University of Tennessee Athletics
Thursday, October 29
Lexington, KY
4 PM
University of Tennessee
148
at
152
Kentucky - Women
Photo by: Andrew Ferguson/Tennessee Athletics
Lady Vols Drop Season Opener At No. 12 Kentucky
October 29, 2020 | Swimming & Diving
LEXINGTON, Ky. — The No. 7 Lady Vols fell in a tightly contested SEC East dual to open the 2020-21 campaign, as No. 12 Kentucky knocked off the defending conference champions 152-148 Thursday night at the Lancaster Aquatic Center.
"There's a lot to take away from the competition today," associate head coach Ashley Jahn said after the meet. "Kentucky did a great job off the start and underwater in their races today. We competed really well against another very competitive SEC program. We're very excited to be back competing and look forward to our next competition with them."
The Big Orange won six events in Lexington, led by Amanda Nunan with two individual victories. The senior from Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, dominated the distance events with first-place finishes in the 1,000 freestyle (9:56.73) and 500 freestyle (4:50.99).
"Amanda loves racing and was a fierce competitor today," Jahn said. "She did everything that was available to her to get better over the prolonged break. It wasn't always possible to swim but she utilized every other avenue when swimming wasn't possible. Since we've been back to regular training, she has been thoughtful and controlling what she can control like she always does. She and the rest of the senior class are leading this team really well."
Making her collegiate swimming debut at Kentucky, true freshman Mona McSharry had a hand in two wins for the Lady Vols Thursday night. The Dublin, Ireland, native was the first to touch the wall in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:00.88, then capped the night with a win in the 400 freestyle relay as she swam the opening leg in 50.59 and the Lady Vols turned in a collective time of 3:20.08.
"Mona is a great competitor," Jahn said. "We are so proud of her and her class. The freshmen as a group were impressive today from their preparation to their races. They make our team better and each other better everyday at practice. They continued that important process today."
Lady Vol senior Bailey Grinter (50 free, 22.76) and junior Mallory Beil (100 fly, 53.34) also claimed event titles Thursday to round out UT's individual first-place finishes. Grinter won comfortably by a half-second margin, while Beil's victory came by a mere three hundredths of a second over Wildcat sophomore Caitlin Brooks.
Trude Rothrock, Abby Samansky and Tjasa Pintar teamed up with McSharry to win the 400 free relay, as Pintar anchored the Big Orange with the fastest split of the night at 48.90.
On the springboards, Tennessee junior Grace Cable earned a pair of second-place finishes for the Lady Vols at Kentucky. The diver from Winter Park, Florida, tallied scores of 267.00 on the one-meter and 281.70 on the three-meter.
Tennessee notably asserted its dominance in the 1,000 freestyle and 50 freestyle Thursday, placing 1-2-3 in both events against the Wildcats. Nunan (9:56.73), Kristen Stege (9:57.91) and Claire Nguyen (10:00.46) claimed the long-distance sweep, while Grinter (22.76), Natalie Ungaretti (23.25) and Samansky (23.36) took care of business in the 50-yard sprint.
The Lady Vols showcased their depth in the 100 free, 200 free and 200 fly, scoring nine points with second, third and fourth place finishers in each of those events. Grinter was the 100 free runner-up at 49.89, Rothrock took second in the 200 free at 1:48.30, and Beil tabbed second place in the 200 fly at 1:58.74.
BIG ORANGE DEBUTS: Five Tennessee freshmen made their college debuts Thursday night at Kentucky, as Alyssa Breslin, Olivia Harper, Nicola Lane, Margaret Marando and Mona McSharry swam for the Lady Vols in the season opener.
UP NEXT: The Lady Vols will face a quick turnaround, looking to bounce back Friday afternoon when the Vanderbilt Commodores visit Knoxville for the 2020 home opener. The women's dual is scheduled for 3 p.m. at the Allan Jones Aquatic Center.
On the men's side, 14th-ranked Tennessee will open its season Friday afternoon at Kentucky. The dual meet is slated for a 4 p.m. start at the Lancaster Aquatic Center.
Women's Results
200 Medley Relay - Kentucky (Brooks, Bonnett, Gaines, Wheeler) - 1:39.67
1000 Freestyle - Amanda Nunan - TENN - 9:56.73
200 Freestyle - Riley Gaines - UKY - 1:46.35
100 Backstroke - Caitlin Brooks - UKY - 52.32
100 Breaststroke - Mona McSharry - TENN - 1:00.88
200 Butterfly - Izzy Gati - UKY - 1:57.70
50 Freestyle - Bailey Grinter - TENN - 22.76
1-Meter Springboard - Kyndal Knight - UKY - 291.08
100 Freestyle - Riley Gaines - UKY - 49.26
200 Backstroke - Caitlin Brooks - UKY - 1:54.71
200 Breaststroke - Gillian Davey - UKY - 2:11.51
500 Freestyle - Amanda Nunan - TENN - 4:50.99
100 Butterfly - Mallory Beil - TENN - 53.34
3-Meter Springboard - Kyndal Knight - UKY - 302.25
200 IM - Sophie Sorenson - UKY - 1:59.89
400 Freestyle Relay - Tennessee (McSharry, Rothrock, Samansky, Pintar) - 3:20.08
"There's a lot to take away from the competition today," associate head coach Ashley Jahn said after the meet. "Kentucky did a great job off the start and underwater in their races today. We competed really well against another very competitive SEC program. We're very excited to be back competing and look forward to our next competition with them."
