University of Tennessee Athletics
Photo by: Andrew Ferguson/Tennessee Athletics
Vols and Lady Vols Set a Combined 48 Personal Bests on Day One of Tennessee Invite
November 21, 2019 | Swimming & Diving
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee swimming and diving team showed up and showed out to start the Tennessee Invitational Thursday at the Allan Jones Aquatic Center, setting 48 combined personal bests.
On top of the new personal records, the Tennessee record books look a little different after night one with nine Vols and Lady Vols etching their names among the program's elite.
In the morning's prelims, Erika Brown jumped in to swim the 200 IM and ended up setting the program's seventh-fastest time at 1:57.61. The senior followed up in the evening's finals by swimming second on the 200 freestyle relay and helping her team to a time of 1:27.20. The time ties the third-quickest 200 free relay in Lady Vol history.
As electrifying as those performances were, all eyes were on Brown as she stepped to the blocks in the 50 freestyle Thursday night. The Charlotte, N.C., native did not disappoint as she threw down a monster 21.19, tying the NCAA's season-best performance and tying the seventh-best 50 free time in history.
The performance was just a preview as Brown just missed her career-best 50 free time of 21.15 which she set last season at the 2019 SEC Championships. Her 21.15 is the third-fastest 50 freestyle in history.
"I think she is in a great place," associate head coach Ashley Jahn said. "She is always looking to get better and she Is always searching for ways to get faster. Because of that, she is going to continue to get faster and she is exactly where she should be in that event."
Junior Bailey Grinter dropped her time in the 50 free Thursday, going sub-22 at 21.95 and jumping up to fifth all-time in Lady Vol history. In the evening, she swam the leadoff leg on the 200 free relay, splitting at 22.26, helping to spur on the third-quickest 200 freestyle relay in program history.
"Bailey has been searching for ways to get better and has gotten stronger and more thoughtful with her skills in the pool," Jahn said. "She is open to competing in a variety of events and is great at all of them and I think that is what led to her swim today. She is having a ton of fun and enjoying the process."
Megan Sichterman and Stanzi Moseley joined in on the relay, swimming third and anchor, respectively. Sichterman split at 21.93 with Moseley coming home at 21.91. Moseley has now been a part of four of the Lady Vols' 10 fastest 200 free relays in school history.
On the men's side, Matthew Garcia lowered his career-best in the 200 IM twice on Thursday and in the process turned in the program's fourth-fastest 200 IM at 1:44.71. The senior also jumped in on the 400 medley relay to close the night, helping to lead the Vols to the seventh-best time in school history at 3:07.20.
"Garcia has been working hard on all four strokes," associate head coach Lance Asti said. "We have been seeing it everyday and the things he was worked on showed up today. In the past we've focused a lot on backstroke and this year he has really taken the reigns and spent time on his weaker strokes and we saw the results tonight."
Joining his teammate in the 200 IM top 10 list was Alec Connolly who swam the event in prelims, posting a time of 1:44.92, good for fifth all-time in Volunteer history. In the evening session, Connolly lowered his career-best in the 50 freestyle to 19.47 which is the eighth-fastest time in Tennessee history.
"Alec and I sat down at the beginning of the season and one of his goals was to increase his versatility," Asti said. "He is doing that. He wants to be on the top 10 board in every event he swims and so far, he is 2-for-2."
Michael Houlie and Braga Verhage rounded out the swimmers who landed on the top 10 boards Thursday night as they swam second and third on the 400 medley relay. Houlie split at 51.59 while Verhage was at 46.66.
Verhage has been a rock on 400 medley relay teams during his career as he has been a member of four of the Vols' top 10 400 medley relays in school history.
The divers had an excellent day on the boards as five set new personal bests and sophomore Grace Cable broke into the top 10 on the 1-meter springboard.
Cable won the event with a score of 299.05 which is also the 10th-best score in program history on 1-meter.
"Grace had a wonderful performance today in a competitive event," diving coach Dave Parrington said. "She knew what the standings were going into the final dive, it was close the whole time and she answered the call every time she got up. That was great to see, the competitiveness she has."
Freshmen divers Emily Ann Wolfson and Kara Holt had strong days as well as they set personal bests on 1-meter and earned their scores to qualify for the zone championships later in the year. Wolfson posted a 270.90 while Holt scored a 265.95.
"That's phenomenal," Parrington said. "Emily Ann has been struggling the last few weeks with a sore back which had her a little down but this week she was feeling better and we saw a real change in her demeanor. Her confidence was up and she got up and competed really well today, I know that's her collegiate best and there is a lot more to come."
The men's divers competed on the 3-meter board and saw Keegan Richardson and Nick McCann set new personal bests at 347.15 and 255.90, respectively.
"Starting with Keegan, he is coming off a sprained ankle which is tough to recovery from since we bounce up and down on it," Parrington said. "Tonight, he did some things in finals that we have been really working hard on. He made some really positive changes and the positivity was written all over him.
