University of Tennessee Athletics
Senior Duo Makes History on Night Two of SEC Championships
February 20, 2020 | Swimming & Diving
AUBURN, Ala. – The senior duo of Erika Brown and Meghan Small entered Wednesday night's finals at the SEC Swimming and Diving Championships with the chance to make history and did just that.
Brown won her third-straight SEC 50 freestyle title, becoming just the third woman to do so, joining Olympic medalists Kara Lynn Joyce and Dara Torres. The Charlotte, N.C., native swam a 21.03 which makes her the second-fastest performer in meet history and lowered her own SEC-record time.
The win gave Brown her 15th SEC gold medal.
Earlier in the night, Small won her third 200 IM SEC gold medal, becoming the third women to win the event three times. She joined Maggie Bowen and Ava Ohlgren from Auburn in reaching the milestone. The Lineboro, Md., native swam a 1:52.14 en route to claiming her second consecutive SEC title in the 200 IM and third in four years.
Small has now won six gold medals over four SEC Championship appearances.
"I think the team, their focus and their love of the sport has helped them get to this pinnacle," associate head coach Ashley Jahn said. "On top of that, they want to help other people get better and collectively that drives them forward. What they achieved tonight is nothing short of incredible and I am so happy for them."
Joining Brown and Small on the medal stand was junior diver Will Hallam who turned in a gutsy performance on the men's 1-meter springboard. The Bingley-Bradford, England native scored 374.35, finishing third on the podium and secured the eighth-best 1-meter performance in school history.
Hallam has battled through injuries all season, including suffering a shoulder injury earlier in the week in prelims of the 3-meter diving event, but fought on to cap Wednesday night with the third diving medal won by UT at these SEC Championships.
"I was telling my divers the other day that this is my 30th SEC Championships and we've had our fair share of SEC Champions and great finishes but some of the most memorable are the ones that people had to do out of adversity," diving coach Dave Parrington said. "Will has had his share of adversity this year in many respects and that third place finish was an incredible example of what our team talks about, being a selfless warrior.
"He scrapped his way into the final and came into tonight and hit every single dive and put pressure on everyone else. He was on fire and I could not be prouder of the guy."
After two nights, the Lady Vols lead the championships with 385 points, ahead of second place Florida at 356.5. The men sit in sixth place with 328.5, while Texas A&M leads with 438 points.
Women's 200 Free Relay
The Lady Vols got the night started in the 200 freestyle relay, posting a school record 1:26.15. The quartet of Brown, Stanzi Moseley, Small and Bailey Grinter took silver in the event. Brown leadoff by tying what was her SEC record 50 free with a 21.15 split.
Moseley followed with a 22.14 before handing off to Small who turned in a 21.46. Grinter swam anchor and touched the wall with a 21.40 spilt.
"It was really exciting," Jahn said. "It was a great swim and the fastest a Tennessee women's team has ever been, that's awesome. Auburn put together a great relay and that itself is really exciting, we love having great competition and it is one of the reasons we love the SEC Championships."
Men's 200 Free Relay
The men's 200 free relay placed fifth with a time of 1:17.37, which is the eighth-fastest time in school history. Alec Connolly led with a 19.62 split before Braga Verhage took over and posted a 19.28. Freshman Scott Scanlon was into the pool third, swimming a 19.14. Nolan Briggs took the anchor leg with a 19.33.
"Scott Scanlon in that relay had a really big split," associate head coach Lance Asti said. "We put him in that relay for experience and we see a real bright future for him. To be in that situation in his first SEC final and to perform the way he did is a sign of things to come."
Women's 500 Free
Amanda Nunan was the lone Lady Vol in the 500 free and set the program's second-quickest time in the event with a 4:38.90 in prelims. The junior has been on a tear over the last month of the season, setting the program's best 1,000 free time just three weeks ago.
"It was a phenomenal performance from Amanda," Jahn said. "She did a great job and knew the changes she wanted to make and executed those things better. It was an incredible job and really inspiring for the rest of her team."
In the finals, Nunan finished fifth with a time of 4:39.42.
Men's 500 Free
UT opened the men's 500 free C-final with a tight battle between senior Marc Hinawi and freshman Ethan Sanders. The freshman took the race out fast and held the edge over Hinawi, but the senior swimmer fought back and took the win in the final at 4:18.28. Sanders finished second in the C-final with a 4:18.39.
Hinawi's time is the sixth-fastest in school history while Sanders' finish places him seventh in program history.
"The entire event was really exciting because they were all feeding off each other," Asti said. "You had Taylor Abbott jump over Marc all-time in prelims and get everyone jacked up and then Ethan took his race out strong and there was no way Marc was going to let him beat him. Those two competed in a really healthy way and I credit Taylor for the amount of time he has given to Ethan in teaching him and bringing him along."
In the B-final, Abbott finished fourth with a 4:18.94. In the morning's prelims, the senior from Cedar Park, Texas turned in a 4:18.63 which stood as the sixth-best time in school history until Hinawi's and Sanders' swims in the evening.
