Path to Paris: Tennessee Swimming & Diving's Journey to the 2024 Olympics
The Path to Paris begins on Rocky Top for many swimmers and divers. Whether they’re alumni of the University of Tennessee or have only just stepped foot on campus, many Vols and Lady Vols have received world-class training and coaching with one of the end goals being to reach the Summer Games. While Tokyo 2020 feels like it only just happened, we once again find ourselves in an Olympic year, with so many of our incredible athletes eyeing a chance to prove themselves on the world stage in the sport’s biggest event.
Since July 2023, the swimming and diving world is currently in one of the busiest years in the history of the sport, with not one but two World Championships preceding the Summer Games. Over the follwing months, Tennessee swimmers and divers looked to qualify and punch their tickets to Paris 2024. As the journey continud and found its way through various qualifying events and competitions, a program-record 17 Vols and Lady Vols punched their tickets to this year's Olympics. This page will contain the most up-to-date information about UT’s athletes as they fulfill their dreams on the Path to Paris!
Olympic Qualifiers
Gui Caribe (Brazil) – 50 Free, 100 Free
Erika Connolly (USA) – 4x100 Free Relay
Jillian Crooks (Cayman Islands) – 100 Free
Jordan Crooks (Cayman Islands) – 50 Free, 100 Free
Brooklyn Douthwright (Canada) – 4x100 Free Relay
Lyubomir Epitropov (Bulgaria) – 200 Breast
Martin Espernberger (Austria) – 200 Fly
Ella Jansen (Canada) – 400 IM
Mona McSharry (Ireland) – 100 Breast, 200 Breast
Kayky Mota (Brazil) – 100 Fly
Julia Mrozinski (Germany) – 200 Free
Tjasa Pintar (Slovenia) – 4x100 Free Relay
Regan Rathwell (Canada) – 200 Back
Lamar Taylor (Bahamas) – 100 Free
Kira Toussaint (Netherlands) – 100 Back, 200 Back
Joaquin Vargas (Peru) – 400 Free
Ellen Walshe (Ireland) – 200 IM, 400 IM
Olympic Timeline
April 19, 2022 – 2024 Paris Olympic Swimming Standards Announced (FINA Release)
January 12, 2023 – University of Tennessee Announced as Host Site for 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Diving (Story)
March 1, 2023 – First Day of Olympic Qualifying Period
April 8, 2023 – Kira Toussaint of the Netherlands qualifies for her third Olympiad in a row, posting a 59.88 mark in the 100 back at the Eindhoven Qualification Meet. She was the first Tennessee swimmer to earn a spot at the 2024 Summer Games.
June 1, 2023 – During the 2023 Brazilian Swimming Championships, Gui Caribe clocks a then-lifetime-best 48.11 in the 100 free to become the first current UT swimmer to punch their ticket to the 2024 Summer Games.
July 22-28, 2023 – Four Vols and Lady Vols record Olympic-qualifying times during the 2023 Fukuoka World Championships. The Irish duo of Ellen Walshe (200 IM) and Mona McSharry (100 breast) punched their tickets to a second straight Summer Games after representing their home country in Tokyo. Jordan Crooks of the Cayman Islands became the first UT swimmer to earn multiple qualifying times, earning his spot in Paris in the 50 free and 100 free. Kayky Mota rounded things out by qualifying in the 100 fly for Brazil.
December 2, 2023 – Martin Espernberger of Austria qualifies for the 2024 Paris Olympics with a 1:54.69 effort in the 200 fly during the Toyota US Open Championships.
February 11-18, 2024 – Three Tennessee swimmers win medals at the 2024 Doha World Championships. Kira Toussaint helped the Dutch 400 free relay team bring home the gold, while Lady Vol signee Ella Jansen and Canada took bronze in the event. Martin Espernberger won his first medal on the world stage after claiming bronze in the 200 fly.
April 27, 2024 – Competing at the German Swimming Championships, Julia Mrozinski won silver in the 200 free with a time of 1:57.22, shattering her previous best effort in the event by more than a second and punching her ticket to the Olympic Games.
May 6-11, 2024 – During the Brazilian Swimming Championships, a current and former Vol earned the opportunity to appear at the Paris Games. Gui Caribe will make his first Olympics appearance in the sprint freestyles after posting a time of 21.88 in the 50 free and 48.16 in the 100 free. VFL Kayky Mota took first in the 100 fly to earn the only Brazilian spot in the event at the Summer Games.
