Helms did a great job making it to the finals in all three events. It's exciting for our men to be close to where we planned entering this portion of the meet."
Tennessee enters the championships after picking up some momentum during the end of the regular season. The Vols were 3-1 in January, with all four meets being against teams ranked in the top 15 nationally.
"Our team competed against four really strong teams, and we were able to learn valuable lessons from those contests," Trembley said. "We learned there is no room for mistakes. With some fine dual-meet performances, a good start in diving and a healthy team, we do feel a little momentum."
While the Vols will need strong performances from every team member, they will also be down one man. For the first time in his tenure, assistant coach Joe Hendee will not be present on the pool deck at the SEC championships. Hendee, who took a leave of absence in August to fight cancer, will be cheering the Big Orange from Knoxville.
But his presence there will still be evident. The Vols will wear orange swim caps with a white Power T on the front and will read "Hendee" on one side.
"Our whole team--all of us--have been inspired by Joe," Trembley said. "I know we will be at our best to honor our coach who is fighting the good fight in Knoxville."
Wednesday's competition begins at 11 a.m. Finals will be at 6 p.m. Live streaming video of the 2011 SEC Swimming Championships can be found at here.
Players Mentioned
