University of Tennessee Athletics
SEC Swimming & Diving - Day 1 Quotes
February 14, 2017 | Swimming & Diving
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Liam Stone | Tennessee | Men's 1M Springboard
(On the final dive)
"I knew I needed a lot, I didn't know exactly how much but I knew it needed to be pretty good. I just tried to really dial in and focus on what I needed to do."
(On feeling any pressure being the NCAA Champion)
"I'm not sure about pressure but it's sort of inspiring. It's a cool feeling to look at the NCAA's and look at this as a stepping stone to defend my title and like I said, that was a heck of an event. I'm just thankful I came out on top."
(On learning from and following Mauricio Robles)
"It was awesome, I came out of the water and he was the first thing I saw. He has been a great mentor to me and I've learned a lot from him. Even though he's not on the team anymore he is still close with us, still doing whatever he can for us. Him being here tonight made it even more special."
Chantal Van Landeghem | Georgia | Women's 200 Medley Relay
(On breaking the school record)
"It was a good way to start the meet. We were all pretty excited to get the meet going. It was great being on the relay with these girls. For three of us (Van Landeghem, Emily Cameron and Olivia Smoliga), this is our last SECs, so it's a little bittersweet."
Jack Blyzinskyj | Florida | Men's 200 Medley Relay
"It's always good to win at SECs, especially considering people don't really think of Florida as a sprint school. It's great to come in here on the first night and set the tone for the rest of the meet."
Maxime Rooney | Florida | Men's 800 Freestyle Relay
"As a Gator, we pride ourselves on racing tough, and it was evident tonight that we're here for a reason and we wanted that win. Having that momentum from both those wins under our belt shows that we're here to win, and that's what we want to do."
Matt Kredich | Tennessee | Head Coach
(On the opening day of SEC Championship)
"Liam (Stone) got us off to a great start; it's really one of the most impressive diving performances I think I've ever seen. That gave the team a big shot in the arm; both medley relays were outstanding in a really competitive field. I think we were only a couple tenths off our school record on the men's side. We look at both of those and see some places where we can clean it up for NCAA's but I think there were some great performances today. Erica Brown in her first SEC Championships had an outstanding last leg of the relay. The 800 free relays each had a couple of really good swims and then a couple that weren't quite as good. The ones that stood out were Joey Reilman, he was fantastic and looks like he's in a great spot to finish the meet and then Meghan Small put our women in a great position leading off. I think the other relay legs were solid but we can certainly get better going into NCAA's with those too. The big thing for our team is we raced well and we are a few events and a few swims into a long week. It's a good start and there's a whole lot more to go."
Dave Parrington | Tennessee | Diving Coach
(On Liam Stone's finish)
"Tonight was a really special night. The level of diving across the board was really good, but the top two guys in the men's 1-meter were exceptional. Liam Stone coming through at the end there was really exciting. To see those two young men just go at it and put up such exceptional dives. It was just a fantastic competition. That is exactly how you like to see it. We come out on top at the end and that is very exciting. As a coach those are the moments we live for. It makes doing what we do that much better. Liam is such a classy individual and so is Juan Hernandez. I am sure they will be battling it out again tomorrow and the next couple of days."
(On the level of competition and how it brings out the best in the athletes)
"It does not always bring out the best in everybody. Whatever sports you are there are competitors that rise to the occasion and it makes them better. There are some that struggle with that and some are in the middle. So to have someone that can step up to the occasion makes it that much more fun. It does not always go the great competitors way, Liam has proved to be a great competitor and I could not be more proud of him."
(On Emily Pelletier's best day on 3-meter)
"I am really happy and proud for Emily, she busts her tail day in and day out. She came in here with a little bit of a chip on her shoulder because she was not highly recruited. She was looking at LSU but did not really get a chance there so she comes here with a lot of determination and I have seen it since day one. I happened to know her pretty well since she came to my camps. When she was younger, she was the cream of the crop so I knew she could compete. She still has some catching up to do in terms of learning dives but today was a big breakout for her. I am a little disappointed for Rachel Rubadue, if you make a little slip you are in trouble. Rachel started out pretty strong the first two rounds but slipped up a little on her third dive, which is usually what I call her money dive. Meets are not usually won or lost off those rounds but they can knock you out of the hunt."
