Vols Shatter Three Program Records to Open Tennessee Invitational

Vols Shatter Three Program Records to Open Tennessee Invitational

November 17, 2022 | Swimming & Diving, Women's Swimming & Diving, Men's Swimming & Diving

Day 1 Finals Results Day 1 Prelim Results Friday Prelim Heat Sheets Photo Gallery

In an impressive start to the Tennessee Invitational, three program records fell and nine top-10 times in UT history were recorded, as the 10th-ranked Vols and the No. 15 Lady Vols kicked off their annual midseason invite at Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center.

The Vols opened the meet with a splash, breaking the program record in the 200 free relay with a time of 1:15.32–besting the top time in the country entering the day–by the lineup of Jordan Crooks, Gui Caribe, Scott Scanlon and Aleksey Tarasenko. The performance was highlighted by Crooks' program record-breaking 50 free split of 18.27, which was tied for the second-best time in NCAA history and was the fastest midseason 50 free time ever.

Ending the same way they started, the Vols won the 400 medley relay with another program-record mark, as the lineup of Harrison Lierz, Jarel Dillard, Crooks and Caribe threw down a 3:03.77 mark. It wasn't just the A relay that found success; UT's B relay of Nick Simons, Michael Houlie, Luke Brice and Tarasenko took third behind a 3:06.39 time, which ranked eighth in program history.

In the final individual event of the day, Crooks and Caribe once again headlined the 50 free race. Crooks finished first with an 18.60 time, while Caribe took second thanks to a personal-best mark of 18.91, which ranks second in Tennessee history. Also in the A final, Tarasenko threw down a 19.64 time to finish seventh. In the B final, Scanlon (19.60) and Micah Chambers (19.67) took ninth and 10th, while Björn Kammann notched a career-best 19.85 time to place 14th.

UT dominated the 500 freestyle. Joaquin Vargas won the event with the third-best time in program history, touching the wall in 4:15.35. After cracking the UT record books during prelims, Joey Tepper improved his time by another two seconds to take second place with a 4:16.13 mark to move up to fourth in Tennessee's top-10 times. Rafael Ponce de Leon Castilla placed fifth with a 4:19.05 mark.

In the B final, the Vols posted the three of the top four spots. Jack Little finished ninth behind a 4:21.43 mark, followed immediately by Will Jackson in 10th with a personal-best time of 4:21.48. Jacob Narvid placed 12th, touching the wall in 4:22.74.

Tennessee boasted five swimmers in the 200 IM A and B finals. Nick Simons led the way with an eighth-place finish behind a 1:47.24 time. Three Vols set personal-bests in the B final, as Lierz (1:47.51) took 10th, Landon Driggers (1:48.20) placed 14th and Lyubomir Epitropov (1:48.37) finished 15th. Brett Champlin notched a time of 1:47.96 to take 13th.

On the women's side of the invite, Josephine Fuller won the 200 IM, touching the wall in 1:55.90. During prelims, she recorded the fourth-fastest time in Lady Vol history at 1:55.54. Sara Stotler took third in the event with a 1:56.96 mark. Brooklyn Douthwright threw down a personal-best time of 1:58.17 to place seventh.

Three swimmers competed in the 500 free A final for the Lady Vols. Alyssa Breslin led the way with a 4:42.78 mark to finish fourth overall. Kate McCarville (4:43.15) took fifth, while Lauren Wetherell (4:44.95) placed sixth. Julia Burroughs posted the top time in the B final with a personal-best mark of 4:44.05 to take ninth.

In the 50 free, Mona McSharry finished sixth overall, touching the wall in 22.15. Abby Samansky (22.79) and Olivia Harper (22.87) placed 14th and 15th, respectively.

In the final event of the day, Tennessee finished second overall in the 400 medley relay with a 3:30.55 mark. The squad was made up of Fuller, McSharry, Stotler and Douthwright. In the 200 free relay, the Lady Vols finished fifth with a time of 1:33.68 with the lineup of McSharry, Burroughs, Samansky and Brooklyn Douthwright.

During the diving finals, Bryden Hattie led the way on the men's 1-meter, taking second with a 364.75 score. Jacob Reasor finished sixth overall thanks to a 293.85 mark. Matthew Wade (254.85) and Owen Redfearm (226.60) rounded things out, placing 11th and 12th, respectively.

On the women's 3-meter, Tanesha Lucoe posted the top mark for the Lady Vols at 300.00 to finish seventh. Grace Cable placed 11th behind a 279.30 score, while Madison Reese (268.80) took 12th.

Being scored as separate dual meets, the Vols led their competition after the first night, while the Lady Vols held an advantage in three of their four meets. Here are the team-vs.-team the scores for the meet.

