Impressive Performances Highlight Tennessee’s Meet vs. NC State

Friday, October 14

Knoxville

5:00 PM / 9:00 AM

University of Tennessee

NC State

KNOXVILLE, TN - October 14, 2022 - Jarel Dillard of the Tennessee Volunteers during the game between the North Carolina State Wolfpack and the Tennessee Volunteers at Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center in Knoxville, TN. Photo By Ian Cox/Tennessee Athletics

Photo by: Ian Cox/Tennessee Athletics

Impressive Performances Highlight Tennessee’s Meet vs. NC State

October 15, 2022 | Swimming & Diving, Women's Swimming & Diving, Men's Swimming & Diving

Results Photo Gallery

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee swimming & diving posted several impressive performances throughout its two-day meet against NC State on Friday and Saturday at Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center.

NC State won both sides of the meet. The 13th-ranked Vols battled in a 198-155 loss to the No. 4 Wolfpack, winning five of the final nine events with a pair of wins, while the No. 7 Lady Vols came up short 207.5-140.5 against fourth-ranked NC State.

On the men's side, Tennessee posted strong performances in the sprint freestyles. Jordan Crooks took home first in the 50 free, matching his season-best time of 19.36, while Gui Caribe won the 100 free with a 43.36 mark.

Crooks and Caribe were also the first two legs of the top 400 free relay lineup along with Björn Kammann and Aleksey Tarasenko, posting the fastest mark in the race at 2:53.38. Crooks' 100 split of 42.72 marked the second-fastest time in the country this season.

Rounding out the freestyle races, Joaquin Vargas won the 500 free with a time of 4:22.69 and placed second in the 200 free, touching the wall in 1:37.17.

Bryden Hattie swept the springboards on the weekend, winning the 1-meter with a career-high score of 404.55 and winning the 3-meter with a personal-best 424.65 mark. His 1-meter was good for sixth all time in Tennessee history, while his 3-meter performance ranked ninth in the program record books.

"Honestly, Bryden has improved a lot during the last few years," diving coach Dave Parrington said. "He made big strides during the summer with Team Canada, but that was also building on what we worked on previously. He's diving at a very high level, and he's leaving to compete at the World Cup in Germany this week. He is doing some great stuff. I couldn't be more pleased. He's conducts himself like a pro, and that's starting to pay dividends. The true test is when we get to the championship season."

Completing the sweep in the 3-meter, Matthew Wade finished second (393.75) and Nick Stone finished third (359.55). Jacob Reasor, who finished third (326.25) on 1-meter, took fourth on 3-meter (348.30) to give the Vols the top four spots in the event.

Jarel Dillard won the 200 breast with 1:56.56 mark, the fifth-fastest time in the nation entering the meet. Lyubomir Epitropov followed him with a second-place finish (1:57.22). Dillard also won the 100 breast with an impressive mark of 53.22, leading the Vols to a sweep in the event with Michael Houlie (53.62) and Epitropov (55.06) rounding things out.

Landon Driggers won the 400 IM, leading the way for a majority of the race. The 2021 NCAA Division II runner up in the event touched the wall in 3:52.41.

Joel Giraudeau and Martin Espernberger tied in the 200 fly for third with a time of 1:48.57. Harrison Lierz had a third-place finish in the 200 back, touching the wall in 1:45.08.

Tennessee finished second in the 400 medley relay, one of the tightest races of the meet. The squad of Harrison Lierz, Dillard, Crooks and Caribe finished with a time of 3:08.51, which was .01 seconds behind first. The team of Crooks, Caribe, Scott Scanlon and Tarasenko finished second in the 200 free relay behind a 1:18.21 mark. Lierz, Houlie, Crooks and Caribe also took second in 200 medley relay (1:26.08).

"I was really pleased with the resiliency and poise our men showed throughout the weekend," associate head coach Rich Murphy said. "Gui had a breakout two days and highlighted a little of what is to come. Our relays were exceptional and showed a team that is Tennessee Tough. Excited for Landon and Joaquin for their emergence and wins, and the dive squad's outstanding performances today."

The Lady Vols had a strong showing on the 3-meter, with Tanesha Lucoe leading the Lady Vols with a personal-best score of 333.75, the eighth highest in Tennessee history. She also finished third on 1-meter (262.88). Madison Reese (314.18) also marked a career high in the event, while Grace Cable (301.28) completed the sweep on 3-meter.

"We had quite a few personal records this meet on the women's side," Parrington said. "The women were exceptional on Friday, and the men were exceptional both days. We have been competitive every day in practice, and that's showing in the meets. I was pleased with a lot of what we saw the last two days, and I'm looking forward to what's ahead."

Opening up the meet, the squad of Josephine Fuller, Mona McSharry, Sara Stotler and Brooklyn Douthwright took first place in the 400 medley relay with a time of 3:38.48. Fuller and McSharry also competed in the 200 medley relay alongside Olivia Harper and Julia Burroughs, as the group took second behind a 1:39.66 mark. Later in the meet, Douthwright, Burroughs, Stotler and McSharry battled it out in the 400 free relay, notching the second-best time at 3:22.07.

Kristen Stege notched an impressive win in the 1000 free with a mark of 9:49.34, nearly 20 seconds faster than her previous top time from this season. Her performance ranked third in the country so far this season.

McSharry notched a first-place win in the 50 free, touching the wall in 22.63. She also took second in the 100 breast (1:00.51) and had the second-fastest time in the 200 breast with a 2:12.33 mark.

Douthwright finished with the Lady Vols' top times in both the 200 free (1:49.20) and 100 free (50.02), placing second and third, respectively. In the 100 fly, she tied with Stotler for third (54.47). Stotler also took third in the 200 fly as well, posting a time of 1:59.54.

In the 200 IM, Fuller battled it out with NC State's top swimmer in the event, finishing second (1:59.05) only .04 seconds behind the fastest time. Regan Rathwell took fourth in the event with a mark of 2:01.17. In another tight race, Rathwell notched a second-place finish in the 200 back (1:55.47), shaving more than three seconds off her best time this season and touching the wall only .01 seconds behind NC State.

"It was a great opportunity to compete this weekend," associate head coach Ashley Jahn said. "We appreciate the competitiveness that NC state brings every time. We are looking forward to traveling to Louisville on Thursday and for the remainder of the season."

Up next, Tennessee has a short turnaround with a road meet at 10th-ranked Louisville on Thursday, October 20, at 2 p.m. ET.

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