Vols Reflect on SEC Championship Success

February 24, 2022 | Swimming & Diving

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Thanks to a strong team effort and a thrilling ending to the 2022 SEC Championships, the Tennessee men's swimming & diving program continued increasing its momentum heading into the final month of the season.

During a week that saw the team earn its highest rating in the league standings since 2001, the Vols finished second behind 10 medals won, with one gold, five silver and four bronze. The group saw 46 swimmers and divers advance to the finals, including 16 A final performances. A total of 21 top-10 marks in the record books were set, including six program records.

"It is an absolute thrill to be sitting here talking about what an incredible weekend we just had for both the men and women at the SEC Swimming and Diving Championships," Director of Swimming & Diving Matt Kredich said following teams' performances. "I want to highlight the job that our men did. Finishing second was the highest finish we have had in 21 years. That was a product of a tremendous amount of work by our staff. Associate Head Coach Rich Murphy and Assistant Coach Josh Huger have put in many hours helping to rebuild and build our men's culture and team. We had some incredible performances from our men both on swimming and diving this weekend. That was another complete team effort that essentially came about in one of the most exciting finishes to a championship meet that I have ever been a part of.

"Our men destroyed our school record in the 400 free relay by two seconds. We got the silver medal and assured ourselves the second-place finish. Our men were in a very exciting battle up until the end, and we were able to see how the team performs under pressure. We responded incredibly well, and there is a lot to be proud of. The team was led by freshman Jordan Crooks, who had one of the most outstanding meets that a freshman has ever had."

Tied with Alabama with two events left in the meet, the race for second place came down to the wire. The Vols clinched their spot at second following an electric race in the 400 free relay. Crooks opened the race with a program-record 100 free split of 41.44, marking his third Tennessee record set for the week.

Micah Chambers, Björn Kammann and Aleksey Tarasenko kept the momentum provided from Crooks and shaved more than three seconds off UT's qualifying time for the race and ended up setting the program record in the event with a 2:48.46 mark. The energy across the pool deck of Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center was exhilarating and grew wilder with every second that passed.

"It was definitely really nerve-racking, but I am really proud of our team," Crooks said. "The three other guys and I spoke before the relay and knew exactly what we had to do. We just had to go out there and execute. I am really proud of them because that is exactly what we did."

After the Vols finished their heat, the squad had to wait for the times of the final heat before they knew their fate. One second isn't very long, but when it came to the time between the final touch of the wall and the time generating on the board, it felt like an eternity. Once it appeared, the Vols erupted in rejoice, as the culmination of the team's hard work and resiliency during the entire week paid off.

"Tennessee swimming & diving has a very rich and proud tradition, and we feel that weight every day, being fortunate enough to come in this building," Murphy said. "Having met some of the guys that came before the more recent teams, there is an obligation that we have to give our all. This men's team left everything in pool this week. That relay exceeded any of the coaching staff's expectations. There was no doubt about who we needed to have on that relay. We talked about it as a staff and had no hesitations about who we were going to go with. It was just an amazing team performance. Everyone on the roster contributed to our success. This was for the alumni and the coaches who came before us and put their blood, sweat and tears into this program."

After his first night of individual races, Crooks became a national name. On Wednesday, the George Town, Cayman Islands, native exploded onto the scene with his dynamic performance in the 50 free. Winning gold in the event, his 18.53 time shattered the program record, marked the fastest time ever by a freshman and made him the fifth-fastest person ever in the event.

Crooks' week was just getting started, as he proceeded to win two more medals in the 100 free (silver) and 100 fly (bronze) while setting the program record in both events. His 100 free time of 41.44 also stood as the fastest mark ever by a freshman in NCAA history.

In the relays, Crooks won four more medals, with two silver and two bronze. Crooks won a silver medal in the 200 free relay with Chambers, Kammann and Tarasenko, as the group recorded the second-fastest time in program history at 1:16.48. Along with the program record in the silver medal winning 400 free relay, Crooks and the Vols threw down the top time in Tennessee history in the 400 medley relay as well with a time of 3:04.74. He anchored the relay lineup of Kammann, Jarel Dillard and Kayky Mota, which finished third overall. The 200 medley relay, which won a bronze, was led by Kammann, Michael Houlie, Mota and Crooks.

The duo of Kammann and Tarasenko bolstered UT's relays and roster in a big way throughout the week, despite both swimmers only having been enrolled since January. Kammann advanced to a pair of A finals, finishing fifth in the 100 fly and sixth in the 100 back. His 45.57 time in the 100 fly ranked fourth in UT history, while his mark of 46.03 in the 100 back checked in at sixth in the record books. Tarasenko moved on to the Tennessee leaderboards in three events thanks to personal-best times in the 50 free (T9th/19.47), 100 free (9th/42.72) and 200 free (8th/1:34.37).

A huge boost for the men's team came from the consistent performances by the divers all week. With four men making the SEC roster, every diver that competed in an event advanced to the finals. Bryden Hattie led the way, advancing to two A finals and one B final. The sophomore won silver on the platform, medaling in the event for the second year in a row, and he also brought home the bronze on the 3-meter. He and Crooks were the only Vols to win multiple individual medals.

Senior Matthew Wade finished fifth overall on the 3-meter with a 380.30 mark, nearly reaching the podium. On the platform, sophomore Dillon Richardson took eighth with a career-high 352.25 score, which ranked ninth in the Volunteer record books.

The other individual medalist for the Vols was Dillard, a senior from Hendersonville, Tennessee. He won a silver medal in the 100 breast behind a program-record time of 51.23, marking the first SEC medal of his career. Senior Michael Houlie tied for fourth in the event with a 52.03 mark, while junior Brett Champlin placed eighth after posting the eighth-best time in the UT record books during prelims at 52.46. All three swimmers also qualified for the 200 breaststroke finals, which was the final individual event of the meet. Dillard took eighth, while Champlin (ninth) and Houlie (18th) both finished at or near the top of their respective finals.

With the momentum from SECs, the Volunteers' focus now shifts to the NCAA Championships, which will be held March 23-26 in Atlanta, Georgia.

For the most up-to-date information about the program, follow Tennessee swimming & diving on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook.