Crooks, Hattie Shine in A Finals to Conclude NCAA Championships

Wednesday, March 23

Atlanta, GA

University of Tennessee

NCAA Men's Championships

Crooks, Hattie Shine in A Finals to Conclude NCAA Championships

March 23, 2022 | Swimming & Diving, Women's Swimming & Diving, Men's Swimming & Diving

Results

The 2022 NCAA Men's Swimming & Diving Championships are March 23-26 at McCauley Aquatic Center. Each day, this page will be updated with Tennessee Swimming & Diving's results and honors. For the most up-to-date information about the program, follow Tennessee swimming & diving on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook.

Crooks, Hattie Shine in A Finals to Conclude NCAA Championships

A school record fell and two Vols earned first team All-America honors during the final day of the 2022 NCAA Championships. Tennessee finished 18th in the standings with 72.5 points.

It is the 53rd NCAA meet in a row that the Vols have scored at, a streak dating to 1969. A total of 17 All-America honors were earned throughout the week by nine different Vols. Five swimmers received the status in multiple events. Tennessee finished on the podium in four events.

"The takeaway from this week is 1) associate head coach Rich Murphy and diving coach Dave Parrington did a great job of getting these guys ready for competition at the highest level, and 2) we are a young team, and the experience our team got from watching and participating in this meet is really beneficial for next year," Director of Swimming & Diving Matt Kredich said. "I thought we competed and prepared really well all throughout the weekend. The stage was not too big for anyone. This is a core group of guys who will be great leaders for us next year. It was a really satisfying of culmination of a good season. We obviously want more, but I feel great about the way we showed up and performed. It's also a springboard into what we want to do next year, which is a lot more."

Finishing ninth in the event last season, sophomore Bryden Hattie placed third nationally on the platform this year. He posted a score of 418.70 in the finals to earn first team All-America status. His performance was highlighted by a pair of 80-point dives. He nailed an inward 3 1/2 somersault tuck for a round-high 84.80 with his second dive.

"I'm just incredible proud of Bryden's performance all day long," Parrington said. "He was brilliant in the afternoon. He missed one dive that cost from being in the hunt at the end of the finals, but he did a fantastic job making it to the championship final, which he didn't do last year. He was disappointed with his performance from the first two days, so for him to get himself together and get the job done by finishing third in the country, that's a heck of a job. I could not be more proud of that young man."

After besting his school record time during the morning session, Crooks finished fifth overall with a 41.24 mark to earn his second All-America first team honors of the week. During prelims, the George Town, Cayman Islands, native threw down a time of 41.16 to earn the No. 2 seed for finals.

Crooks owns the fastest times ever by a freshman in both the 50 free (18.53) and 100 free (41.16). He was the only freshman to compete in either of the A finals of the events at NCAAs.

With the final event of the meet, the Tennessee 400 free relay finished 16th overall behind the second-best time in program history at 2:49.85. The lineup consisted of Crooks, freshman Björn Kammann, senior Aleksey Tarasenko and sophomore Micah Chambers.

"Really good meet and great competitive fight for the Vols throughout the week," Murphy said. "Our team loves to compete, loves to represent the Power T, and they are a pleasure to support. Jordan had another great day to cap a historic freshman year. We are so happy for his continued success and are impressed with how he has handled the brightening spotlight; today further exemplified Jordan's growth.

"We are very pleased with how well the men capped the meet with their efforts in the 400 free relay. It was reminiscent of SECs and the way they came together to compete with their best efforts at the end of that meet when another chance to score points for Tennessee presented itself. These men gave their ALL for Tennessee and their brotherhood. To cap off the meet with Bryden's great third-place finish on platform and the second-fastest 400 free relay in school history was pretty cool."

In the morning session, Kammann opened up the day by swimming a 42.53 mark in the 100 free, which ranked as the sixth-best time in the Tennessee record books. The performance marked his second top-10 time in UT history of the week. He finished 34th in the event.

Junior Joel Giraudeau was the lone Vol in the 200 fly. He posted a time of 1:43.54 to place 30th. During the 200 breast, senior Lyubomir Epitropov finished 35th with a 1:55.09 time. He was followed by seniors Jarel Dillard (1:56.33) and Michael Houlie (1:56.58), who placed 42nd and 44th, respectively.

On the platform, Hattie posted the second-best score during prelims at 428.00, while sophomore Jacob Reasor finished 29th behind a 295.80 mark.

Standings
1. California 487.5
2. Texas 436.5
3. Florida 374
4. NC State 291
5. Indiana 265
6. Arizona State 236
7. Stanford 231
8. Georgia 194
9. Ohio State 165
10. Virginia 154.5
11. Virginia Tech 143
12. Louisville 132
13. Harvard 103
14. Alabama 91
15. LSU 85
15. Purdue 85
17. Arizona 79
18. Tennessee 72.5

All-America Honors (17)
Micah Chambers (200 FR*, 400 FR*)
Jordan Crooks (50 Free, 100 Free, 200 FR*, 400 FR*, 400 MR*)
Jarel Dillard (100 Breast, 400 MR*)
Bryden Hattie (Platform)
Björn Kammann (400 FR*, 400 MR*)
Kayky Mota (400 MR*)
Scott Scanlon (200 FR*)
Aleksey Tarasenko (200 FR*, 400 FR*)
Matthew Wade (3-Meter*)

* - Denotes honorable mention

Podium Finishes
3rd – Platform – Bryden Hattie (418.70)
T3rd – 50 Free – Jordan Crooks (18.60)
5th – 100 Free – Jordan Crooks (41.24)
8th – 100 Breast – Jarel Dillard (52.00)

Dillard and Wade Earn All-America Honors, 400 Medley Relay Breaks UT Record

Two individuals and one relay earned All-America honors, and a school record was set on Day Three of the NCAA Championships.