May 13-19, 2024 – Three Lady Vols punched their ticket during the Canadian Olympic Trials. Brooklyn Douthwright earned the opportunity to shine at the Paris Games as a member of Team Canada's 4x100 free relay squad. Ella Jansen, the top-ranked recruit in the class of 2024, qualified for the Olympics in the 400 IM after finishing second in the event. Regan Rathwell overcame injuries to earn the opportunity to appear in her first Summer Games in the 200 back after posting a time of 2:09.38, a full second under the qualifying standard.
June 15-23, 2024 – US Olympic Trials (Diving in Knoxville)
June 20, 2024 – Lyubomir Epitropov throws down a personal-best time of 2:09.45 to tie for the 200 breast title at the European Championships to clinch his spot on the Bulgarian Olympic Team. The 2024 Games will mark his second straight Olympics appearance.
June 22, 2024 – Erika Connolly officially named to the U.S. Olympic Team for the second straight Games to compete in the 400 free relay after placing sixth by way of a swim-off during the 100 free finals with a time of 53.76 at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. (Release)
June 23, 2024 – Joaquin Vargas secures a spot in his second consecutive Olympics on behalf of Peru.
June 23, 2024 – Last Day of Olympic Qualifying Period
July 1, 2024 – Tennessee signees Jillian Crooks (Cayman Islands) and Lamar Taylor (The Bahamas) punched their tickets to Paris. For Crooks, it marked her second Olympic appearance after competing in Tokyo at the age of 15.
July 8, 2024 – Former Lady Vol All-American Tjasa Pintar earned a spot on the Slovenian Olympic roster in the 4x100 free relay, marking her second appearance in the Summer Games after competing at 2016 Rio.
July 27, 2024 – First Day of Swimming & Diving at the 2024 Paris Olympics
By The Numbers: Tennessee & The Olympics
51: A total of 51 individuals (30 men, 21 women) have come through the Tennessee swimming & diving program and competed at the Summer Games.
8: Vols and Lady Vols have brought home a combined eight gold medals (David Edgar, Matt Vogel, Melvin Stewart, Jeremy Linn, Tripp Schwenk, Julia Stowers).
4: Vols have set four world records during the Olympic Games: David Edgar (1972) - 400 Free Relay, Matt Vogel (1976) - 400 Medley Relay, Melvin Stewart (1992) - 200 Fly, Jeremy Linn (1996) - 400 Medley Relay.
17: Tennessee shattered its program record for most Vols and Lady Vols competing in a single Olympics, as 17 UT swimmers qualified for the Summer Games. The previous record of nine was set during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
1972: A Tennessee Vol or Lady Vol has competed in every Olympiad since the 1972 Games in Munich. With a program-record 17 swimmers qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics, the Big Orange's streak easily continued this year, becoming the 14th-consecutive Summer Games that will feature UT swimmer or diver.
8: Team USA has featured at least one Vol or Lady Vol during eight of the last 10 Olympics, including each of the last three Games.
23: Tennessee Olympians have represented 23 different nations at the Summer Games.
3: Three different Tennessee coaches have also competed at the Olympics, including current diving head coach Dave Parrington, who earned a trip to three Olympiads (once as a diver and twice as a coach) for Zimbabwe.
Understanding Pool Sizes
LCM: This stands for Long-Course Meters, which means that the pool is 50-meters long. This is the standard size for international swimming, and more notably, it's the length of the pool used during the Olympics. Unless stated otherwise, the World Championships are typically swam in a 50-meter pool. Allan Jones Aquatic Center is designed so that it can be extended to a full Olympic-sized pool, offering an advantage in training for Tennessee swimmers.
SCM: If LCM is long-course meters, then you guessed it; SCM stands for Short-Course Meters. As the name suggests, this a shorter pool length than the standard Olympic-sized pool. Short-course pools are 25 in length, so the distance is still the same when it's all said and done, but short-course pools allow for more underwater swimming and turns. More on this later. Of the three different pool lengths, SCM is the least common in competition for Tennessee swimming's purposes. The most popular event for this length is the Short Course World Championships.
SCY: Finally, this brings us to our last pool length: Short-Course Yards. Like SCM, these pools are 25 in length, and the obvious difference is that SCY is yards and SCM is meters. SCM is slightly larger in length than an SCY pool, but the style in which they are swam are similar compared to that of the LCM pool. SCY is the standard pool size in collegiate competitions, including the SEC Championships and NCAA Championships.
Easily Mistaken: One common mistake that people often make when first covering swimming is the distinction between pool sizes and thus the race length (50-yard freestyle is vastly different than 50-meter freestyle). Because the Olympics serve as an introduction to many when it comes to swimming, it's easy to mistake the two. The best way to remember the differences is that college swimming is yards and international swimming is meters, specifically 50 meters in length unless designated as being short course/SCM.