"Nick is a rookie and we've been making some changes to his positions but he is coming. It is still going to be a little bit but I liked what I saw from him tonight. He is also showing positive body language and that is really encouraging."
UP NEXT
The Vols and Lady Vols are back in action Friday at the Tennessee Invitational as they host Georgia, Indiana, Virginia and Carson-Newman. Prelims begin at 10 a.m. for swimming and noon for men's and women's diving. 1-meter diving finals will begin immediately following the conclusion of diving prelims. Swimming finals will start at 5:30 p.m.
Tennessee PRs and Records (Thursday)
Katzer: 4:51.06 – PR – 500 Free
Morello: 4:56.63 – PR – 500 Free
Yager: 4:47.80 – PR – 500 Free
Samansky: 4:51.06 – PR – 500 Free
Devine: 4:28.82 – PR – 500 Free
Sanders: 4:24.11 – PR – 500 Free
Graham: 2:02.54 – PR – 200 IM
Brown: 1:57.61 – PR – Seventh all-time in program history – 200 IM
Pintar: 1:59.56 – PR – 200 IM
Champlin: 1:49.63 – PR – 200 IM
Giraudeau: 1:48.33 – PR – 200 IM
Connolly: 1:44.92 – PR – Fifth all-time in program history – 200 IM
Houlie: 1:50.84 – PR – 200 IM
Garcia: 1:44.71 – PR – Fourth all-time in program history – 200 IM
Murray: 1:49.53 – PR – 200 IM
Samansky: 23.07 – PR – 50 Free
Gebel: 22.92 – PR – 50 Free
Hamilton: 22.90 – PR – 50 Free
Beil: 23.24 – PR – 50 Free
Grinter: 21.95 – PR – Fifth all-time in program history – 50 Free
Small: 22.78 – PR – 50 Free
Connolly: 19.47 – PR – Eighth fastest in program history – 50 Free
Giraudeau: 21.04 – PR – 50 Free
McGee: 20.46 – PR – 50 Free
Bailey: 19.92 – PR – 50 Free
Massey: 20.83 – PR – 50 Free
Dillard: 21.06 – PR – 50 Free
Hoff: 20.79 – PR – 50 Free
Mills: 20.89 – PR – 50 Free
Briggs: 19.92 – PR – 50 Free
Walsh: 20.29 – PR – 50 Free
Scanlon: 20.21 – PR – 50 Free
200 Freestyle Relay – Grinter, Brown, Sichterman, Moseley – 1:27.20 – Tied for third all-time in program history
400 Medley Relay – Garcia, Houlie, Verhage, Connolly – 3:07.20 – Seventh fastest all-time in program history
On top of the new personal records, the Tennessee record books look a little different after night one with nine Vols and Lady Vols etching their names among the program's elite.
In the morning's prelims, Erika Brown jumped in to swim the 200 IM and ended up setting the program's seventh-fastest time at 1:57.61. The senior followed up in the evening's finals by swimming second on the 200 freestyle relay and helping her team to a time of 1:27.20. The time ties the third-quickest 200 free relay in Lady Vol history.
As electrifying as those performances were, all eyes were on Brown as she stepped to the blocks in the 50 freestyle Thursday night. The Charlotte, N.C., native did not disappoint as she threw down a monster 21.19, tying the NCAA's season-best performance and tying the seventh-best 50 free time in history.
The performance was just a preview as Brown just missed her career-best 50 free time of 21.15 which she set last season at the 2019 SEC Championships. Her 21.15 is the third-fastest 50 freestyle in history.
"I think she is in a great place," associate head coach Ashley Jahn said. "She is always looking to get better and she Is always searching for ways to get faster. Because of that, she is going to continue to get faster and she is exactly where she should be in that event."
Junior Bailey Grinter dropped her time in the 50 free Thursday, going sub-22 at 21.95 and jumping up to fifth all-time in Lady Vol history. In the evening, she swam the leadoff leg on the 200 free relay, splitting at 22.26, helping to spur on the third-quickest 200 freestyle relay in program history.
"Bailey has been searching for ways to get better and has gotten stronger and more thoughtful with her skills in the pool," Jahn said. "She is open to competing in a variety of events and is great at all of them and I think that is what led to her swim today. She is having a ton of fun and enjoying the process."
Megan Sichterman and Stanzi Moseley joined in on the relay, swimming third and anchor, respectively. Sichterman split at 21.93 with Moseley coming home at 21.91. Moseley has now been a part of four of the Lady Vols' 10 fastest 200 free relays in school history.
On the men's side, Matthew Garcia lowered his career-best in the 200 IM twice on Thursday and in the process turned in the program's fourth-fastest 200 IM at 1:44.71. The senior also jumped in on the 400 medley relay to close the night, helping to lead the Vols to the seventh-best time in school history at 3:07.20.
"Garcia has been working hard on all four strokes," associate head coach Lance Asti said. "We have been seeing it everyday and the things he was worked on showed up today. In the past we've focused a lot on backstroke and this year he has really taken the reigns and spent time on his weaker strokes and we saw the results tonight."