The Big Orange won six events in Lexington, led by Amanda Nunan with two individual victories. The senior from Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, dominated the distance events with first-place finishes in the 1,000 freestyle (9:56.73) and 500 freestyle (4:50.99).
"Amanda loves racing and was a fierce competitor today," Jahn said. "She did everything that was available to her to get better over the prolonged break. It wasn't always possible to swim but she utilized every other avenue when swimming wasn't possible. Since we've been back to regular training, she has been thoughtful and controlling what she can control like she always does. She and the rest of the senior class are leading this team really well."
Making her collegiate swimming debut at Kentucky, true freshman Mona McSharry had a hand in two wins for the Lady Vols Thursday night. The Dublin, Ireland, native was the first to touch the wall in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:00.88, then capped the night with a win in the 400 freestyle relay as she swam the opening leg in 50.59 and the Lady Vols turned in a collective time of 3:20.08.
"Mona is a great competitor," Jahn said. "We are so proud of her and her class. The freshmen as a group were impressive today from their preparation to their races. They make our team better and each other better everyday at practice. They continued that important process today."
Lady Vol senior Bailey Grinter (50 free, 22.76) and junior Mallory Beil (100 fly, 53.34) also claimed event titles Thursday to round out UT's individual first-place finishes. Grinter won comfortably by a half-second margin, while Beil's victory came by a mere three hundredths of a second over Wildcat sophomore Caitlin Brooks.
Trude Rothrock, Abby Samansky and Tjasa Pintar teamed up with McSharry to win the 400 free relay, as Pintar anchored the Big Orange with the fastest split of the night at 48.90.
On the springboards, Tennessee junior Grace Cable earned a pair of second-place finishes for the Lady Vols at Kentucky. The diver from Winter Park, Florida, tallied scores of 267.00 on the one-meter and 281.70 on the three-meter.
Tennessee notably asserted its dominance in the 1,000 freestyle and 50 freestyle Thursday, placing 1-2-3 in both events against the Wildcats. Nunan (9:56.73), Kristen Stege (9:57.91) and Claire Nguyen (10:00.46) claimed the long-distance sweep, while Grinter (22.76), Natalie Ungaretti (23.25) and Samansky (23.36) took care of business in the 50-yard sprint.
The Lady Vols showcased their depth in the 100 free, 200 free and 200 fly, scoring nine points with second, third and fourth place finishers in each of those events. Grinter was the 100 free runner-up at 49.89, Rothrock took second in the 200 free at 1:48.30, and Beil tabbed second place in the 200 fly at 1:58.74.
BIG ORANGE DEBUTS: Five Tennessee freshmen made their college debuts Thursday night at Kentucky, as Alyssa Breslin, Olivia Harper, Nicola Lane, Margaret Marando and Mona McSharry swam for the Lady Vols in the season opener.
UP NEXT: The Lady Vols will face a quick turnaround, looking to bounce back Friday afternoon when the Vanderbilt Commodores visit Knoxville for the 2020 home opener. The women's dual is scheduled for 3 p.m. at the Allan Jones Aquatic Center.
On the men's side, 14th-ranked Tennessee will open its season Friday afternoon at Kentucky. The dual meet is slated for a 4 p.m. start at the Lancaster Aquatic Center.
Women's Results
200 Medley Relay - Kentucky (Brooks, Bonnett, Gaines, Wheeler) - 1:39.67
1000 Freestyle - Amanda Nunan - TENN - 9:56.73
200 Freestyle - Riley Gaines - UKY - 1:46.35
100 Backstroke - Caitlin Brooks - UKY - 52.32
100 Breaststroke - Mona McSharry - TENN - 1:00.88
200 Butterfly - Izzy Gati - UKY - 1:57.70
50 Freestyle - Bailey Grinter - TENN - 22.76
1-Meter Springboard - Kyndal Knight - UKY - 291.08
100 Freestyle - Riley Gaines - UKY - 49.26
200 Backstroke - Caitlin Brooks - UKY - 1:54.71
200 Breaststroke - Gillian Davey - UKY - 2:11.51
500 Freestyle - Amanda Nunan - TENN - 4:50.99
100 Butterfly - Mallory Beil - TENN - 53.34
3-Meter Springboard - Kyndal Knight - UKY - 302.25
200 IM - Sophie Sorenson - UKY - 1:59.89
400 Freestyle Relay - Tennessee (McSharry, Rothrock, Samansky, Pintar) - 3:20.08
Players Mentioned
Butterfly
/ Swimming & Diving
Free/IM/Breast
/ Swimming & Diving
Diving
/ Swimming & Diving
Free/Back
/ Swimming & Diving
Free/Back
/ Swimming & Diving
Free/Back
/ Swimming & Diving
Fly/Free
/ Swimming & Diving
Free/Breast
/ Swimming & Diving
Freestyle
/ Swimming & Diving
Freestyle
/ Swimming & Diving
Breast/IM/Free
/ Swimming & Diving
Fly/IM/Free
/ Swimming & Diving
Freestyle
/ Swimming & Diving
Freestyle
/ Swimming & Diving
Free/IM
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