Tennessee Representatives Conclude Successful Week on International Stage

Tennessee swimming & diving was well represented on the international stage during the past week, as current and former Vols and Lady Vols competed at the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, and at the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup in Budapest, Hungary.

Nine current Vols and Lady Vols swam on the international stage this week as well as three members of the UT Pro Group. A VFL and current member of the Tennessee staff served as a coach during the events.

Throughout the two competitions, the Big Orange tallied 14 podium finishes, including six gold medals.

Pan American Games
Taking place in Santiago, Chile, the Pan American games included eight members of Tennessee's current roster, as well as three representatives from the UT Pro Group. The PanAms occur every four years and include the best athletes from countries in North and South America. For the week, the Tennessee representatives tallied 12 medals overall, with six gold, four silver and two bronze.

Below are updates from the Tennessee representatives as well as the results from the meet:

Nikoli Blackman - Trinidad & Tobago
The highly touted freshman was one of two UT freshmen who competed at the Pan American Games this past week. During his time in Santiago, Chile, Blackman swam in three events.

On Sunday, Blackman touched the wall in 1:52.92 to place 12th in the 200 free. He followed that up the next day with a 50.81 effort to finish 14th in the 100 free. Blackman finished his time in Chile on Tuesday in the 50 free, where he posted a time of 22.73, tallying a 12th-place finish in the event.

Results
12th - 50 Free - 22.73
12th - 200 Free - 1:52.92
14th - 100 Free - 50.81

Gui Caribe - Brazil
Caribe swam in five events total during the Pan American Games, securing three gold medals and a silver to wrap up a successful time in Chile.

He started competition on Saturday in the 400 free relay, securing his first gold medal with a 48.41 leadoff split to help pace Brazil to a 3:13.51 finish. The next day Caribe captured another relay gold medal, this time in the mixed 400 free relay. He threw down a 48.26 leadoff split to help Brazil finish the event in 3:23.78 and set a new Pan American Games record.

In individual events, Caribe tallied his third gold medal of the week on Monday in the 100 free, touching the wall in 48.06. He followed that up by tying for fifth in the 50 free with a time of 22.27. In his final event, Caribe secured silver in the 400 medley relay with a 3:35.12 team finish. Caribe swam an impressive 46.94 anchor leg to cap the meet on a high note.

Results
1st - 400 Free Relay - 3:13.51 (Leadoff Split - 48.41)
1st - Mixed 400 Free Relay - 3:23.78 (Leadoff Split - 48.26)
1st - 100 Free - 48.06
2nd - 400 Medley Relay - 3:35.12 (Anchor Leg - 46.94)
T-5th - 50 Free - 22.27

McKenna DeBever - Peru - UT Pro Group
DeBever is a member of the UT Pro Group and competed in six events over the week in Santiago. Her best performance came in the 200 back, where she earned a seventh-place finish. She also advanced to the A final in the 200 IM as well as the B final in the 100 back.

7th - 200 Back - 2:17.43
8th - 800 Free Relay - 8:43.63 (3rd Leg - 1:38.58)
8th - 200 IM - 2:18.28
9th - 400 Free Relay - 3:52.77 (Leadoff Split - 57.16)
10th - Mixed 400 Medley Relay - 4:10.32 (Breast Leg - 1:15.26)
15th - 100 Back - 1:03.54

Brooklyn Douthwright - Canada
Douthwright racked up two medals during her time in Chile. Her first medal was captured on Saturday in the 400 free relay, where she took home gold with a 54.99 second leg to help the Canadians to a 3:37.75 finish. On Tuesday, Douthwright captured a top-three finish and secured bronze in the 800 free relay.

Results
1st - 400 Free Relay - 3:37.75 (2nd Leg - 54.99)
3rd - 800 Free Relay - 7:56.98 (3rd Leg - 1:59.16)
12th - 200 Back - 2:19.76

Josephine Fuller - USA
The Richmond, Virginia, native took her talents to Chile, where she represented UT and Team USA at the Pan American Games. Fuller tallied a first-place finish in the 100 back, where she touched the wall in 59.67 to secure gold. She also secured a silver medal in the 400 medley relay, throwing down a 1:00.47 leadoff split to help the Americans to a 3:59.39 finish.

Results
1st - 100 Back - 59.67
2nd - 400 Medley Relay - 3:59.39 (Leadoff Split - 1:00.47)

Zane Grothe - USA - UT Pro Group
Grothe competed this week on behalf of the USA and is a member of the UT Pro Group. He earned a second-place finish as part of the USA 800 free relay squad, having a leadoff split of 1:47.98. He also earned an A final appearance in the 200 free, finishing in 1:48.00 and earning an eighth-place finish.