Joining his teammate in the 200 IM top 10 list was Alec Connolly who swam the event in prelims, posting a time of 1:44.92, good for fifth all-time in Volunteer history. In the evening session, Connolly lowered his career-best in the 50 freestyle to 19.47 which is the eighth-fastest time in Tennessee history.
"Alec and I sat down at the beginning of the season and one of his goals was to increase his versatility," Asti said. "He is doing that. He wants to be on the top 10 board in every event he swims and so far, he is 2-for-2."
Michael Houlie and Braga Verhage rounded out the swimmers who landed on the top 10 boards Thursday night as they swam second and third on the 400 medley relay. Houlie split at 51.59 while Verhage was at 46.66.
Verhage has been a rock on 400 medley relay teams during his career as he has been a member of four of the Vols' top 10 400 medley relays in school history.
The divers had an excellent day on the boards as five set new personal bests and sophomore Grace Cable broke into the top 10 on the 1-meter springboard.
Cable won the event with a score of 299.05 which is also the 10th-best score in program history on 1-meter.
"Grace had a wonderful performance today in a competitive event," diving coach Dave Parrington said. "She knew what the standings were going into the final dive, it was close the whole time and she answered the call every time she got up. That was great to see, the competitiveness she has."
Freshmen divers Emily Ann Wolfson and Kara Holt had strong days as well as they set personal bests on 1-meter and earned their scores to qualify for the zone championships later in the year. Wolfson posted a 270.90 while Holt scored a 265.95.
"That's phenomenal," Parrington said. "Emily Ann has been struggling the last few weeks with a sore back which had her a little down but this week she was feeling better and we saw a real change in her demeanor. Her confidence was up and she got up and competed really well today, I know that's her collegiate best and there is a lot more to come."
The men's divers competed on the 3-meter board and saw Keegan Richardson and Nick McCann set new personal bests at 347.15 and 255.90, respectively.
"Starting with Keegan, he is coming off a sprained ankle which is tough to recovery from since we bounce up and down on it," Parrington said. "Tonight, he did some things in finals that we have been really working hard on. He made some really positive changes and the positivity was written all over him.
"Nick is a rookie and we've been making some changes to his positions but he is coming. It is still going to be a little bit but I liked what I saw from him tonight. He is also showing positive body language and that is really encouraging."
UP NEXT
The Vols and Lady Vols are back in action Friday at the Tennessee Invitational as they host Georgia, Indiana, Virginia and Carson-Newman. Prelims begin at 10 a.m. for swimming and noon for men's and women's diving. 1-meter diving finals will begin immediately following the conclusion of diving prelims. Swimming finals will start at 5:30 p.m.
Tennessee PRs and Records (Thursday)
Katzer: 4:51.06 – PR – 500 Free
Morello: 4:56.63 – PR – 500 Free
Yager: 4:47.80 – PR – 500 Free
Samansky: 4:51.06 – PR – 500 Free
Devine: 4:28.82 – PR – 500 Free
Sanders: 4:24.11 – PR – 500 Free
Graham: 2:02.54 – PR – 200 IM
Brown: 1:57.61 – PR – Seventh all-time in program history – 200 IM
Pintar: 1:59.56 – PR – 200 IM
Champlin: 1:49.63 – PR – 200 IM
Giraudeau: 1:48.33 – PR – 200 IM
Connolly: 1:44.92 – PR – Fifth all-time in program history – 200 IM
Houlie: 1:50.84 – PR – 200 IM
Garcia: 1:44.71 – PR – Fourth all-time in program history – 200 IM
Murray: 1:49.53 – PR – 200 IM
Samansky: 23.07 – PR – 50 Free
Gebel: 22.92 – PR – 50 Free
Hamilton: 22.90 – PR – 50 Free
Beil: 23.24 – PR – 50 Free
Grinter: 21.95 – PR – Fifth all-time in program history – 50 Free
Small: 22.78 – PR – 50 Free
Connolly: 19.47 – PR – Eighth fastest in program history – 50 Free
Giraudeau: 21.04 – PR – 50 Free
McGee: 20.46 – PR – 50 Free
Bailey: 19.92 – PR – 50 Free
Massey: 20.83 – PR – 50 Free
Dillard: 21.06 – PR – 50 Free
Hoff: 20.79 – PR – 50 Free
Mills: 20.89 – PR – 50 Free
Briggs: 19.92 – PR – 50 Free
Walsh: 20.29 – PR – 50 Free
Scanlon: 20.21 – PR – 50 Free
200 Freestyle Relay – Grinter, Brown, Sichterman, Moseley – 1:27.20 – Tied for third all-time in program history
400 Medley Relay – Garcia, Houlie, Verhage, Connolly – 3:07.20 – Seventh fastest all-time in program history
Players Mentioned
Freestyle
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Diving
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Freestyle
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Backstroke
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Free/Back
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Diving
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Breaststroke
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Diving
/ Swimming & Diving
Freestyle
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Diving
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Free/Fly
/ Swimming & Diving
Free/Back/Fly
/ Swimming & Diving
Diving
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