Team Scores
Men
Vols 75, #8 Virginia 35
Vols 69, #14 Michigan 41
Vols 73, North Carolina 36
Vols 94, Carson-Newman 13

Women
Lady Vols 28, #2 Virginia 63
Lady Vols 51, #12 Michigan 40
Lady Vols 52,#17 North Carolina 39
Lady Vols 78, Carson-Newman 13

Tennessee opened the day strong, as most Vols and Lady Vols earned second swims in their respective events. In total, UT saw 29 swimmers and seven divers advance to an A or B final. The men had 13 A finalists and 10 B finalists, while the women boasted 10 A finalists and three B finalists. Here's a recap from the morning session:

500 Free:
Opening up the meet with the 500 free prelims, three Lady Vols recorded personal bests: Lauren Wetherell (4:44.63), Julia Burroughs (4:49.16) and Elle Caldow (4:52.36). Wetherell took fourth to advance to the A final along with Alyssa Bresslin (4:44.67) and Kate McCarville (4:45.63), who placed fifth and sixth, respectively. Burroughs will swim in the B final.

On the men's side, Joey Tepper shaved almost three seconds off of his best time in the 500 free, touching the wall in 4:18.35 and earning the ninth-best time in UT history. Fellow Vols Charlie Krone (4:28.04), Pep Arnwine (4:31.34) and Gus Rothrock (4:25.97) also posted personal-record times during prelims.

In total, eight swimmers notched times that advanced to A/B finals. Coming in just behind Tepper, Joaquin Vargas (4:19.98) and Rafael Ponce de Leon (4:21.43) took third and fourth, respectively. Jake Narvid (4:22.45) and Jack Little (4:22.51) also qualified for the A final by placing seventh and eight in prelims. Jack Stelter (11th/4:25.42), Will Jackson (13th/4:25.55) and Hadley Griffin (15th/4:26.14) all earned spots in the B final.

200 IM:
In the 200 IM, Lady Vol Josephine Fuller notched a first-place finish in the prelims with a personal-best mark of 1:57.44, which ranked fourth in program history. Finishing fourth was Sara Stotler after touching the wall in 1:57.44. Brooklyn Douthwright placed eighth with a career-best 1:58.68 mark.

The Tennessee men notched three personal bests in the 200 IM prelims: Ryan Williams (1:49.16), Lyubomir Epitropov (1:48.37) and Martin Espernberger (1:51.97). Nick Simons (8th/1:47.24), Harrison Lierz (10th/1:47.51), Brett Champlin (13th/1:47.96), Landon Driggers (14th/1:48.20) and Epitropov (15th) all earned top-16 finishes to earn spots in the finals.

50 Free:
The men's 50 free prelims was highlighted by Jordan Crooks, who swam a nation-best 18.68 time. Gui Caribe touched the wall in 19.05 to take second. That marked a personal best for him and was the third-best time in UT history. Aleksey Tarsenko (19.65) and Micah Chambers (19.66) both qualified for the final as well, finishing seventh and eighth to earn spots in the A final. Scott Scanlon swam a 19.81 time to finish 10th, while Björn Kammann's personal-best mark of 20.01 checked in at 15th to earn the duo spots in the B final. Nick Simons (20.53) also set a personal record.

On the women's side, Mona McSharry finished seventh with a time of 22.20 to advance to the A final. Six Lady Vols logged personal bests in the event, as Abby Samansky (22.63), Amber Myers (23.02), Libby Russum (23.11), Jordan Aurou-Rhees (23.51), Kailee Morgan (24.46) and Sammy Huff (24.62) all touched the wall in their fastest-ever time. Samansky and Olivia Harper (22.95) earned spots in the B final.

Men's 1-meter:
Four Vols advanced to the finals, with Bryden Hattie leading the way behind the top score of 361.95. Matthew Wade came in fourth thanks to a 315.70 mark, while Jacob Reasor (305.55) and Owen Redfearn (281.80) took sixth and 10th, respectively. Nick Stone narrowly missed advancing to the final by 2.55 points, posting a score of 275.05 to take 13th.

Women's 3-meter:
Tennessee sent three to the finals in the women's 3-meter. Tanesha Lucoe (320.35) took fourth to pace the Lady Vols, while Grace Cable (284.20) and Madison Reese (281.70) placed ninth and 11th, respectively. Elle Renner just missed the cut, placing 14th behind a 267.00 mark. Emily Ann Wolfson took 16th with a 255.65 score, while Kara Holt rounded things out in 22nd with a 231.45 mark.

Women's Personal Bests (13)
Jordan Aurnou-Rhees: 50 free (23.51)
Julia Burroughs: 50 free (22.54), 500 free (4:44.05)
Elle Caldow: 500 free (4:52.36)
Brooklyn Douthwright: 50 free (22.63), 200 IM (1:58.17)
Josephine Fuller: 200 IM (1:55.44)
Sammy Huff: 50 free (24.62)
Kailee Morgan: 50 free (24.46)
Amber Myers: 50 free (22.96)
Libby Russum: 50 free (23.11)
Abby Samansky: 50 free (22.63)
Lauren Wetherell: 500 free (4:44.63)

