University of Tennessee Athletics
Thursday, November 21
Knoxville, TN
University of Tennessee
vs
Tennessee Invitational
Photo by: Kate Luffman/Tennessee Athletics
Records Fall on Final Night of Tennessee Invitational
November 23, 2019 | Swimming & Diving
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – After an action packed first two days at the Tennessee Invitational, Saturday's finale provided even more electricity inside the Allan Jones Aquatic Center.
The Vols and Lady Vols continued to swim with an edge as they set 43 combined personal bests and notched six more top 10 times in program history.
The No. 2 Lady Vols finished the three-day meet atop the standings with 1,068.5 points, ahead of No. 8 Georgia (984.5), No. 4 Virginia (778), No. 16 Indiana ( 656) and Carson-Newman (138). UNC Asheville only competed in diving, scoring 11 points.
The No. 8 Tennessee men's team finished third at the invitational with 839.5 points. No. 12 Georgia won with 961 while No. 4 Indiana had 942 to place second. No. 18 Virginia finished fourth with 524.5 points and Carson-Newman rounded out the men's side with 180.
"There is two ways to evaluate the meet," Director of Swimming and Diving Matt Kredich said. "One is simply by times and progress made and I certainly think we made progress. The meet indicates that we made progress across the board and I am impressed with the breadth of events, the range of events and the steps forward we took as a team to increase our competitive level.
"What I am most excited about though, is behind every swim is a process that a swimmer has created and the process gets messy sometimes. That's what we do everyday in practice, we figure out how to break through barriers and it is a really exciting feeling to have the athletes be rewarded by seeing performances that are better than they have ever created.
"There are some hidden performances that may not be best times but really indicate a lot of progress. While the external view of our progress looks good, internally it is even better. We're bouncing back from disappointing races really well. We're winning close races, executing race plans and making progress in ways that don't always show up in fast swims."
Senior Erika Brown stole the show once again Saturday as she dropped a 46.15 in the 100 freestyle finals, winning the event and becoming the second-fastest performer in the events history.
"She is a really special person and athlete," associate head coach Ashley Jahn said. "She is constantly focused on how she is going to get better and looking and searching for any little improvements. She soaks in every bit of information and uses it to make her better. She has done that for a really long time now and we're seeing the results of that."
This weekend alone, Brown has tied the nation's fastest 50 freestyle at 21.19 – she now owns two of the fastest 50 free performances in history – became the fourth-fastest performer in history in the 100 fly at 49.79, setting a new school record, while also swimming a 1:41.66 in the 200 free to become the ninth-fastest performer in history.
"No coach has a crystal ball to be able to look forward and see what the future holds," Jahn said. "What's exciting for us is the goals she set out for herself and for her team and I am really excited to see how those finish out at the end of the season."
Also showing out on the final night of the Tennessee Invitational was junior newcomer Kaitlin Harty. The Salisbury, Ma., native swam in the A final of the 200 backstroke, touching the wall at 1:53.67. In the process, she set the fourth-fastest time in program history.
"She is in a great place," Jahn said. "She has worked so hard and got to join us this summer and immersed herself in the team and started to figure out who she wants to be as an athlete. She has done a phenomenal job of that and has made technical changes, she is another one that is always searching for improvements. She's had a lot to overcome and has done an amazing job and I am excited about the path that she is on and she is excited about that path as well."
The men's team had great performances across the board as associate head coach Lance Asti challenged the team to finish the invitational just as strong as they started it.
"I feel like this invite was exactly what we needed," Asti said. "I thought Georgia, Indiana, Virginia and Carson-Newman brought a lot of energy that was close to replicating what we'll feel at SECs. We needed that and we needed the level of competition each team brought. I was pleased that we responded to the environment so well, we raced as well as I could have imagined."
Asti said that the final night was the best night of racing the team had and credited senior Nathan Murray for providing the spark.