In his first NCAA Championships, senior Jarel Dillard punched his ticket to the 100 breast A final, where he finished eighth overall with a time of 52.00 to garner first-team All-America recognition.

Tennessee kept its momentum up in the 400 medley relay. The lineup of freshman Björn Kammann, Dillard, senior Kayky Mota and freshman Jordan Crooks improved its school-record time in the event, touching the wall in 3:04.01 to finish 13th overall and earn All-America honors. In the leadoff leg, Kammann threw down the fifth-fastest 100 back time in program history with a 45.93 split. Wrapping things up as the anchor, Crooks' 40.52 split clocked as the fastest 100 free time in the field.

"I'm really happy for the men, as they broke their own school record for the second time in the last six weeks in the 400 medley relay," associate head coach Rich Murphy said. "Björn got us off to a great start, and we had two very solid legs from our veterans Jarel and Kayky in the middle. Jordan anchored the relay with the fastest split in the field, and it represents the fastest split in school history.

"Today was a strong day with Matt Wade's points on the board, the relay and Jarel earning All-American honors with his outstanding eighth-place finish in the 100 breast. We've positioned ourselves well to improve on last year's team finish.

"As we've discussed throughout the season, Jarel's meteoric rise from walk-on to now All-American is one of the remarkable stories in school history. Jarel has led us with his performances throughout the year, and we are very happy for him. Jarel has been an inspiration for the team and a leader for us all season long."

Senior Matthew Wade placed 13th overall on the 3-meter, earning All-America honorable mention status. He finished with a score of 377.70 thanks to a pair of 68-point dives. Sophomore Bryden Hattie placed 26th with a 350.55 mark.

"I'm very happy for Matt and pleased with his performance today," diving coach Dave Parrington said. "He was coming off a frustrating day yesterday. He was very consistent today and hit some key dives. I was happy that he was able to move on to the consolation finals and move up a couple of spots to 13th. I liked his composure. We all know he's a great competitor and carried that through today. I am happy for him to get All-America honors."

During prelims, Crooks paced the Vols in the 100 fly with a 45.54 time to place 26th, while Kammann (45.71) and junior Joel Giraudeau (46.96) finished 31st and 41st, respectively.

Joining Dillard in the 100 breast was the senior duo of Michael Houlie and Lyubomir Epitropov. Houlie finished 30th with a time of 52.61, while Epitropov took 37th behind a 53.28 mark in his first competition since November.

Standings
1. California 320.5
2. Texas 313
3. Florida 272
4. NC State 214
5. Indiana 183
6. Arizona State 167
7. Stanford 159
8. Georgia 150
9. Louisville 108
9. Ohio State 108
11. Virginia Tech 89.5
12. Alabama 80
13. Virginia 77.5
14. Harvard 76
15. LSU 65
16. Arizona 61
17. Purdue 42
17. Texas A&M 42
19. Tennessee 40.5

Crooks Finishes Tied for Third in 50 Free, Earns First Team All-American Honors

Freshman Jordan Crooks earned first team All-American honors and posted the best finish by a Volunteer in the 50 free since 1996 to highlight Day Two of the NCAA Championships for Tennessee.

The George Town, Cayman Islands, native tied for third in the 50 free with a mark of 18.60, which was just 0.04 seconds off the first-place time. Crooks' finish was the best placement by a Vol in the event since Ricky Busquets took second in the 1996 championships.

Tennessee wrapped up the night cap by finishing 16th in the 200 free relay with a time of 1:16.67, which ranked as the fourth-best mark in program history. The lineup consisted of Crooks, who swam an 18.72 split to open the race, along with junior Scott Scanlon, sophomore Micah Chambers and senior Aleksey Tarasenko.

"Jordan had a very significant day," associate head coach Rich Murphy said. "It was so beneficial for Jordan to swim well in a circle-seeded heat this morning and win his heat. We were thrilled that he got the experience of racing in the A final this evening, and he tied his second-best personal time and was 0.04 away from winning. As the only freshman in the heat, he showed a ton of poise and really did well committing to the controllable, his process. We are very excited for him. Another strong relay for the men with a fourth-best all-time performance. We're very excited to have all these men back next year."

Two Vols competed on the 1-meter springboard during diving prelims. Despite missing his second dive, sophomore Bryden Hattie battled to finish 23rd with a score of 318.95. He scored 62 points or higher on his last three dives of the round. Senior Matthew Wade placed 29th with a score of 306.45.

Standings
1. Texas 180
2. Florida 159
3. California 158
4. NC State 124
5. Arizona St 111
6. Georgia 100
7. Stanford 94
8. Indiana 78
9. Virginia 70.5
10. Virginia Tech 69
19. Tennessee 17.5

Vols 200 Medley Relay Posts Fourth-Best Time in UT History

Tennessee men's swimming & diving competed in the 200 medley relay to kick off the opening night of the 2022 NCAA Championships at McCauley Aquatic Center.

The lineup of freshman Björn Kammann, senior Michael Houlie, freshman Jordan Crooks and junior Scott Scanlon posted a time of 1:23.68, which ranked fourth in program history, to finish 17th overall.

"We had the fourth-best time in school history in the relay tonight to begin the week," associate head coach Rich Murphy said. "Some really nice first swims at NCAAs for Björn and Jordan. We're ready to keep the momentum from tonight's effort into our dives and first individual swims tomorrow."

On Thursday, Crooks will compete in the 50 freestyle, entering the event with the top time in the country. Sophomore Bryden Hattie and senior Matthew Wade open diving with the 1-meter springboard as well.