Vols Complete Dominant Sweep, Lady Vols Down Two Ranked Foes at Tennessee Invitational

Vols Complete Dominant Sweep, Lady Vols Down Two Ranked Foes at Tennessee Invitational

November 19, 2022 | Swimming & Diving, Women's Swimming & Diving, Men's Swimming & Diving

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – An impressive weekend of swimming & diving ended on a high note for the Vols and Lady Vols wrapped up the fall slate with the final day of the Tennessee Invitational at Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center.

From start to finish, the 10th-ranked Vols dominated the meet, going a perfect 4-0 against No. 8 Virginia, 14th-ranked Michigan, North Carolina and Carson-Newman. Tennessee won 11 of the individual events and swept all five relays. The Lady Vols went 3-1 with victories against 12th-ranked Michigan and No. 17 North Carolina. Overall, Tennessee finished the meet with a combined six program records set, 26 top-10 times in school history recorded and 88 personal-best marks achieved.

Being scored as separate dual meets, here are the team-versus-team scores for the meet.

Team Scores
Men
Vols 265, #8 Virginia 122
Vols 269, #14 Michigan 120
Vols 280, North Carolina 106
Vols 188, Carson-Newman 105

Women
Lady Vols 200, #12 Michigan 189
Lady Vols 198, #17 North Carolina 190
Lady Vols 179, Carson-Newman 129
Lady Vols 145, #2 Virginia 242

The men's side of the meet ended on a high note as the 400 free relay lineup of Gui Caribe, Jordan Crooks, Björn Kammann and Aleksey Taranseko broke the school record with a 2:47.27 time. The performance was more than two and a half seconds faster than the next closest relay in the race, capping off the incredible invite by the men's squad.

One of the most anticipated races of the weekend was all Tennessee, as Crooks (41.29) and Caribe (41.44) took first and second in the 100 free. Caribe time's moved him into second all time in the UT record books, and both swimmers earned NCAA A cut marks to punch their tickets to the NCAA Championships. Tarasenko placed fifth in the event with a 43.05 mark. Four Vols competed in the B final with Micah Chambers (43.57), Kammann (43.64) and Scott Scanlon (43.69) taking ninth, 11th and 12th, respectively. Will Jackson rounded things out in 15th with a 44.30 mark.

Tennessee posted three of the top four times in the 200 back, as Harrison Lierz placed first with a personal-best 1:42.05 mark, which ranked tied for eighth in program history. The best time in the event was recorded by Nick Simons at 1:41.84, which ranked seventh in the UT record books, but he raced in the C final after a tough showing during prelims. Landon Driggers finished third thanks to a 1:43.20 mark.

The Vols dominated the mile, posting five of the top seven times. Jake Narvid led the way behind a 14:58.21 mark to take first. Joey Tepper finished second thanks to a 15:02.99 time, while Rafael Ponce de Leon (15:09.83) took fourth. Joaquin Vargas was just behind him in fifth, touching the wall in 15:14.61. Jack Little rounded things out by coming in seventh thanks to a 15:16.85 mark.

In one of the closest races of the weekend that was decided by less than 0.7 seconds between first and third, Lyubomir Epitropov came out on top with a 1:53.18 time. Michael Houlie (1:56.53) came in fourth, while Jarel Dillard (1:56.70) came in fifth. During prelims, Dillard threw down the second-best time in program history at 1:52.91. Brett Champlin placed ninth with a 1:55.82 mark, while Joseph Jordan placed 14th behind a 2:01.33 effort.

In the 200 fly, Martin Espernberger threw down the fourth-best time in Volunteer history, touching the wall in 1:42.56 to place second. Gus Rothrock came in seventh behind a 1:47.55 mark. In the B final, Luke Brice (1:49.12) finished 14th, while Charlie Krone (1:50.86) placed 16th.

Diving competed on the tower during the final day of the invite. The men claimed five of the top seven spots, with Bryden Hattie picking up the victory with a 402.50 score. Jacob Reasor posted a career-best mark of 366.10 to take third. That score ranked seventh in the UT record books. Nick Stone (318.00) and Owen Redfearn (317.20) made their debuts on the platform, finishing fifth and sixth, respectively, while Matthew Wade took seventh behind a 293.15 score.

