University of Tennessee Athletics
Michael Houlie Wins Silver and Sets School Record in 100 Breast
February 25, 2021 | Swimming & Diving
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Michael Houlie stole the show Thursday as he brought home a silver medal in the 100 breaststroke and broke the school record at the 2021 Men's SEC Swimming and Diving Championships at the Mizzou Aquatic Center.
The junior swam 51.41 in finals, touching second to win silver. In prelims, the Cape Town, South Africa native, swam a 51.38 to set a school record and personal best time.
His record time surpasses the old mark set by PJ Stevens in 2016 of 51.51.
"I am so proud of Houlie," associate head coach Lance Asti said. "The school record against the caliber of breaststrokers we've had at Tennessee is extremely special. I was so proud of him. The way he competed tonight, he competed to win. I want to be clear, I am proud of his silver medal. But because I know he wanted to win, he expected to win, I am also hurting for him because he has done the work and put himself in a great position. There is a lot of pride in having him represent Tennessee on the podium."
Tennessee had 15 individual swims in finals on Night Three and picked up 263 points, moving into third in the championship standings with 655 points.
For the first time since 2018, every Vol swimmer at SECs has scored.
"This is a young team and one of the ways we are talking about this meet is using it as a stepping stone on the way to becoming a championship team," Asti said. "Having the mentality, having the attitude and having the swagger the way we want it to be when this team is winning those championships. It might not be this year, but it is coming. We're always looking for the next step towards that championship identity and if we're going to win championships, every member of this team needs to contribute with points. We did that with a whole day still to go. That tells me we are moving in the right direction."
100 Butterfly
Six swimmers came back for finals in the 100 fly, led by Kayky Mota in the A-final. Mota finished sixth overall with a time of 46.16. In the B-final, Micah Chambers placed third in 47.18, while Luke Brice (47.52), Benjamin Blevins-Boor (47.56) and Jordan Tiffany (47.67) came in fifth, sixth and seventh.
Joel Giraudeau hit the wall in 47.53 in the C-final, placing third.
200 FREESTYLE
Seth Thompson-Bailey and Will Jackson took their turn in the 200 free in the B-final. Thompson-Bailey put together a time of 1:34.74 to place third in the heat, while Jackson got to the wall in 1:34.78 for fifth in the B-final.
In the morning session, Jackson swam a personal best time of 1:34.60. That time moves him into the top-10 all-time in school history at No. 9.
100 BREASTSTROKE
In addition to Houlie's silver medal win Thursday, UT went 5-for-5 in returning every breaststroker from prelims back for finals. Jarel Dillard joined Houlie in the A-final and placed seventh overall in 52.68.
The Vols placed Brett Champlin and Lyubomir Epitropov in the B-final and the duo finished third and fifth in the heat. Champlin reached in 52.94 and Epitropov in 53.02.
Senior Parker Kaye swam in the C-final, touching in 54.11.
In prelims, Dillard posted a 52.65 100 breast, recording Tennessee's fifth-fastest time in the event in school history. Like Dillard, Epitropov jumped onto the top-10 board in the 100 breast Thursday morning. He swam a 52.91, the 10th-quickest time in Tennessee history.
100 BACKSTROKE
Blevins-Boor competed in his second event of the night in the 100 back and swam a 47.71 in the B-final, finishing sixth in the heat.
Freshman Harrison Lierz was fifth in the C-final, putting together a time of 47.88.
During the morning swims, Blevins-Boor added his name to the 100 back top-10, swimming a 47.11. The mark ties him with Braga Verhage for the 10th-fastest time in Vols history.
400 MEDLEY RELAY
Tennessee's 400 medley relay closed out the night with Chambers, Houlie, Mota and Thompson-Bailey combining for sixth-place in 3:08.06.
Chambers jumped onto the relay to spell the backstroke group and went a lifetime best in the 100 back, swimming 48.05.
"I have to give a shout out to Micah," Asti said. "Our backstrokers were pretty gassed and we took a risk – a calculated risk – and put Micah on there. He has shown all kinds of life, all kinds of sparks underwater. We put him out there and he answered the call in a way that was remarkable. A lifetime best on that relay and representing us in the A-final. I was really proud of him and his composure on that."
VOL TIME DROP – NIGHT THREE
Micah Chambers – 100 Fly – 47.10 (PR)
Micah Chambers – 100 Back – 48.05r (PR)
Benjamin Blevins-Boor – 100 Fly – 47.14 (PR)
Jordan Tiffany – 100 Fly – 47.23 (PR)
Luke Brice – 100 Fly – 47.31 (PR)
Joel Giraudeau – 100 Fly – 47.48 (PR)
Will Jackson – 200 Free – 1:34.60 (PR)
Rafael Ponce de Leon Castilla – 200 Free – 1:37.63 (PR)
Michael Houlie – 100 Breast – 51.38 (PR) – School Record
Jarel Dillard – 100 Breast – 52.65 (PR)
Lyubomir Epitropov – 100 Breast – 52.91 (PR)
Parker Kaye – 100 Breast – 53.69 (PR)
Benjamin Blevins-Boor – 100 Back – 47.11 (PR)
UP NEXT
The SEC Championships conclude Friday with prelims of the 200 back, 100 free, 200 breaststroke, 200 fly and 1650 free. The day gets started at 11 a.m. ET. Finals for those events and the 400 free relay are slated to start at 7 p.m. Both sessions can be seen on SEC Network+.