Abbott's 4:18.63 now stands eighth all-time.
Women's 200 IM
In addition to Small's historic turn in the 200 IM, Tess Cieplucha posted UT's second-best swim ever in the event with a 1:53.89. The Toronto, Canada native placed fourth in the A-final.
In the 200 IM prelims, Trude Rothrock and Nikol Popov placed themselves among Tennessee's best with a pair of top 10 performances. Rothrock touched the wall in 1:56.79, the fourth-fastest time in Lady Vols history, while Popov swam a 1:57.83 jumping to 10th all-time.
Men's 200 IM
Mid-year enrollee Kayky Mota swam a 1:44.97 in the morning's prelims, the program's sixth-fastest time in history. Mota qualified for the evening's B-final and was joined by senior Matthew Garcia.
In the final, Garcia turned in a 1:44.87 to place fourth, with Mota coming in seventh at 1:45.70.
"One of our themes tonight was to be on the attack," Asti said. "Garcia certainly did that and brought out a great swim, maybe one of his last IMs at the University of Tennessee and was really close to his lifetime best. Both of them were on a mission tonight and had two strong races."
Women's 50 Free
While the story of the event was Brown's third consecutive title win, Moseley and Grinter turned in strong performances to score crucial points for the Lady Vols. Grinter joined Brown in the A-final, scoring an eighth-place finish with her time of 22.23.
Moseley swam in the C-final, finishing third at 22.46, setting a new personal best.
Men's 50 Free
UT returned two swimmers for the men's 50 free evening session as Verhage and Connolly swam in the C-final. Verhage turned in a lifetime-best 19.55, finishing third. Connolly hit the wall with a swim of 19.69, placing behind his teammate in fourth.
"Braga hit a lifetime best after being a little flat this morning," Asti said. "It was a big night for both of them. They are two of our leaders and continually remind everyone to be on the attack and they led by example tonight."
Men's 1-Meter Diving
While Wade scrapped his way to a bronze medal, the first SEC medal of his career, sophomore Matthew Wade turned in another solid day's work.
Wade is competing in just his second full competition this season and placed ninth on the 1-meter springboard, scoring 310.40 and bringing in 20 points for the men.
"He almost got into the final," Parrington said. "But we were aggressive and missed a little bit on one dive and just missed getting in, but I am very proud of him for putting big points up on the board for the team."
Junior Keegan Richardson finished 22nd at 255.20, notching three points.
Brown won her third-straight SEC 50 freestyle title, becoming just the third woman to do so, joining Olympic medalists Kara Lynn Joyce and Dara Torres. The Charlotte, N.C., native swam a 21.03 which makes her the second-fastest performer in meet history and lowered her own SEC-record time.
The win gave Brown her 15th SEC gold medal.
Earlier in the night, Small won her third 200 IM SEC gold medal, becoming the third women to win the event three times. She joined Maggie Bowen and Ava Ohlgren from Auburn in reaching the milestone. The Lineboro, Md., native swam a 1:52.14 en route to claiming her second consecutive SEC title in the 200 IM and third in four years.
Small has now won six gold medals over four SEC Championship appearances.
"I think the team, their focus and their love of the sport has helped them get to this pinnacle," associate head coach Ashley Jahn said. "On top of that, they want to help other people get better and collectively that drives them forward. What they achieved tonight is nothing short of incredible and I am so happy for them."
Joining Brown and Small on the medal stand was junior diver Will Hallam who turned in a gutsy performance on the men's 1-meter springboard. The Bingley-Bradford, England native scored 374.35, finishing third on the podium and secured the eighth-best 1-meter performance in school history.
Hallam has battled through injuries all season, including suffering a shoulder injury earlier in the week in prelims of the 3-meter diving event, but fought on to cap Wednesday night with the third diving medal won by UT at these SEC Championships.
"I was telling my divers the other day that this is my 30th SEC Championships and we've had our fair share of SEC Champions and great finishes but some of the most memorable are the ones that people had to do out of adversity," diving coach Dave Parrington said. "Will has had his share of adversity this year in many respects and that third place finish was an incredible example of what our team talks about, being a selfless warrior.
"He scrapped his way into the final and came into tonight and hit every single dive and put pressure on everyone else. He was on fire and I could not be prouder of the guy."
After two nights, the Lady Vols lead the championships with 385 points, ahead of second place Florida at 356.5. The men sit in sixth place with 328.5, while Texas A&M leads with 438 points.
Women's 200 Free Relay
The Lady Vols got the night started in the 200 freestyle relay, posting a school record 1:26.15. The quartet of Brown, Stanzi Moseley, Small and Bailey Grinter took silver in the event. Brown leadoff by tying what was her SEC record 50 free with a 21.15 split.
Moseley followed with a 22.14 before handing off to Small who turned in a 21.46. Grinter swam anchor and touched the wall with a 21.40 spilt.