On the women's side, Tanesha Lucoe posted the No. 10 score in Tennessee history at 266.65 to finish second overall. Madison Reese recorded a personal-best 260.30 mark to place third. Kara Holt finished in sixth with a score of 249.60, while Grace Cable (209.60) and Elle Renner (191.30) placed 11th and 16th, respectively. Making her debut on the tower, Bailey Davenport finished 19th behind a 181.10 mark.

The highlight of the night for the Lady Vols came from Josephine Fuller's dominant performance in the 200 back, as she broke the program record with a 1:50.12 mark. She won the event by more than three seconds and the time marked an NCAA A cut. Bayley Stewart finished fourth in the race behind a 1:55.74 effort. Elle Caldow (2:00.00) came in eighth to round out the A finalists. In the B finals, Amber Myers placed 14th with a 2:00.58 time.

In the mile, Alyssa Breslin led the way for UT with a 16:18.86 mark, posting the third-best time of the event. Kate McCarville finished seventh with a 16:32.56 time, while Lauren Wetherell's personal-record time of 16:42.18 helped her take eighth. Summer Eaker placed 10th with her 16:59.19 mark.

Mona McSharry posted the top time for Tennessee in the 200 breast, placing fifth with a 2:08.91 mark. Kailee Morgan (2:13.49) finished 12th, while Jordan Aurnou-Rhees (2:19.80) and Sammy Huff (2:25.05) rounded things out in 14th and 16th.

In the 200 fly, Sara Stotler finished tied for third with a 1:57.44 mark. In the B final, McCarville finished 10th thanks to a 2:02.27 time, while Margaret Marando placed 11th with a 2:03.47 effort.

Tennessee was paced by Brooklyn Douthwright in the 100 free, as she went 49.29 to finish in 10th. Julia Burroughs (49.67) and Abby Samansky (50.25) rounded things out in 13th and 16th, respectively.

UT finished the meet with a fourth-place finish in the 400 free relay, as the lineup of McSharry, Burroughs, Samansky and Douthwright notched a time of 3:15.80.

Here's a recap from the morning session:

200 Back:
Josephine Fuller posted the top time during prelims, notching a new personal best in the event at 1:52.68, which ranks fourth in program history. Bayley Stewart (1:55.48) finished third, while Brooklyn Douthwright took sixth behind a 1:57.38 mark. Elle Caldow also qualified for the A final, touching the wall in 1:57.55. Qualifying for the B final, Amber Myers finished 15th with a 2:00.50 mark.

Landon Driggers and Harrison Lierz led the way on the men's side. Driggers posted the third fastest-time in prelims, touching the wall in 1:43.08, which ranked 10th in UT history until being bumped back out of the rankings after Nick Simons' performance in the finals. Lierz took fourth with a 1:44.15 mark. Competing in the 200 back for the first time in their career, Björn Kammann (1:45.79) and Joaquin Vargas (1:46.01) both advanced to the B final, placing 11th and 12th, respectively.

100 Free:
The Vols dominated prelims with Jordan Crooks narrowly missing out on his career best, touching the wall in 41.17. Gui Caribe took second in the event, recording the third-fastest time in Tennessee history at 41.91. Aleksey Tarasenko finished fourth behind a 42.89 mark. Four Vols qualified for the B final, as Björn Kammann (43.70) coming in ninth, Micah Chambers (43.83) in 11th, Scott Scanlon (43.84) in 12th and Will Jackson (44.20) in 14th.

On the women's side, three Lady Vols qualified for the B final, with Brooklyn Douthwright leading the way in 10th at 49.44. Mona McSharry finished right behind her with a 49.46 mark, while Julia Burroughs took 15th behind a 49.60 time.

200 Breast:
Jarel Dillard had a huge morning swim, throwing down the second-best time in Tennessee history at 1:52.91. He had the No. 2 spot in prelims, while Michael Houlie (1:55.82), Lyubomir Epitropov (1:55.90) and Brett Champlin (1:56.71) finished fourth through sixth respectively. Joseph Jordan qualified for the B finals, touching the wall in 2:02.27.

Mona McSharry had the top time for the Lady Vols, finishing in sixth with a 2:09.38 mark to advance to the A final. Kailee Morgan (2:15.79) took 14th, while Jordan Aurnou-Rhees (2:21.22) placed 16th to move on to the B final.

200 Fly:
Posting the best time in the morning session, Martin Espernberger led the way for UT, notching the sixth-best mark in UT history at 1:43.53. Joel Giraudeau finished fifth behind a 1:45.54 mark, while Gus Rothrock came in ninth at 1:47.49. Luke Brice (1:48.45), Joey Tepper (1:48.96) and Charlie Krone (1:49.32) rounded out the B finalists.

Sara Stotler threw down a 1:57.41 to finish third in the 200 fly prelims. Kate McCarville qualified for the B final behind a 2:02.65 mark along with Margaret Marando (2:05.12) in 16th.

Women's Personal Bests (31)
Jordan Aurnou-Rhees: 50 free (23.51)
Julia Burroughs: 50 free (22.54), 500 free (4:44.05), 200 free (1:46.66)
Elle Caldow: 500 free (4:52.36), 100 free (50.34)
Bailey Davenport: Platform (181.10)
Brooklyn Douthwright: 50 free (22.63), 200 IM (1:58.17), 100 back (53.40)
Josephine Fuller: 200 IM (1:55.44), 200 free (1:47.79), 100 back (51.81), 200 back (1:50.12)
Sammy Huff: 50 free (24.62), 100 fly (59.08)
Kailee Morgan: 50 free (24.46), 100 breast (1:00.62)
Amber Myers: 50 free (22.96), 100 back (54.75)
Berit Quass : 200 free (1:50.10)
Madison Reese: Platform (260.30)
Libby Russum: 50 free (23.11), 100 free (50.51)
Abby Samansky: 50 free (22.63), 100 fly (53.71)
Lauren Wetherell: 200 free (1:49.00), 500 free (4:44.63),1000 free (9:58.57), 1650 free (16:42.18)
Lily Wetherell: 200 free (2:00.53)

Men's Personal Bests (57)
Pep Arnwine: 500 free (4:26.90), 100 fly (50.93), 200 free (1:38.25)
Gui Caribe: 50 free (18.91), 100 fly (46.50), 100 free (41.44)
Jordan Crooks: 50 free (18.27), 100 fly (44.82), 100 back (45.55)
Jarel Dillard: 200 breast (1:52.91)
Landon Driggers: 200 IM (1:46.17), 400 IM (3:41:06), 100 back (49.25), 200 back (1:43.08)
Lyubomir Epitropov: 200 IM (1:48.06)
Martin Espernberger: 200 IM (1:50.66), 100 fly (46.67), 200 free (1:40.76), 200 fly (1:42.56)
Griffin Hadley: 100 back (48.31)
Joseph Jordan: 200 breast (2:01.33)
Will Jackson: 500 free (4:21.48), 100 free (44.20)
Björn Kammann: 50 free (19.85), 200 back (1:45.79)
Charlie Krone: 500 free (4:28.04), 200 free (1:37.94), 200 fly (1:49.32)
Harrison Lierz: 200 IM (1:46.63), 100 back (46.28), 200 back (1:42.05)
Jacob McDonald: 100 free (45.12)
Jake Narvid: 200 free (1:37.61)
Rafael Ponce de Leon Castilla: 200 free (1:35.47), 100 free (44.71)
Jacob Reasor: Platform (366.10)
Owen Redfearn: Platform (317.20)
Gus Rothrock: 500 free (4:25.97), 400 IM (3:47.48), 200 breast (2:03.50)
Nick Simons: 50 free (20.53), 100 back (45.71), 100 fly (48.32)
Nick Stone: Platform (318.00)
Aleksey Tarasenko: 200 free (1:34.35)
Joey Tepper: 500 free (4:16.13), 200 free (1:36.96), 400 IM (3:50.24), 200 fly (1:48.96)
Joaquin Vargas: 500 free (4:15.35), 200 free (1:34.49), 200 back (1:46.01), 1650 (15:14.61)
Ryan Williams: 200 IM (1:49.16), 100 back (48.41), 100 fly (48.53), 200 fly (1:51.71)