2nd - 800 Free Relay - 7:08.06 (Leadoff Split - 1:47.98)
8th - 200 Free - 1:48.00

Bryden Hattie - Canada
Hattie competed in one event during his time in Chile. On Monday, he tallied a 10th-place finish in the 3-meter, finishing with a score of 377.15.

Results
10th - 3-Meter - 377.15

Jeremy Linn - USA (Coach)
One of the best breaststrokers in Tennessee history and of all time, VFL Jeremy Linn was at the Pan American Games as one of the coaches for Team USA, which won the meet with 46 medals won, including 19 gold. During his time on Rocky Top, he won four individual NCAA titles in the breast, including three straight years in the 100 breast. The three-time SEC Swimmer of the Year selection went on to win two Olympic medals for Team USA in the 1996 Summer Games, winning gold as a member of the world record 400 medley relay and bringing home silver thanks to a new American record time.

Rafael Ponce de Leon Castilla - Peru
The Lima, Peru, native competed in five events during the past week. His best finish came in the 400 free relay, where he threw down a 50.97 second leg to help Peru to a time of 3:30.34 to take eighth. Ponce de Leon Castilla also swam in the mixed 400 free relay, 400 medley relay, 1500 free and 800 free to round out his time in Chile.

Results
8th - 400 Free Relay - 3:30.34 (2nd Leg - 50.97)
9th - Mixed 400 Free Relay - 3:41.90 (Leadoff Split - 51.56)
11th - 400 Medley Relay - 4:05.23 (Anchor Leg - 53.11)
16th - 1500 Free - 16:15.75
18th - 800 Free - 8:24.08

Kristen Romano - Puerto Rico - UT Pro Group
A member of the UT Pro Group, Romano continued her competition on the international stage this past week. Romano earned A final appearances in the 400 IM, 200 IM and 200 back. During the 400 IM, she earned a fourth-place finish, touching the wall in 4:48.73. She also placed fourth in both the 200 back and 200 IM, touching the wall in 2:14.32 and 2:15.18, respectively.

4th - 400 IM - 4:48.73
4th - 200 Back - 2:14.32
4th - 200 IM - 2:15.18

Camille Spink - USA
Spink is the other freshman who represented UT on the international stage. The Haymarket, Virginia, native swam in three events during her time in Chile and secured three separate medals. She secured bronze in the 200 free with a time of 1:58:61 and silver in the 400 free relay with a 55.49 second leg to pace the American squad to a 3:42.87 finish. Her best finish came in the 800 free relay, where she helped pace the USA relay squad to gold with a 1:59.38 leadoff split.

Results
1st - 800 Free Relay - 7:55.26 (Leadoff Split - 1:59.38)
2nd - 400 Free Relay - 3:42.87 (2nd Leg - 55.49)
3rd - 200 Free - 1:58.61

Joaquin Vargas - Peru
Vargas swam in a total of four events over the past week. His best finish came in the 400 free relay, where he swam a second leg of 50.97 to help his relay squad come to an eighth-place finish in 3:30.34. He also swam in the 200 free, 400 free and 100 free during his time in Chile.

Results
8th - 400 Free Relay - 3:30.34 (2nd Leg - 50.97)
9th - 200 Free - 1:50.75
10th - 400 Free - 3:58.06
19th - 100 Free - 51.72

World Aquatics Swimming World Cup
Taking place in Budapest, Hungary, this was the third and final leg of this year's World Cup and served as a qualifying event for the 2024 Olympic Games. The Budapest leg featured active Lady Vol Mona McSharry, who earned three top-five finishes.

Below are updates from the Tennessee representative as well as her results from the meet:

Mona McSharry - Ireland
McSharry continued her success on the world stage at the world cup, placing top five in three different events. She had her best finish in the 50 breast, touching the wall in 30.41 and earning a second-place finish. In the 100 and 200 breast, McSharry earned third and fourth-place finishes, having times of 1:06.32 and 2:27.21, respectively.

Results
2nd - 50 Breast - 30.41
3rd - 100 Breast - 1:06.32
4th - 200 Breast - 2:27.21

University of Tennessee Athletics

Tennessee Representatives Conclude Successful Week on International Stage

Players Mentioned

Nikoli Blackman

Gui Caribe

Brooklyn Douthwright

Josephine Fuller

Bryden Hattie

Mona McSharry

Rafael Ponce de Leon Castilla

Camille Spink

Joaquin Vargas

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