Reilman, Dunphy Make History in Final Day of Invite

Thursday, November 29

Knoxville, TN

All Day

University of Tennessee

Tennessee Invitational

Photo by: John Golliher/Tennessee Athletics

December 01, 2018 | Swimming & Diving

Final Results Photo Gallery

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee swimming and diving team recorded 12 wins out of 14 events Saturday to win the men's and women's competitions at the Tennessee Invitational at Allan Jones Aquatic Center.

The Lady Vols finished out the evening with 1341.5 points, as Duke finished in second with 1018 points. The Tennessee men dominated the meet with 1227 points, with Penn trailing in second with 728 points.

Senior captains Joey Reilman and Matthew Dunphy highlighted the night for the Vols. Reilman recorded the fastest 200-yard backstroke in the NCAA this year (1:39.36). Shortly after, Dunphy notched the school record in the 200 breaststroke (1:53.76).

LADY VOLS' BIG DAY: Amanda Nunan got the Lady Vols started with a second-place finish in the 1650 freestyle, as she finished with the fourth-fastest time in school history (16:05.34). Freshman Sinclair Larson followed up with a first-place finish in the 200 backstroke (1:54.21), while Erika Brown tallied a win in the 100 freestyle (47.18).

The dominance did not stop there for the Tennessee women, who finished one through three in the 200 breaststroke. Nikol Popov led the Lady Vols with the second-best time in school history in the 200 breast (2:08.09) to wrap up a breakout meet. Tennessee won each of the five relays in the meet, including posting the sixth-fastest time in program history in the 400 freestyle relay (3:14.09).

Other winners for the Lady Vols included: Meghan Small in the 200 butterfly (1:55.08) and Rachel Rubadue in the platform diving competition (278.15).

SHATTERING RECORDS: Sam Rice and Taylor Abbott jumped Tennessee off in the final session with a second- and third-place finish in the 1650 freestyle. The Vols went on to win the next four events, including a pair record-setting performances from Reilman and Dunphy. The Tennessee men finished out the evening with a win in the 400 freestyle relay (2:51.60), which is the fifth best time in Vols history.

Other victors for Tennessee included: Marc Hinawi in the 200 butterfly (1:44.59) and Zhipeng (Colin) Zeng in platform diving (492.40). Zeng nearly hit 500 points for the second time in his Tennessee career, winning the men's competition with a score of 492.40. He also won the 1-meter springboard competiiton.

UP NEXT: Saturday signals the end of the collegiate fall season, but two Tennessee swimmers have one more stop: the FINA Short Course World Championships in Hangzhou, China. Senior Kyle DeCoursey and junior Erika Brown will be part of the Team USA contingent for the meet, which runs Dec. 11-16. Associate head coach Lance Asti is also making the trip as an assistant for the U.S. men's team. Tennessee returns to collegiate action with the Bulldog Diving Invitational in Georgia (Jan. 4-6) and a full-squad dual meet at Virginia (Jan. 11).

QUOTES:
Dave Parrington, Diving Coach
"I felt for the divers who were able to go, I was pleased with the progress from the first platform competition this season at Texas. Without exception, each increased their score. Colin put up an impressive list and came close again to the 500-point barrier. We have some dives to sharpen up, but the 109 for eights, that was another big stride for him. That was a highlight for me. Keegan Richardson got his NCAA zone qualifying score on tower, which is great. He now has qualifying scores on all three boards. I was pleased with his performance. Nick was steady and rounding back into form.

"On the women's side, Rachel had a good, solid competition and hit a dive in the fourth round when she needed to. Lily hadn't done any platform since coming back from illness, her first time on tower since Thanksgiving, I think. Overall it was a very encouraging day and a good way to end the fall competition and get ready for exams followed by a hard period of training to get ready for the Georgia meet."

Ashley Jahn, Associate Head Coach (Women)
(On meet)
This was an incredible meet. Each day was a little bit different, but the intensity stayed up and our team managed the fatigue that comes with the three-day meet with multiple sessions. They managed their expectations as a group. They competed really well. Everybody had a really clear vision about what this meet was going to be and what they wanted to get out of it. They executed it. In some cases, we fell short, but that's also part of the process. We see a way we're going to keep getting better.

(On training plan moving forward)
"Next week we start finals. The team will be focused on training but also getting it done in the classroom, which our team does very well. Right after that, we'll get into our first week of Christmas training. We'll spend some time without the pressures of school. That will be a fantastic opportunity to get back to work. We come back right before New Years and we get back to work before our first meet in early January."

Lance Asti, Associate Head Coach (Men)
(On Joey Reilman and Matthew Dunphy)
"I'm kind of speechless with those two. They have led in so many ways. To lead athletically in the pool as well, it's a huge deal. They have been the leaders of our culture, the leaders of locker room and clearly, leaders of the pool too. Those two are the whole package as far as captains go. They've put a lot of work into both those performances. Joey, with his range of events, is really turning into a Tennessee great before our eyes. Dunphy's story has to be one of my favorites in Tennessee swimming history. He's a boy from Tennessee. He came to our camps when he was little. He wasn't heavily recruited out of high school. I don't know if anyone has put the work into improvement that Matthew has. And it wasn't just those two guys this week. Our seniors where incredible tonight. What Ty Powers did in the 200 breast, I wouldn't have expected two years ago. It shows increased versatility and trying new things. That was exciting watching. Kyle Decoursey, another one of our seniors, has a skill for getting his hand on the wall in close races. I don't know how he does it. It's amazing. He has a knack for finding ways to win tonight in the 100 and the relay."

(On meet and improvements moving forward)
We're in a great spot right now, but I'm glad it's December and not February. We're not ready for SECs, but we're better than we were a few months ago. The invite shows we're on the right path with tons of lifetime bests this week. It also shows we have to get back to work and Where we are lacking in skills and speed. We need to work on turns and breakouts. We're on the right path, but now we have to turn it up second semester."

Tennessee Invitational
Tennessee Winners (Saturday)
Women
200 backstroke: Sinclair Larson (1:54.21)
100 freestyle: Erika Brown (47.18)
200 breaststroke: Nikol Popov (2:08.09)
200 butterfly: Meghan Small (1:55.08)
400 freestyle relay: Tennessee (3:14.09)
Platform: Rachel Rubadue (278.15)

Men
200 backstroke: Joey Reilman (1:39.36)
100 freestyle: Kyle DeCoursey (42.97)
200 breaststroke: Matthew Dunphy (1:53.76)
200 butterfly: Marc Hinawi (1:44.59)
400 freestyle relay: Tennessee (2:51.60)
Platform: Zhipeng (Colin) Zeng (492.40)