Top-10 Times in Tennessee History (26)
50 Free - Jordan Crooks (1st/18.27)
100 Fly - Jordan Crooks (1st/44.79)
200 Back - Josephine Fuller (1st/1:50.12)
200 Free Relay - Crooks, Caribe, Scanlon, Tarasenko (1st/1:15.32)
400 Free Relay - Caribe, Crooks, Kammann, Tarasenko (1st/2:47.27)
400 Medley Relay - Lierz, Dillard, Crooks, Caribe (1st/3:03.77)
50 Free - Gui Caribe (2nd/18.91)
100 Free - Gui Caribe (2nd/41.44)
100 Back - Jordan Crooks (2nd/45.55)
200 Breast - Jarel Dillard (2nd/1:52.91)
400 IM - Landon Driggers (2nd/3:41.06)
800 Free Relay - Crooks, Jackson, Tarasenko, Vargas (2nd/6:17.27)
200 IM - Josephine Fuller (4th/1:55.54)
500 Free - Joey Tepper (4th/4:16.13)
200 Fly - Martin Espernberger (4th/1:42.56)
200 Back - Josephine Fuller (4th/1:52.68)
100 Back - Josephine Fuller (5th/51.81)
200 Medley Relay - Simons, Houlie, Crooks, Caribe (5th/1:23.84)
400 IM - Gus Rothrock (6th/3:47.48)
200 Back - Nick Simons (7th/1:41.84)
200 Free - Jordan Crooks (8th/1:34.30)
200 Back - Harrison Lierz (8th/1:42.05)
400 Medley Relay - Simons, Houlie, Brice, Tarasenko (8th/3:06.39)
200 Free - Aleksey Tarasenko (T9th/1:34.35)
100 Back - Harrison Lierz (9th/46.28)
Platform - Tanesha Lucoe (10th/266.65)

Quotes

Director of Swimming & Diving Matt Kredich on the men's performance throughout the weekend…
"It was an outstanding team performance for the men in every facet. I think, across all events and all distances, swimming and diving, one thing we showed is just fierce competitiveness that we have been honing for a while. The message that has become really clear, led by Rich Murphy, has been that there is a process by which we can be elite, and each person has a tremendous responsibility to commit to that process. A big part of that process is committing to each other, to be their best, and to look for the best in each other. It is easy to say and really hard to do. What I think we have seen over the past year is that there has been enough buy in to have that culture take on a life of its own that is growing quickly. We saw not only great leadership this weekend, but people I think finding belief in themselves that has been elusive, and a big part of that is because of what they sense the team's mission is and their part in it. Everyone feels like they have an essential part in the team mission, and when that happens, the culture accelerates. We certainly saw that this weekend."

On what it means for the men to be performing at this high of level midseason…
"I am always confident that we can get better, and this meet gave us a lot more information about where we are and what the next steps are. It is exciting to be able to know that the next steps are more conversations about how to be elite. So, moving from some fairly basic conversations that are certainly important in development to some more advanced conversations. The team is really hungry for that; they are eating it up. I enjoy seeing progress, we are seeing tremendous progress, it just means that we are always looking at the horizon, and there is a lot more on the horizon than there was before this meet."

On the effort he saw from the women's team this weekend…
"Our women's team, coming off of one of the greatest team years we have ever had, I think we have felt that the other side of that; being a really strong team can really be a double-edged sword. When somebody goes down or is hurting or we are missing, the whole team feels it. We have had a lot of blows this year, and our team has been dealing with some of that and has consistently had to reorganize. What we saw this weekend was a fierce, Lady Vol fighting spirit that we maybe had trouble connecting to at times this fall. The harder you have to look for it, the sweeter it is when you find it. I watched a lot of Lady Vol fight this weekend; it was really fun to see. We had new leaders emerge, like Josephine Fuller. That was an extraordinary set of performances from her. Mona McSharry is finding her voice. We have had people decide that they were going to move this team forward that had not necessarily done that in the past. Lauren Wetherell had an outstanding meet, took huge steps forward. People like Sara Stotler and Kate McCarville really gave a lift of competitive spirit to the team. Those people have done it in the past, but now they are being looked to, and I have loved the way that so many of them responded. I feel like when we get some of our people back that were not able to compete this weekend, that is going to accelerate this team and the foundation that this group this year has laid. We will be ready for anything that comes our way in the second semester. I think we went into this meet with a lot more questions than I have now. Just like for the men, the information we got allows us to move forward with confidence in our next steps and our next steps are exciting."

Associate Head Coach Rich Murphy on the men's overall performance…
"I am really pleased with the step they took in terms of sharpening our competitive identity. There is a real tangible connectedness and humility amongst the men. They have a desire to be excellent, and it is infectious amongst the group. The general energy of the group is really awesome to be a part of and it is a special group of guys."