"I give a huge amount of credit to Nathan Murray who has struggled for the last year," Asti said. "He finally said, 'You know what, I am done struggling, watch this,' and he went out after that 200 backstroke and took control. Every race after that, our team followed him and his leadership and they took their race out like they were on a mission. We are on a mission, they showed it and our guys followed."
Murray finished the 200 back with a time of 1:44.06, winning the B final.
Following the leadership of Murray, sophomore Michael Houlie turned in a personal best in the 200 breaststroke A final at 1:55.95, setting the eighth-fastest time in school history. Asti praised Houlie for his technical adjustments that allowed him to finish the race strong.
"He started creeping up on the field earlier than he has in the past," Asti said. "He has more speed than anyone in that field and he tapped into it sooner."
Earlier in the day, Tennessee's divers got up on platform for the first time this season with Keegan Richardson taking home the victory for the men as Grace Cable and Kara Holt finished second and third on the women's side.
"The first time up on platform is always tough and it went about as I expected," diving coach Dave Parrington said. "There is always some inconsistency but it was good to see Keegan get the win after a tough first dive. We'll get together and keep cleaning up our dives as we prepare for the Auburn Diving Invitational in December."
Richardson's first dive went awry, but the junior recovered well and finished the competition on top with a score of 297.30. Richardson placed second on both the 1-meter and 3-meter boards earlier in the invitational.
"His first dive was an anomaly," Parrington said. "We changed his dive order to protect his ankle and keep him fresh throughout the dive list. He did an excellent job of putting it behind him and he got into a steady mindset and chipped away. Credit to him for battling back."
Cable scored 218.50 while Holt finished with a score of 212.90 in the women's platform dive competition.
UP NEXT
The Vol and Lady Vol divers will compete at the Auburn Diving Invitational December 17-19 before hosting the Tennessee Diving Invitational January 3-5.
Tennessee Invitational PRs and Records (Saturday)
Shields: 1:56.04 – PR – 200 Backstroke
Harty: 1:53.67 – PR – Fourth all-time in school history – 200 Backstroke
Blevins-Boor: 1:47.03 – PR – 200 Backstroke
Brown: 46.15 – PR – Fastest time in school history – Second fastest performer in history – 100 Freestyle
Gebel: 50.37 – PR – 100 Freestyle
Huizenga: 52.20 – PR – 100 Freestyle
Samansky: 49.35 – PR – 100 Freestyle
Sichterman: 50.22 – PR – 100 Freestyle
Pintar: 48.96 – PR – 100 Freestyle
Rothrock: 49.11 – PR – 100 Freestyle
Ungaretti: 50.03 – PR – 100 Freestyle
Hoff: 46.30 – PR – 100 Freestyle
Scanlon: 45.33 – PR – 100 Freestyle
Mills: 45.26 – PR – 100 Freestyle
Walsh: 43.66 – PR – 100 Freestyle
Briggs: 44.03 – PR – 100 Freestyle
McGee: 45.55 – PR – 100 Freestyle
Connolly: 42.76 – PR – Seventh all-time in school history – 100 Freestyle
Bailey: 43.41 – PR – 100 Freestyle
Yager: 2:08.22 – PR – Third all-time in school history – 200 Breaststroke
Champlin: 1:57.33 – PR – 200 Breaststroke
Houlie: 1:55.95 – PR – Eight all-time in school history – 200 Breaststroke
Dillard: 1:57.43 – PR – 200 Breaststroke
Kaye: 2:00.43 – PR – 200 Breaststroke
Massey: 2:00.37 – PR – 200 Breaststroke
Morello: 1:58.45 – PR – 200 Butterfly
Cieplucha: 1:55.66 – PR – fourth all-time in school history – 200 Butterfly
Beil: 1:57.74 – PR – 200 Butterfly
Brice: 1:52.01 – PR – 200 Butterfly
Hoff: 1:48.66 – PR – 200 Butterfly
Giraudeau: 1:46.53 – PR – 200 Butterfly
Tussing: 15:28.53 – PR – 1650 Freestyle
Sanders: 15:11.47 – PR – 1650 Freestyle
Women's 400 Free Relay: 3:11.27 – Grinter, Moseley, Pintar, Brown – Fastest time in school history
The Vols and Lady Vols continued to swim with an edge as they set 43 combined personal bests and notched six more top 10 times in program history.
