University of Tennessee Athletics
SWIM CENTRAL: NCAA Men's Championships
March 25, 2015 | Swimming & Diving
March 25, 2015
VOLS IN THE FIELD
(Note: Gustav Aberg Lejdstrom, Joshua Romany, Troy Tillman and Jacob Thulin are also on site as relay team members and alternates)
David Heron
Events Entered: 500 freestyle, 1650 freestyle
Note: Half of the distance freestyle squad that made the trip to Iowa, Heron sits No. 2 in both the 1000 and 1650 freestyle, behind teammate Evan Pinion in both events. Heron's 14:55.82 time in the 1650 placed the Mission Viejo, Calif., native at No. 21 in the country at season's end. Heron swam this time at the 2015 SEC Championships, where he finished seventh in the event.
Sean Lehane
Events Entered: 100 back, 200 back
Note: Sean Lehane is back in the NCAA field for the third time in his career, and for the second time as an SEC champion. He enters the meet with the third-fastest time in the nation in the 200 backstroke (1:39.65), a time good enough for a second consecutive gold medal at SECs last month. He was also invited in the 100 backstroke after finishing with the 19th-fastest time in the country (46.19)
Sam McHugh
Events Entered: 500 freestyle, 200 Fly, 400 IM
Note: The freshman from Chattanooga is the only swimmer to have been invited with qualifications in three events. McHugh completed his debut season in Knoxville with a team-high 21 individual wins and a silver medal in the 200 Fly at the 2015 SEC Championships at Auburn. McHugh also enters the competition with a pair of times in the NCAA top-10 (200 Fly--1:42.01, 8th & 400 IM--3:40.64, 7th).
Peter John Stevens
Events Entered: 100 breast
Note: Peter John Stevens' 51.88 time in the 100 breast was the fourth-fastest time in the country this season. Stevens swam a pair of automatic qualifying times in the event at the SEC Championships, where he finished in fourth place in the championship final at Auburn University in February. This effort placed the freshman No. 2 in Tennessee history in the event, .02 seconds behind Jeremy Linn.
Evan Pinion
Events Entered:500 freestyle, 1650 freestyle
Note: The second half of the distance freestyle group headed to Iowa, Pinion earned his spot on the roster by swimming a 14:42.04 in the 1650 freestyle at the 2014 Nike Cup at the University of North Carolina. This time gave Pinion the victory, as well as the fifth-fastest time in the country this season. The Knoxville native also will compete in the 500 freestyle, which he won four times during the regular season, including at the 2014 Nike Cup last November.
Mauricio Robles
Events Entered: 1M springboard, 3M springboard, Platform
Note: The new SEC champion in the one-meter springboard qualified for all three events at the Zone B Diving Championship at the University of Georgia earlier in March. Robles' 421.15 score in the one-meter competition at the SECs placed him atop the UT record board. Along with his gold medal, Robles earned a bronze medal in the three-meter springboard, two spots behind teammate Liam Stone.
Tristan Slater
Events Entered: 200 IM, 200 Breast
Note: The senior arrived in Iowa, representing UT at the NCAAs for the third time in his career. Slater swam the 13th-fastest time in the NCAA in the 200 IM (1:43.50), which he recorded during his fifth-place result in the championship final at the 2015 SEC Championships at Auburn. Slater, who is No. 1 in UT history in the 200 IM, also is No. 2 in UT history in the 200 Breast. His 1:54.99 career-best time was also set at AU, where he placed eighth in the championship final.
Liam Stone
Events Entered: 1M Springboard, 3M Springboard, Platform
Note: Stone will make his NCAA Championship debut after earning a spot in all three diving events with teammate Mauricio Robles. Stone, who joined the Vols in January, won his first career SEC gold medal in February, when he shattered both the UT and conference records in the three-meter springboard with a 463.50 score. Stone placed in the top-6 in both springboard events at the Zone B Championships and earned a spot in the platform event by finishing 11th to secure his place in all three events.