Different Lengths, Different Swim Styles: Like we stated earlier, the most obivious difference between long course and short course is the number of turns. A good explanation of this difference was described by Swimming World: "A short-course race has twice as much turning and gliding, allowing you to spend up to 60% of the race underwater. On the other hand, a long course pool only allows you to stay underwater for up to 30% of the race. Underwaters have a major effect on speed. Moving at the surface of the water is slower and uses more energy. Swimming under the surface, or gliding, avoids these problems.
“The extra underwater time doesn’t just give you a boost; it also serves as a ‘recovery time.' When a swimmer is gliding, their muscles catch a break and are able to clear out some of the hydrogen, reducing the muscle fatigue before returning to the surface. In the end, the extra underwaters in short course races help swimmers maintain a higher energy output throughout the race."
Thus, speed, leg power and underwaters are going to play much more of a factor and be an advantage to some swimmers when it comes to short course pools, whereas stroke rate and endurance are much more of an emphasis when swimming long course.
Olympic Qualifier Breakdown
Gui Caribe (2022-Present)
Brazil | 50 & 100 Free
PRs: 50 Free (21.87), 100 Free (47.82)
Gui Caribe wasted no time making an impact on Rocky Top, as the sprint freestyler is coming off a sensational sophomore campaign with lofty expectations going into the 2024 Paris Olympics. In the last year, Caribe won a pair of gold medals at the Pan American Games and finished 12th overall in the 100-meter freestyle during the 2023 Fukuoka World Championships. In addition to his success on the international stage, Caribe was the NCAA runner-up in the 100-yard freestyle and placed sixth overall in the 50 free. So far on Rocky Top, he boasts two SEC gold medals and 12 All-American honors. He also was a member of four UT relay program records and has the second-fastest time in program history in the 50 and 100 free.
Erika Connolly (2016-20)
United States / 4X100 Free Relay
PR: 100 Free (53.42)
A two-time SEC Female Swimmer of the Year, Erika Connolly (formerly Brown) sealed her legacy at Tennessee when she led the Lady Vols to their first-ever SEC Championship title in 2020. She represented Team USA during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 2024 Paris Olympics while competing in the 100-meter freestyle, the 4×100 freestyle relay and the 4x100 medley relay. She became the sixth Vol or Lady Vol swimmer to win two medals during a single Olympic Games, bringing home the silver in the medley relay and the bronze in the freestyle relay in Tokyo. During her decorated career in Knoxville, she garnered 22 All-America honors and won 18 SEC gold medals. During her senior campaign, she broke the American Record in the 100 butterfly with her time of 49.38 and became just the second woman to ever swim sub 46 seconds in the 100 free, joining Olympian Simone Manuel. Brown also marked the first woman in SEC history to win the same three events (50 free, 100 free and 100 fly) three consecutive seasons.
Jillian Crooks (2024 Signing Class)
Cayman Islands | 100 Free
PR: 100 Free (55.18)
Set to join the Lady Vols in the fall of 2024, Jillian Crooks' international success landed her as one of the top recruits in the 2024 signing class. The sister of current UT swimmer and fellow Olympian Jordan Crooks, she competed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and once again earned her spot on the roster for 2024 Paris. Jillian boasts 11 LCM Cayman Islands national records. After finishing 41st in the 100 free in Tokyo, she will once again compete in the event this year. Her career-best mark in the 100 free is 55.18 from the Commonwealth Youth Games in August 2023 would've ranked 29th during the last games. With her signing, she becomes the first Lady Vol swimming Olympian to hail from the Cayman Islands.
All of this comes before Crooks ever steps foot on Rocky Top. Joining the Lady Vols in the fall, the two-time Olympian was ranked as a top-10 recruit in the 2024 signing class by SwimSwam (6th) and Swimcloud (7th). Like her brother, Crooks specializes in the sprint freestyle and also excels in the 100 back with her top times in each event coming at the Speedo Winter Junior Championship East this past December.
Crooks' 47.30 effort in the 100 free would be good for third in program history behind USA Olympian Erika Connolly and 2024 freshman All-American Camille Spink. She would rank sixth in the 100 back (51.54) and tied for ninth in the 50 free (21.95) with her current personal-best times.