The No. 2 Lady Vols finished the three-day meet atop the standings with 1,068.5 points, ahead of No. 8 Georgia (984.5), No. 4 Virginia (778), No. 16 Indiana ( 656) and Carson-Newman (138). UNC Asheville only competed in diving, scoring 11 points.
The No. 8 Tennessee men's team finished third at the invitational with 839.5 points. No. 12 Georgia won with 961 while No. 4 Indiana had 942 to place second. No. 18 Virginia finished fourth with 524.5 points and Carson-Newman rounded out the men's side with 180.
"There is two ways to evaluate the meet," Director of Swimming and Diving Matt Kredich said. "One is simply by times and progress made and I certainly think we made progress. The meet indicates that we made progress across the board and I am impressed with the breadth of events, the range of events and the steps forward we took as a team to increase our competitive level.
"What I am most excited about though, is behind every swim is a process that a swimmer has created and the process gets messy sometimes. That's what we do everyday in practice, we figure out how to break through barriers and it is a really exciting feeling to have the athletes be rewarded by seeing performances that are better than they have ever created.
"There are some hidden performances that may not be best times but really indicate a lot of progress. While the external view of our progress looks good, internally it is even better. We're bouncing back from disappointing races really well. We're winning close races, executing race plans and making progress in ways that don't always show up in fast swims."
Senior Erika Brown stole the show once again Saturday as she dropped a 46.15 in the 100 freestyle finals, winning the event and becoming the second-fastest performer in the events history.
"She is a really special person and athlete," associate head coach Ashley Jahn said. "She is constantly focused on how she is going to get better and looking and searching for any little improvements. She soaks in every bit of information and uses it to make her better. She has done that for a really long time now and we're seeing the results of that."
This weekend alone, Brown has tied the nation's fastest 50 freestyle at 21.19 – she now owns two of the fastest 50 free performances in history – became the fourth-fastest performer in history in the 100 fly at 49.79, setting a new school record, while also swimming a 1:41.66 in the 200 free to become the ninth-fastest performer in history.
"No coach has a crystal ball to be able to look forward and see what the future holds," Jahn said. "What's exciting for us is the goals she set out for herself and for her team and I am really excited to see how those finish out at the end of the season."
Also showing out on the final night of the Tennessee Invitational was junior newcomer Kaitlin Harty. The Salisbury, Ma., native swam in the A final of the 200 backstroke, touching the wall at 1:53.67. In the process, she set the fourth-fastest time in program history.
"She is in a great place," Jahn said. "She has worked so hard and got to join us this summer and immersed herself in the team and started to figure out who she wants to be as an athlete. She has done a phenomenal job of that and has made technical changes, she is another one that is always searching for improvements. She's had a lot to overcome and has done an amazing job and I am excited about the path that she is on and she is excited about that path as well."
The men's team had great performances across the board as associate head coach Lance Asti challenged the team to finish the invitational just as strong as they started it.
"I feel like this invite was exactly what we needed," Asti said. "I thought Georgia, Indiana, Virginia and Carson-Newman brought a lot of energy that was close to replicating what we'll feel at SECs. We needed that and we needed the level of competition each team brought. I was pleased that we responded to the environment so well, we raced as well as I could have imagined."
Asti said that the final night was the best night of racing the team had and credited senior Nathan Murray for providing the spark.
"I give a huge amount of credit to Nathan Murray who has struggled for the last year," Asti said. "He finally said, 'You know what, I am done struggling, watch this,' and he went out after that 200 backstroke and took control. Every race after that, our team followed him and his leadership and they took their race out like they were on a mission. We are on a mission, they showed it and our guys followed."
Murray finished the 200 back with a time of 1:44.06, winning the B final.
