#15 Lady Vols Defeat #12 Georgia in Athens, Men Fall to #7 Bulldogs

Saturday, January 20

Athens, Ga.

11:00 AM

University of Tennessee

Georgia

KNOXVILLE, TN - November 15, 2023 - Camille Spink of the Tennessee Volunteers during the Tennessee Invitational at Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center in Knoxville, TN. Photo By Kate Luffman/Tennessee Athletics

#15 Lady Vols Defeat #12 Georgia in Athens, Men Fall to #7 Bulldogs

January 20, 2024 | Swimming & Diving, Women's Swimming & Diving, Men's Swimming & Diving

Results

ATHENS, Ga. – The No. 15 Lady Vols earned their fifth ranked win of the season, defeating the 12th-ranked Georgia Bulldogs, 168-132, at Gabrielsen Natatorium on Saturday.

On the men's side, the No. 11 Vols fell short to the seventh-ranked Bulldogs, 183-115.

Junior Brooklyn Douthwright and freshman Camille Spink led the way for the Lady Vols, picking up two victories each on the day. The squad collectively won nine events on the day. Pacing the Vols, junior Jordan Crooks and senior Bryden Hattie combined for four of Tennessee's five wins on the day.

The Lady Vols opened the day with a victory in the 200 medley relay, as the squad of Josephine Fuller, Mona McSharry, Spink and Katie Mack touched the wall in 1:36.10. UT also took third (1:39.36) in the event thanks to the lineup of Amber Myers, Emelie Fast, Tori Brostowitz and Abby Samansky.

After not having a podium finisher in the 1000 free, the Big Orange responded with three of the top four times in the 200 free. Douthwright led the field, as the touched the wall in 1:44.31 to win the race. Julia Mrozinski placed third overall with a 1:45.96 effort. Samansky finished just behind Mrozinski, posting a time of 1:46.08 to take fourth.

In the 100 back, Fuller came in second after notching a time of 51.68. Boasting the top time in the country in the 100 breast this season, McSharry remained undefeated in the event, touching the wall in 58.09. Fast placed third overall thanks to a mark of 1:00.31, while Kailee Morgan came in fourth (1:00.87).

Going into the first break, the Lady Vols continued their strong start, winning five of the first seven events. Sara Stotler brought home the victory in the 200 fly, touching the wall in 1:57.38, while Kate McCarville placed third behind a 1:59.79 effort. Camille Spink won the 50 free, finishing in a time of 22.15. Tennessee entered the break with a 75-56 advantage.

Spink kept the momentum going in the second half of the meet, picking up her second individual win of the day in the 100 free thanks to a 47.93 effort. She owns the fastest time in the SEC this season in the event and is fifth nationally. Douthwright came in third in the event, recording a mark of 48.46. In the 200 back, the Lady Vols finished first and second, as Fuller posted a season-best 1:53.97 effort to get the win, while Elle Caldow touched the wall in 1:56.30.

In the 200 breast, McSharry narrowly missed getting her second victory of the day, finishing second overall with a time of 2:07.28. Fast and Morgan took third and fourth in the event, posting times of 2:12.10 and 2:14.69, respectively. Mrozinski took third in the 500 free after recording a mark of 4:42.32.

Douthwright picked her second win of the day, posting a time of 53.35 in the 100 fly. Stotler took third in the race, recording a 53.58 effort to send the Lady Vols into the second break with a 135-110 lead over the Bulldogs.

In the final individual event of the day, Fuller took second in the 200 IM thanks to a 1:58.81 mark. Stotler finished fourth in the race, touching the wall in 2:00.47.

The Lady Vols rounded things out with a victory in the 400 free relay, as the squad of McSharry, Spink, Samansky and Douthwright posted a time of 3:13.90 to get the win in a tight battle with the Bulldogs. UT also finished third in the event.

In diving, Bryden Hattie swept the springboard events for the Volunteers. He threw down a 400.28 effort on 3-meter to kick off the day before following that up with a victory on 1-meter (365.25). Nick Stone finished third on 1-meter (343.58) and fourth on 3-meter (338.78).

In the women's competition, Tanesha Lucoe got the win on 3-meter thanks to a score of 310.50. Madison Reese took third in the event with a mark of 291.45. On 1-meter, Elle Renner placed second with an effort of 278.10. Lucoe was third in the event after posting a score of 276.68.

In the men's swim competition, the Vols were the first to finish the 200 medley relay, but both squads for the Big Orange were disqualified. Joey Tepper got things started for UT, placing third in the 1000 free with a time of 9:02.08. In the 200 free, Nikoli Blackman took third (1:36.42), while Rafael Ponce de Leon Castilla (1:36.80) came in fourth followed by Joaquin Vargas (1:37.38) in fifth.

Harrison Lierz was the top finisher for Tennessee in the 100 back, touching the wall in 46.71 to place third. The Vols picked up their first win of the day in the 100 breast, as Flynn Crisci recorded a time of 53.67. UT narrowly missed a second straight victory, as Martin Espernberger (1:42.33) finished 0.15 seconds behind first place in the 200 fly.

The Big Orange entered the break on a high note, as Jordan Crooks and Gui Caribe took first and second in the 50 free. Crooks, who owns the top time in the nation this season, threw down a 19.00 effort, while Caribe touched the wall in 19.51. The Vols trailed 85-44 at the first intermission.

Caribe opened the second half of the meet with by taking second in the 100 free, touching the wall in 42.75. In the 200 breast, Crisci placed second overall with a time of 2:00.98, while Gus Rothrock came in third behind a 2:02.45 effort. Vargas led the Big Orange in to 500 free, throwing down a season-best mark of 4:20.42 to place second in the event. Tepper took fourth with a time of 4:23.69.

In the final race of the day, Tennessee placed second in the 400 free relay. Crooks, Caribe, Blackman and Micah Chambers touched the wall in 2:51.36 to narrowly miss first place. Crooks led the relay off with a 42.03 split, while Caribe threw down a 42.06 split on the second leg to give the Vols some early momentum in the race.

Up next, the Vols and Lady Vols return home to face LSU next Saturday, January 27. It will be Senior Day, as the Big Orange recognizes more than 20 swimmers and divers before the competition. The meet begins at noon at Allan Jones Aquatic Center.