Jordan Crooks (2021-Present)
Cayman Islands | 50 & 100 Free
PRs: 50 Free (21.73), 100 Free (47.71)
One of the best sprint freestylers in the world, Jordan Crooks continues to reach new heights during his decorated swimming career. During his first three seasons on Rocky Top, the Cayman Islands native won an NCAA title in the 50 free and owns 21 SEC medals, including six gold. He's garnered All-America recognition in 18 events, and he owns the program record in the 50 free, 100 free, 200 free and 100 fly. On the international stage, Crooks won the 2022 Short Course World Championship in the 50 free, and he finished inside the top eight in the 50- and 100-meter freestyles at the 2023 Fukuoka World Championships. Ahead of his senior season, he will represent his nation on the world stage once again for the 2024 Paris Olympics in the 50 and 100 free.
Brooklyn Douthwright (2021-Present)
Canada | 4x100 Free Relay
PRs: 100 Free (55.15)
One of the top swimmers of UT's current roster, Brooklyn Douthwright secured a spot at her first Olympics as a member of the Canadian 4x100 free relay. She was a part of the team that finished fifth in the 800 free relay at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships for Canada. While on Rocky Top, she has won eight SEC medals in addition to being an SEC Champion in the 200 free and 400 medley relay. Douthwright is a seven-time All-American and was the NCAA runner-up in the 200 free in 2023. She boasts six top-10 times in UT history, including the third-fastest 200 free mark.
Lyubomir Epitropov (2020-23)
Bulgaria | 200 Breast
PR: 200 Breast (2:09.45)
VFL Lyubomir Epitropov punched his ticket to a second Summer Games during the European Championships. The Bulgarian threw down a personal-best and national-record time of 2:09.45 to tie for the title, earn a spot in the Summer Games. His other Olympic appearance came in Tokyo, placing 15th in the 200 breast (2:10.33) and 32nd in the 100 breast (1:00.71). Epitropov owns three Bulgarian national swimming records. While on Rocky Top, he earned three All-American honors and won two SEC medals. Epitropov left his mark on the UT swimming program with the top times in program history in the 200 breast and 400 medley relay.
Martin Espernberger (2022-Present)
Austria | 200 Fly
PR: 200 Fly (1:54.69)
One of the best in the world in the event, rising junior Martin Espernberger will look to continue his recent tear in the 200 fly. Already this year, we brought home bronze at the 2024 Doha World Championships and then won the SEC Championship in the event less than two weeks later. He's a two-time All-American in the 200 fly and owns the program record, breaking the previous record that stood for 32 years by Olympian Mel Stewart, who won gold in the 200 fly during the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
Ella Jansen (2024 Signing Class)
Canada | 400 IM
PR: 400 IM (4:37.35)
Ella Jansen has already built an elite resume on the world stage before joining the Lady Vols this fall. The top-ranked recruit in the class of 2024 has competed in several national and international events during her career. She officially qualified for the Paris Games in the 400 IM during the Canadian Olympic Trials in May. During the 2024 Doha World Championships, Jansen helped Canada to a bronze medal in the 4x100 free relay. She tallied five medals at the 2023 World Junior Swimming Championships, two at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and one at the 2022 Junior Pan Pacific Junior Championships. The Swimming Canada 2022 Breakout Swimmer of the Year has also competed at two consecutive World Championships.
Mona McSharry (2020-Present)
Ireland |100 & 200 Breast
PRs: 100 Breast (1:05.55), 200 Breast (2:24.50)
One of the best breaststrokers in the world, Mona McSharry returns to the Olympics for the second time in her career with hopes of building off a successful performance in Tokyo. The Irish swimmer earned an eighth-place finish in the 100 breast and finished 20th in the 200 breast. With her performance in the 100 breast, she became the second Irish swimmer to ever compete in an Olympic final. In addition to her Olympic experience, she holds five medals on the international stage in her career. Throughout her time on Rocky Top, she's won six SEC Championships and is a three-time NCAA silver medalist in the breaststroke events. McSharry boasts six Irish national records and four Lady Vol program records.
Kayky Mota (2019-22)
Brazil | 100 Fly
PR: 100 fly (51.43)
During the 2024 Brazailian Swimming Championships, VFL Kayky Mota punched his ticket to the Paris Games in the 100 fly after winning the event. On the international stage, he has tallied two top-10 finishes in the 100 fly in the past two years. A member of the Vols team from 2019-21, he earned All-SEC Second Team accolades along with two bronze medals. Throughout his career he earned three All-American certificates and boasted seven top-10 times in UT history.
Julia Mrozinski (2021-Present)
Germany | 200 Free
PR: 200 Free (1:57.22)
Julia Mrozinski is in the midst of a stellar career on Rocky Top and the international stage. In late April, she clocked the Olympic standard in the 200 free during the German Swimming Championships to punch her ticket to Paris for her first Olympics. In the event, she dropped her best mark by over a second with a 1:57.22 effort. During her time at UT, the junior has tallied seven All-America certificates along with two SEC Championships in the 500 free and 800 free relay. Mrozinski has been named to the All-SEC team all three years of her career, thanks to her five total medals at the SEC Championships.