Men's Personal Bests (16)
Pep Arnwine: 500 free (4:26.90)
Gui Caribe: 50 free (18.91)
Jordan Crooks: 50 free (18.27)
Landon Driggers: 200 IM (1:46.17)
Lyubomir Epitropov: 200 IM (1:48.06)
Martin Espernberger: 200 IM (1:50.66)
Will Jackson: 500 free (4:21.48)
Björn Kammann: 50 free (19.85)
Charlie Krone: 500 free (4:28.04)
Harrison Lierz: 200 IM (1:46.63)
Gus Rothrock: 500 free (4:25.97)
Nick Simons: 50 free (20.53), 100 back (45.71)
Joey Tepper: 500 free (4:16.13)
Joaquin Vargas: 500 free (4:15.35
Ryan Williams: 200 IM (1:49.16)

Top-10 Times in Tennessee History (9)
50 Free - Jordan Crooks (1st/18.27)
200 Free Relay - Crooks, Caribe, Scanlon, Tarasenko (1st/1:15.32)
400 Medley Relay - Lierz, Dillard, Crooks, Caribe (1st/3:03.77)
50 Free - Gui Caribe (2nd/18.91)
500 Free - Joaquin Vargas (3rd/4:15.35)
100 Back - Nick Simons (3rd/45.71)
200 IM - Josephine Fuller (4th/1:55.54)
500 Free - Joey Tepper (4th/4:16.13)
400 Medley Relay - Simons, Houlie, Brice, Tarasenko (8th/3:06.39)

Quotes
Associate Head Coach Rich Murphy on the men setting three program records and coming out strong to begin the invite…
"Really pleased; total team effort. I think every guy on our roster contributed in many ways to this team performance tonight. There were two ideas that the men wanted to enter today with. Number one was to have a contagious energy in the morning that spread throughout the team that we could really build off of for a couple of sessions. And then this evening really set the Tennessee standard for finals performances. We executed that vision that the men laid out for themselves really well. I think our challenge now will be to recover, be back to our process and know that there is a lot more swimming ahead, even in this meet, and as we go through the year. So, this is just a step amongst many steps that we are looking to take this year. Any time we break a Tennessee program record, whether it be as a relay swimmer or individual swimmer, it is very significant. There have been so many outstanding Vols in our past that have laid the foundation for this program's idea of what excellence is. So, we want to honor those men that came before these guys, the ghosts in the rafters, with our effort. Hopefully, tonight was the kind of session that our alums can really be pleased with and be proud of, as well."

On Jordan Crooks' record-breaking performance today...
"I think with Jordan, like with the rest of our men, we're really focused on process over outcome. Obviously we recognize his ability, so after the year is over we can spend a lot of time digesting where it ranks on different lists and what not. Our responsibility to Jordan is to teach him what excellence looks like over time in terms of process. A big part of that is valuing the team, being coachable, which he is, and just really taking one step at a time and taking each day and each session at a time. Continuing to help him be another guy on the team and not any different than anyone else is what he wants and what we want for him."

Associate Head Coach Ashely Jahn on the women's performance day one...
"I think the women we're highly competitive today. This was the best that this team has done from start to finish. Preparation, execution of races, energy, evaluation of races, making changes, being ready for the next thing, helping their teammates, this was the best team performance that this team has had so far this year. It was awesome."

On Josephine Fuller winning the 200 IM…
"It was awesome. Josephine Fuller all year has just made more and more steps toward really elite performances. She has really embraced her teammates, the process and everything to do with the team. It has been really fun to watch what she is capable of, I think she is just scratching the surface."

Diving Coach Dave Parrington on the day…
"Bryden Hattie was certainly a model of consistency all day. He really did not miss anything. He was just solid, in general just a steady performance. At this time of the year, I was really happy with that. There was a nice field of divers, and it came down to the last dive in the 1-meter competition. I did not see his last dive because I was judging on the other side, but he told me he rolled over a little bit. He missed four points but an overall solid performance by Bryden.

"The other three guys in the finals, I was very pleased. It was good for them to get in there. Matthew Wade was a little off his game but did some good things. He did his reverse 2 and a half in the prelims and finals which went for 6.5 in the prelims. That was a big test for him to get through that, it was a bit of a mental hurdle. I felt like that was a big step for him; he just was not on his game in the final. Jacob Reasor was pretty consistent all day long, and then Owen Redfearn did some good stuff. Really good to see the freshman in that final, and Nick Stone just came up a few points shy. So from the men, good, solid performance today.

"Really good getting the three girls in the A final on 3-meter. Really happy with Tanesha Lucoe's performance, particularly in prelims. Missed her last dive, which she had a chance to move into the top three. She did some really good stuff today. I am really pleased to see that. Made some really good corrections on certain dives and really pretty consistent until her last dive. Grace Cable was a little bit up and down and had some really good stuff. I'm really happy with Maddie Reese. She made some real improvements on some particular dives we've been working on, just needs to kind of piece it all together. Elle Renner had a really steady performance on our last big dive, and that's something that we're going to tinker with in the order of her dives which I think will help her. That's why we do these meets to figure stuff out. She had a good list going. Then Emily Ann Wolfson, getting her back on the boards and in competition was good. Kara did some solid stuff. We need to get a little more consistency, but she showed some good stuff too. It was a solid day across the boards."