SEC Recognizes Three Vols with Weekly Honors

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Three members of the Tennessee men's swimming & diving team were recognized by the SEC for their strong performances last week during the Tennessee Invitational, the conference office announced Tuesday.

For the second time this season, the trio of Jordan Crooks, Gui Caribe and Bryden Hattie swept the SEC weekly honors, as Crooks earned SEC Swimmer of the Week, Caribe brought home SEC Co-Freshman of the Week, and Hattie received SEC Diver of the Week. This marks the third time this year in which each Vol has been recognized by the league with their respective award.

All three were huge in UT's successful week at the invite, during which the 10^th-ranked Vols finished with a perfect 4-0 record and earned dominant wins against No. 8 Virginia and 14^th-ranked Michigan.

Crooks, a sophomore from George Town, Cayman Islands, cemented himself as one of the nation's elite swimmers this weekend, winning every race he swam in, both individually and in a relay. He set two individual program records (50 free, 100 fly) and was a member of three relays (200 free, 400 free, 400 medley) that notched the fastest times in Tennessee history.

The highlight of the weekend came when Crooks threw down the nation-leading 18.27 time in his leadoff 50 free split of the 200 free relay, tying for second-fastest time in NCAA history in the event. So far this year, his mark is 0.56 seconds faster than the next best effort—for context, the gap between first and second this season is the same as second and 23rd.

In addition to the 50 free, Crooks also recorded the top times nationally in the 100 free (41.17) and 100 fly (44.79) during the weekend. Not one of his main events, he swam the 100 back during prelims, notching a time of 45.55 that ranks seventh in the country and was the second-best mark in Tennessee history. His 200 free split of 1:34.30 to lead off the 800 free relay ranked eighth in the program record books.

A big reason for Tennessee's crushing wins was the consistent dominance in the relays—the majority of which included both Crooks and Caribe. The duo helped four different lineups to nationally ranked times in the 400 free relay (1st/2:47.27), 200 free relay (2nd/1:15.32), 400 medley relay (3rd/3:03.77) and 200 medley relay (7th/1:23.84). Crooks was also a member of the 800 free relay, which recorded the fourth-best time in the country this year at 6:17.27.

Caribe, a freshman from Salvador, Brazil, enjoyed a strong weekend of swimming after recording a pair of top-3 times nationally in the sprint freestyles. He finished second in both the 50 free and 100 free races, placing behind Crooks in each event. Caribe's 41.44 time in the 100 free is the second-fastest mark in the country this season and was the second-best time ever by an NCAA freshman (a record Crooks holds). In the 50 free, he touched the wall in 18.91, which ranks third nationally this year.
Both efforts were good for second in the Big Orange record books.

Hattie, a junior from Victoria, British Columbia, paced the Vols on the boards, recording a win on the platform and taking second on both springboard events. Competing on the tower for the first time this season, Hattie posted a 402.50 score, which ranks third nationally this season, to win the event by more than 18 points. He finished with the top score on four of his six dives, while three of his dives went for more than 76 points. On the springboards, he placed second overall with scores of 364.75 on the 1-meter and 392.05 on the 3-meter.

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University of Tennessee Athletics

Players Mentioned

Gui Caribe

Jordan Crooks

Bryden Hattie

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