Tjasa Pintar (2017-22)
Slovenia | 4x100 Free Relay
PR: 100 Free (55.58)
For the second time in her career, former Lady Vol All-American Tjasa Pintar will represent Slovenia at the Olympic Games. Pintar earned a spot on the national roster as a member of the 4x100-meter free relay. Her first appearance in the Summer Games came in 2016, when she was the fastest swimmer on the Slovenian 4x200 free relay that finished 15th overall.
During her time at Tennessee, Pintar garnered All-American honors 10 times and was a three-time SEC Champion as a member of multiple Lady Vol relays. In total, she helped bring home seven total conference medals, and she was a member of both UT squads that won SEC Championships. She currently ranks sixth in program history in the 100-yard freestyle (47.82) and eight in the 200 free (1:44.40).
Regan Rathwell (2022-Present)
Canada | 200 Back
PR: 200 Back (2:09.38)
The path to Paris was a long and difficult one for sophomore Regan Rathwell. After arriving on campus as one of the best backstrokers in her class, she suffered a season-ending injury in October 2022. From there, she wouldn't perform in a major meet until March 2024, when she earned a spot at the NCAA Championships. After the delays, her full potential was put on display when she posted an Olympic qualifying mark of 2:09.38 in the 200 back during the Canadian Olympic Trials in May to earn a spot on Team Canada.
Lamar Taylor (2024 Signing Class)
The Bahamas | 100 Free
PR: 100 Free (49.33)
Lamar Taylor, who just recently arrived on campus ahead of the 2024-25 campaign, punched his ticket to Paris a member of the Bahamian national team. He will compete in the 100-meter freestyle. A six-time NCAA Division II National Champion, Taylor joined the Vols after a successful career at Henderson State, where he won individual national titles in the 50 free, 100 free (twice) and 100 back.
Kira Toussaint (2015-17)
Netherlands | 100 Back
PR: 100 Back (58.65)
The first Lady Vol ever to achieve the feat, Kira Toussaint will represent the Netherlands for a third consecutive Olympics this summer. A decorated member of the Dutch national team, she boasts a staggering 51 medals on the international stage, including 33 golds. While at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, she placed in the top seven of all three of her events. During the 2024 Doha World Championships, she won gold on the 4x100 free relay. Toussaint earned eight All-America accolades and won three SEC gold medals during her two seasons in Knoxville. At Rio, she became the first women's swimmer in program history to compete in the Olympics while currently on the Tennessee team, finishing 18th in the 100 back.
Joaquin Vargas (2021-Present)
Peru | 400 Free
PR: 400 Free (3:52.18)
A current member of the UT roster, Joaquin Vargas has secured his second consecutive Olympics appearance for his home country of Peru. During the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, he competed in the 200 and 400 free for Peru. Vargas boasts four LCM Peruvian national records and is a Peruvian national champion in the 100, 200 and 400 free. In addition to his LCM records, he holds four SCM records and currently owns the fifth-fastest 500 free time in UT history.
Ellen Walshe (2021-22)
Ireland | 200 IM & 400 IM
PRs: 200 IM (2:10.92), 400 IM (4:41.30)
Ellen Walshe has already experienced a highly successful international career, qualifying for her second Olympic Games during the 2023 Fukuoka World Championships. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, she competed in the 100 fly and 200 IM for her home country Ireland. She also took a silver medal at the 2021 Short Course World Championships. She currently holds three Irish national records and two Tennessee school records. While at Tennessee, she was named the 2022 SEC Female Co-Swimmer of the Year, Female Freshman of the Year and won the Commissioner's Trophy in her lone season with the program.
McKenna DeBever (UT Pro Group)
Peru | 100 Back & 200 IM
PRs: 100 Back (1:01.99), 200 IM (2:14.70)
McKenna DeBever is a current member of the UT Pro Group and is loaded with experience on the world stage. After earning a spot on Peru's national team in Tokyo 2020, she once again received the nod to represent the country in Paris, where she will join current Vol Joaquin Vargas. DeBever owns six individual LCM Peruvian records and three in SCM.
Kristen Romano (UT Pro Group)
Puerto Rico | 200 IM
PR: 200 IM (2:12.86)
A member of the UT Pro Group, Kristen Romano punched her ticket to her first Olympic Games as a member of Puerto Rico's national team. She will swim in the 200 IM.