The junior swam 51.41 in finals, touching second to win silver. In prelims, the Cape Town, South Africa native, swam a 51.38 to set a school record and personal best time.
His record time surpasses the old mark set by PJ Stevens in 2016 of 51.51.
"I am so proud of Houlie," associate head coach Lance Asti said. "The school record against the caliber of breaststrokers we've had at Tennessee is extremely special. I was so proud of him. The way he competed tonight, he competed to win. I want to be clear, I am proud of his silver medal. But because I know he wanted to win, he expected to win, I am also hurting for him because he has done the work and put himself in a great position. There is a lot of pride in having him represent Tennessee on the podium."
Tennessee had 15 individual swims in finals on Night Three and picked up 263 points, moving into third in the championship standings with 655 points.
For the first time since 2018, every Vol swimmer at SECs has scored.
"This is a young team and one of the ways we are talking about this meet is using it as a stepping stone on the way to becoming a championship team," Asti said. "Having the mentality, having the attitude and having the swagger the way we want it to be when this team is winning those championships. It might not be this year, but it is coming. We're always looking for the next step towards that championship identity and if we're going to win championships, every member of this team needs to contribute with points. We did that with a whole day still to go. That tells me we are moving in the right direction."
100 Butterfly
Six swimmers came back for finals in the 100 fly, led by Kayky Mota in the A-final. Mota finished sixth overall with a time of 46.16. In the B-final, Micah Chambers placed third in 47.18, while Luke Brice (47.52), Benjamin Blevins-Boor (47.56) and Jordan Tiffany (47.67) came in fifth, sixth and seventh.
Joel Giraudeau hit the wall in 47.53 in the C-final, placing third.
200 FREESTYLE
Seth Thompson-Bailey and Will Jackson took their turn in the 200 free in the B-final. Thompson-Bailey put together a time of 1:34.74 to place third in the heat, while Jackson got to the wall in 1:34.78 for fifth in the B-final.
In the morning session, Jackson swam a personal best time of 1:34.60. That time moves him into the top-10 all-time in school history at No. 9.
100 BREASTSTROKE
In addition to Houlie's silver medal win Thursday, UT went 5-for-5 in returning every breaststroker from prelims back for finals. Jarel Dillard joined Houlie in the A-final and placed seventh overall in 52.68.
The Vols placed Brett Champlin and Lyubomir Epitropov in the B-final and the duo finished third and fifth in the heat. Champlin reached in 52.94 and Epitropov in 53.02.
Senior Parker Kaye swam in the C-final, touching in 54.11.
In prelims, Dillard posted a 52.65 100 breast, recording Tennessee's fifth-fastest time in the event in school history. Like Dillard, Epitropov jumped onto the top-10 board in the 100 breast Thursday morning. He swam a 52.91, the 10th-quickest time in Tennessee history.
100 BACKSTROKE
Blevins-Boor competed in his second event of the night in the 100 back and swam a 47.71 in the B-final, finishing sixth in the heat.
Freshman Harrison Lierz was fifth in the C-final, putting together a time of 47.88.
During the morning swims, Blevins-Boor added his name to the 100 back top-10, swimming a 47.11. The mark ties him with Braga Verhage for the 10th-fastest time in Vols history.
400 MEDLEY RELAY
Tennessee's 400 medley relay closed out the night with Chambers, Houlie, Mota and Thompson-Bailey combining for sixth-place in 3:08.06.
Chambers jumped onto the relay to spell the backstroke group and went a lifetime best in the 100 back, swimming 48.05.
"I have to give a shout out to Micah," Asti said. "Our backstrokers were pretty gassed and we took a risk – a calculated risk – and put Micah on there. He has shown all kinds of life, all kinds of sparks underwater. We put him out there and he answered the call in a way that was remarkable. A lifetime best on that relay and representing us in the A-final. I was really proud of him and his composure on that."
VOL TIME DROP – NIGHT THREE
Micah Chambers – 100 Fly – 47.10 (PR)
Micah Chambers – 100 Back – 48.05r (PR)
Benjamin Blevins-Boor – 100 Fly – 47.14 (PR)
Jordan Tiffany – 100 Fly – 47.23 (PR)
Luke Brice – 100 Fly – 47.31 (PR)
Joel Giraudeau – 100 Fly – 47.48 (PR)
Will Jackson – 200 Free – 1:34.60 (PR)
Rafael Ponce de Leon Castilla – 200 Free – 1:37.63 (PR)
Michael Houlie – 100 Breast – 51.38 (PR) – School Record
Jarel Dillard – 100 Breast – 52.65 (PR)
Lyubomir Epitropov – 100 Breast – 52.91 (PR)
Parker Kaye – 100 Breast – 53.69 (PR)
Benjamin Blevins-Boor – 100 Back – 47.11 (PR)
UP NEXT
The SEC Championships conclude Friday with prelims of the 200 back, 100 free, 200 breaststroke, 200 fly and 1650 free. The day gets started at 11 a.m. ET. Finals for those events and the 400 free relay are slated to start at 7 p.m. Both sessions can be seen on SEC Network+.
Players Mentioned
Back/Free
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Free/Fly
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Free/Back/Fly
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Breast/IM
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Breaststroke
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Breaststroke
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Back/Fly/IM
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Breaststroke
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Free/IM
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Breast/IM
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Back/IM/Free
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Freestyle
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Backstroke
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Fly/IM/Back
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Free/Back/Fly
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