On the effort by the 400 free relay to finish strong and break the school record…
"I think winning and executing on that relay led to the win and that is the important thing in terms of that specific heat. More importantly, I think we won three heats in a row at the end of the meet in that event. There was a hold up, an administrative error on our part in the B final. I think we wanted to leave the meet with no doubt about what our competitive presence meant to the meet and leave no doubt about the kind of team we want to be and set our own internal standard. I think at the end of the meet, it was really about meeting an internal standard as opposed to trying to be judged by an external standard. It is part of the process, it is about the guys competing well together and how well the team supported those relays more than it is about what place we got in this competition."

Associate Head Coach Ashely Jahn on the Lady Vols' fight and effort this weekend…
"I am very proud of their effort this weekend. I thought it was really good. They really came together as a team and cleaned up some of the things we needed to do following some previous competitions. I think we are in a great spot to continue to move forward the rest of the season."

On the impressive showing from Josephine Fuller this weekend and her breaking the school record in the 200 back…
"Josephine Fuller has done a great job sticking to her preparation, investing in the team and she put together yet another great performance tonight based on some of the things she felt and saw from her race this morning. That was a great job executing what she wanted to in that swim. I was really proud of her."

Diving Coach Dave Parrington on the team's performances on platform…
"Good results, I was certainly pleased across the board in general. It is always nice to get the win, it was pleasing. We had a couple of the dives, a little bit off the mark. Bryden Hattie has not competed competitively since the NCAAs. He may be a touch away from where he scored last year, but I am happy with his performance. He did a lot of great stuff. As you mention, Jacob Reasor had a really nice performance. He dived well this whole weekend but particularly on the platform with a lot of maturity and composure. He has come a long way from as a freshman who was all over the place. I am very proud of Jake and the two freshmen, Nick Stone and Owen Redfearn, giving themselves qualifying scores. It was very nice stuff. In Nick's ,a lot of new dives which is sometimes difficult to do. Owen had not done a whole lot of competing on the platform, so that was good. Matthew Wade did not do platform last year so getting back up there and getting back in the mix was good. We will keep building on that. So, it was really good. Very strong performance from the men.

"On the women's side, Tanesha Lucoe came out of the block sizzling with her first dive. She has made some real improvements on some of her takeoffs. In particular in round four, she had the top of her life so to speak and did not know how to handle it, so we just have to do that more often. This meet being our first one has played a big difference. She, too, has not competed since the NCAAs. Actually, she competed at her nationals in May. Very, very happy with that; of course, we would have liked to win, but I was really pleased with her performance. And then some of the others, Kara [Holt] used her brand-new dive, her back arm stand double layout. Had the crowd going crazy, that was fantastic. She just learned that dive 10 days ago, to go for 63 points in the debut. Her high score on that dive last year was a 43; she just bumped herself 20 points on one dive, just like that. Really happy with that. Maddie Reese, great to see her career high; she has a brand-new dive on her list as well, which went for 55 or so points, so some really encouraging stuff there. Bailey [Davenport], first time ever diving on tower, granted it was just on five-meter at this point, but really happy for her. Elle [Renner] had a rough go of it today, but that is the first time she has ever competed a full 10-meter list. She has been learning new dives; she learned just 10 days ago the three-and-a-half tucks, and just on Wednesday this past week was the first time ever training a full list of 10-meter dives. I think it just overwhelmed her a little bit today. Even though she had a struggle coming up with the scores today, very proud of the effort today. Across the board, strong day on the platforms."

On the upcoming schedule…
"It gets to be a little challenging. We go to Auburn for their invitational. We leave the day finals finish to what will probably be a high-quality meet. I am not sure yet who is going; just us and Auburn makes it high quality. The challenges between now and then are Thanksgiving break, everybody taking a couple days off, immediately followed by final exams. That really makes the training piece difficult to maintain consistently, but we have managed to handle that in the past, so we will have that to deal with as we go into that meet. I am excited for that meet. Now, we will go to another tower event where I think we will see some improvements from some of those people that struggled a bit today. I am exciting to get ready for that meet, everybody is in a really good place mentally getting ready for that, and as a coach, I am excited for that to come."