Following the leadership of Murray, sophomore Michael Houlie turned in a personal best in the 200 breaststroke A final at 1:55.95, setting the eighth-fastest time in school history. Asti praised Houlie for his technical adjustments that allowed him to finish the race strong.
"He started creeping up on the field earlier than he has in the past," Asti said. "He has more speed than anyone in that field and he tapped into it sooner."
Earlier in the day, Tennessee's divers got up on platform for the first time this season with Keegan Richardson taking home the victory for the men as Grace Cable and Kara Holt finished second and third on the women's side.
"The first time up on platform is always tough and it went about as I expected," diving coach Dave Parrington said. "There is always some inconsistency but it was good to see Keegan get the win after a tough first dive. We'll get together and keep cleaning up our dives as we prepare for the Auburn Diving Invitational in December."
Richardson's first dive went awry, but the junior recovered well and finished the competition on top with a score of 297.30. Richardson placed second on both the 1-meter and 3-meter boards earlier in the invitational.
"His first dive was an anomaly," Parrington said. "We changed his dive order to protect his ankle and keep him fresh throughout the dive list. He did an excellent job of putting it behind him and he got into a steady mindset and chipped away. Credit to him for battling back."
Cable scored 218.50 while Holt finished with a score of 212.90 in the women's platform dive competition.
UP NEXT
The Vol and Lady Vol divers will compete at the Auburn Diving Invitational December 17-19 before hosting the Tennessee Diving Invitational January 3-5.
Tennessee Invitational PRs and Records (Saturday)
Shields: 1:56.04 – PR – 200 Backstroke
Harty: 1:53.67 – PR – Fourth all-time in school history – 200 Backstroke
Blevins-Boor: 1:47.03 – PR – 200 Backstroke
Brown: 46.15 – PR – Fastest time in school history – Second fastest performer in history – 100 Freestyle
Gebel: 50.37 – PR – 100 Freestyle
Huizenga: 52.20 – PR – 100 Freestyle
Samansky: 49.35 – PR – 100 Freestyle
Sichterman: 50.22 – PR – 100 Freestyle
Pintar: 48.96 – PR – 100 Freestyle
Rothrock: 49.11 – PR – 100 Freestyle
Ungaretti: 50.03 – PR – 100 Freestyle
Hoff: 46.30 – PR – 100 Freestyle
Scanlon: 45.33 – PR – 100 Freestyle
Mills: 45.26 – PR – 100 Freestyle
Walsh: 43.66 – PR – 100 Freestyle
Briggs: 44.03 – PR – 100 Freestyle
McGee: 45.55 – PR – 100 Freestyle
Connolly: 42.76 – PR – Seventh all-time in school history – 100 Freestyle
Bailey: 43.41 – PR – 100 Freestyle
Yager: 2:08.22 – PR – Third all-time in school history – 200 Breaststroke
Champlin: 1:57.33 – PR – 200 Breaststroke
Houlie: 1:55.95 – PR – Eight all-time in school history – 200 Breaststroke
Dillard: 1:57.43 – PR – 200 Breaststroke
Kaye: 2:00.43 – PR – 200 Breaststroke
Massey: 2:00.37 – PR – 200 Breaststroke
Morello: 1:58.45 – PR – 200 Butterfly
Cieplucha: 1:55.66 – PR – fourth all-time in school history – 200 Butterfly
Beil: 1:57.74 – PR – 200 Butterfly
Brice: 1:52.01 – PR – 200 Butterfly
Hoff: 1:48.66 – PR – 200 Butterfly
Giraudeau: 1:46.53 – PR – 200 Butterfly
Tussing: 15:28.53 – PR – 1650 Freestyle
Sanders: 15:11.47 – PR – 1650 Freestyle
Women's 400 Free Relay: 3:11.27 – Grinter, Moseley, Pintar, Brown – Fastest time in school history
Players Mentioned
Freestyle
/ Swimming & Diving
Diving
/ Swimming & Diving
Backstroke
/ Swimming & Diving
Diving
/ Swimming & Diving
Breaststroke
/ Swimming & Diving
Backstroke
/ Swimming & Diving
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