University of Tennessee Athletics
WORLD RECORD: Crooks Becomes First Person Ever to Swim Sub-20 Seconds in Short Course 50 Free
December 14, 2024 | Swimming & Diving, Women's Swimming & Diving, Men's Swimming & Diving
BUDAPEST, Hungary – Tennessee senior Jordan Crooks made waves in the swimming world Saturday, as the Vol shattered the 50 free world record twice and became the first person to ever go sub-20 seconds in the event to highlight the penultimate day of competition at the 2024 Short Course World Championships.
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Crooks opened the day by throwing down a 20.08 effort, besting the previous record of 20.16 set by Caeleb Dressel in 2020. The George Town, Cayman Islands, native followed that up with a spectacular 19.90 performance during the semifinals to make history. The staggering part of his swim was his dominance compared to the rest of the field.
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Crooks, who is the reigning world champ in the event, finished 0.61 seconds faster than the next quickest person. That gap in the semifinals was greater than the time difference between second place and 15th place (0.56 seconds).
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Crooks will look to defend his title on Sunday at 11:39 a.m. ET. Fans can watch live on Peacock. Joining him in the final will be teammate Gui Caribe. The silver medalist in the 100 free earlier in the week punched his ticket as the No. 3 seed going into the final with a time of 20.59.
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Former Lady Vol Ellen Walshe recorded a pair of top-8 finishes to cap her time in Budapest. The two-time Olympian took fifth in the 400 IM (4:29.86) and sixth in the 100 fly, an event she set the Irish national record in during the semifinals with a 55.50 effort. For the week, she advanced to the finals of three events and set four new national records in the process.
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Lady Vol signee Mizuki Hirai also swam in the 100 fly final, taking fifth overall thanks to a 55.61 mark to cap off a strong week of racing. Freshman Jillian Crooks broke a pair of Cayman Island national records during her time at the championships, clocking a 24.70 effort in the 50 free on Saturday and a mark of 54.13 in the 100 free earlier in the meet.
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Rounding things out for the day, former Vol Michael Houlie punched his ticket to Sunday's final in the 50 breast, posting a time of 25.69 to earn the No. 6 seed.
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Two UT divers competed at the USA Winter Nationals on Saturday. Freshman Bennett Greene narrowly missed the finals on 3-meter, posting a score of 312.60 to finish 14th out of 32 competitors. He fell behind halfway through his list but fought back thanks to a pair of 65-point-plus dives to almost advance. It was his best finish at a senior level meet. Senior Maddie Reese placed 19th on platform with a score of 197.20.
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Crooks opened the day by throwing down a 20.08 effort, besting the previous record of 20.16 set by Caeleb Dressel in 2020. The George Town, Cayman Islands, native followed that up with a spectacular 19.90 performance during the semifinals to make history. The staggering part of his swim was his dominance compared to the rest of the field.
Â
Crooks, who is the reigning world champ in the event, finished 0.61 seconds faster than the next quickest person. That gap in the semifinals was greater than the time difference between second place and 15th place (0.56 seconds).
Â
Crooks will look to defend his title on Sunday at 11:39 a.m. ET. Fans can watch live on Peacock. Joining him in the final will be teammate Gui Caribe. The silver medalist in the 100 free earlier in the week punched his ticket as the No. 3 seed going into the final with a time of 20.59.
Â
Former Lady Vol Ellen Walshe recorded a pair of top-8 finishes to cap her time in Budapest. The two-time Olympian took fifth in the 400 IM (4:29.86) and sixth in the 100 fly, an event she set the Irish national record in during the semifinals with a 55.50 effort. For the week, she advanced to the finals of three events and set four new national records in the process.
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Lady Vol signee Mizuki Hirai also swam in the 100 fly final, taking fifth overall thanks to a 55.61 mark to cap off a strong week of racing. Freshman Jillian Crooks broke a pair of Cayman Island national records during her time at the championships, clocking a 24.70 effort in the 50 free on Saturday and a mark of 54.13 in the 100 free earlier in the meet.
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Rounding things out for the day, former Vol Michael Houlie punched his ticket to Sunday's final in the 50 breast, posting a time of 25.69 to earn the No. 6 seed.
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Two UT divers competed at the USA Winter Nationals on Saturday. Freshman Bennett Greene narrowly missed the finals on 3-meter, posting a score of 312.60 to finish 14th out of 32 competitors. He fell behind halfway through his list but fought back thanks to a pair of 65-point-plus dives to almost advance. It was his best finish at a senior level meet. Senior Maddie Reese placed 19th on platform with a score of 197.20.
Players Mentioned
Free/Fly
/ Men's Swimming & Diving
Free/Back/Fly
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
Sprint Free
/ Swimming & Diving
Diving
/ Men's Swimming & Diving
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