"It was really exciting," Jahn said. "It was a great swim and the fastest a Tennessee women's team has ever been, that's awesome. Auburn put together a great relay and that itself is really exciting, we love having great competition and it is one of the reasons we love the SEC Championships."
Men's 200 Free Relay
The men's 200 free relay placed fifth with a time of 1:17.37, which is the eighth-fastest time in school history. Alec Connolly led with a 19.62 split before Braga Verhage took over and posted a 19.28. Freshman Scott Scanlon was into the pool third, swimming a 19.14. Nolan Briggs took the anchor leg with a 19.33.
"Scott Scanlon in that relay had a really big split," associate head coach Lance Asti said. "We put him in that relay for experience and we see a real bright future for him. To be in that situation in his first SEC final and to perform the way he did is a sign of things to come."
Women's 500 Free
Amanda Nunan was the lone Lady Vol in the 500 free and set the program's second-quickest time in the event with a 4:38.90 in prelims. The junior has been on a tear over the last month of the season, setting the program's best 1,000 free time just three weeks ago.
"It was a phenomenal performance from Amanda," Jahn said. "She did a great job and knew the changes she wanted to make and executed those things better. It was an incredible job and really inspiring for the rest of her team."
In the finals, Nunan finished fifth with a time of 4:39.42.
Men's 500 Free
UT opened the men's 500 free C-final with a tight battle between senior Marc Hinawi and freshman Ethan Sanders. The freshman took the race out fast and held the edge over Hinawi, but the senior swimmer fought back and took the win in the final at 4:18.28. Sanders finished second in the C-final with a 4:18.39.
Hinawi's time is the sixth-fastest in school history while Sanders' finish places him seventh in program history.
"The entire event was really exciting because they were all feeding off each other," Asti said. "You had Taylor Abbott jump over Marc all-time in prelims and get everyone jacked up and then Ethan took his race out strong and there was no way Marc was going to let him beat him. Those two competed in a really healthy way and I credit Taylor for the amount of time he has given to Ethan in teaching him and bringing him along."
In the B-final, Abbott finished fourth with a 4:18.94. In the morning's prelims, the senior from Cedar Park, Texas turned in a 4:18.63 which stood as the sixth-best time in school history until Hinawi's and Sanders' swims in the evening.
Abbott's 4:18.63 now stands eighth all-time.
Women's 200 IM
In addition to Small's historic turn in the 200 IM, Tess Cieplucha posted UT's second-best swim ever in the event with a 1:53.89. The Toronto, Canada native placed fourth in the A-final.
In the 200 IM prelims, Trude Rothrock and Nikol Popov placed themselves among Tennessee's best with a pair of top 10 performances. Rothrock touched the wall in 1:56.79, the fourth-fastest time in Lady Vols history, while Popov swam a 1:57.83 jumping to 10th all-time.
Men's 200 IM
Mid-year enrollee Kayky Mota swam a 1:44.97 in the morning's prelims, the program's sixth-fastest time in history. Mota qualified for the evening's B-final and was joined by senior Matthew Garcia.
In the final, Garcia turned in a 1:44.87 to place fourth, with Mota coming in seventh at 1:45.70.
"One of our themes tonight was to be on the attack," Asti said. "Garcia certainly did that and brought out a great swim, maybe one of his last IMs at the University of Tennessee and was really close to his lifetime best. Both of them were on a mission tonight and had two strong races."
Women's 50 Free
While the story of the event was Brown's third consecutive title win, Moseley and Grinter turned in strong performances to score crucial points for the Lady Vols. Grinter joined Brown in the A-final, scoring an eighth-place finish with her time of 22.23.
Moseley swam in the C-final, finishing third at 22.46, setting a new personal best.
Men's 50 Free
UT returned two swimmers for the men's 50 free evening session as Verhage and Connolly swam in the C-final. Verhage turned in a lifetime-best 19.55, finishing third. Connolly hit the wall with a swim of 19.69, placing behind his teammate in fourth.
"Braga hit a lifetime best after being a little flat this morning," Asti said. "It was a big night for both of them. They are two of our leaders and continually remind everyone to be on the attack and they led by example tonight."
Men's 1-Meter Diving
While Wade scrapped his way to a bronze medal, the first SEC medal of his career, sophomore Matthew Wade turned in another solid day's work.
Wade is competing in just his second full competition this season and placed ninth on the 1-meter springboard, scoring 310.40 and bringing in 20 points for the men.
"He almost got into the final," Parrington said. "But we were aggressive and missed a little bit on one dive and just missed getting in, but I am very proud of him for putting big points up on the board for the team."
Junior Keegan Richardson finished 22nd at 255.20, notching three points.
Players Mentioned
Distance Freestyle
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Free/Fly
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Freestyle
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IM/Freestyle
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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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Distance Freestyle
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Freestyle
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Freestyle
/ Swimming & Diving
Breaststroke/IM
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Diving
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Fly/IM/Free
/ Swimming & Diving
Distance Freestyle
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Free/Fly
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IM/Back/Breast
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Free/Back/Fly
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