Tennessee Wins Two Gold, Four Medals to Open SEC Championships

Tennessee Wins Two Gold, Four Medals to Open SEC Championships

February 18, 2025 | Swimming & Diving

ATHENS, Ga. – Tennessee swimming & diving brought home four medals, including two gold, and broke two school records to open the 2025 SEC Championships with on a high note.

The story of the night was the Vols' 200 medley relay, which clocked a 1:20.22 effort to bring home the gold. The time by Lamar Taylor, Kevin Houseman, Gui Caribe and Jordan Crooks shattered the school record by more than one second, marked the No. 2 effort in NCAA history and set a new SEC Championship Meet record.

Going into the final leg, the Big Orange sat in third behind Florida and Texas, but Crooks threw down the second-fastest 50 free split of all time with a mark of 17.42 to erase the deficit and secure the victory. Only Olympic gold medal winner Caeleb Dressel has posted a better time (17.30).
The electric performances weren't done for the night, though. The Lady Vol 800 free relay broke the school record to bring home gold behind a 6:49.83 effort. Brooklyn Douthwright, Camille Spink and Julia Mrozinski made up the first three legs of the race, which saw UT, Florida and Texas in a neck-and-neck battle for the top spot on the podium. Freshman Ella Jansen anchored with a 1:42.33 split to outlast the field and win the program's third SEC title in the event ever. The victory also marked the Tennessee women's 100th SEC Championship in program history.

Kicking off the night, the Lady Vol 200 medley relay of Josephine Fuller, McKenzie Siroky, Sara Stotler and Mona McSharry recorded the second-best time in school history at 1:34.27 to win silver. This marked the second year in a row of take second at SECs and is the fourth straight podium finish for UT in the event.

In men's 3-meter diving, all three Vols scored points, highlighted by freshman Bennett Greene winning bronze behind a 416.85 mark. After missing a couple of dives, the Knoxville native rallied with his final two attempts, notching scores of 78.20 and 91.00 to earn a spot on the podium. He's the first UT freshman to win a medal in the event since Liam Stone took gold in 2015. Nick Stone finished 11th in the event, while Owen Redfearn placed 22nd.

The men's 800 free relay rounded out the night with an eight-place finish. The squad of Nikoli Blackman, Björn Kammann, Martin Espernberger and Joaquin Vargas posted a time of 6:17.91, which ranked fourth in school history.

Women's Team Rankings
1. Texas - 238
2. Florida - 140
3. Texas A&M - 130
4. LSU - 126
5. Tennessee - 120
6. South Carolina - 118
7. Auburn - 115.5
8. Kentucky - 115
9. Georgia - 104.5
10. Alabama - 86
11. Arkansas - 85
12. Missouri - 84
13. Vanderbilt - 56

Men's Team Rankings
1. Texas - 176
2. Georgia - 158
3. Tennessee - 153.5
4. Florida - 152
5. LSU - 132
6. Alabama - 118
7. Texas A&M - 111
8. South Carolina - 110
9. Kentucky - 102
10. Auburn - 63
11. Missouri - 62.5

Men's Medal Count
1. 200 Medley Relay – Lamar Taylor, Kevin Houseman, Gui Caribe, Jordan Crooks (1:20.22)
3. 3-Meter – Bennett Greene (416.85)

Women's Medal Count
1. 800 Free Relay – Brooklyn Douthwright, Camille Spink, Julia Mrozinski, Ella Jansen (6:49.83)
2. 200 Medley Relay – Josephine Fuller, McKenzie Siroky, Sara Stotler, Mona McSharry (1:34.27)

Top-10 Times/Scores
1. 800 Free Relay – Brooklyn Douthwright, Camille Spink, Julia Mrozinski, Ella Jansen (6:49.83)
1. 200 Medley Relay – Lamar Taylor, Kevin Houseman, Gui Caribe, Jordan Crooks (1:20.22)
2. 200 Medley Relay – Josephine Fuller, McKenzie Siroky, Sara Stotler, Mona McSharry (1:34.27)
4. 800 Free Relay – Nikoli Blackman, Björn Kammann, Martin Espernberger, Joaquin Vargas (6:17.91)

SEC CHAMPIONSHIP STREAKS

The women's 200 medley relay has now medaled in 15 of the last 16 meets.
The men's 200 medley relay has podiumed in seven of last eight SECs.
The women's 800 free relay has won a medal in seven of last eight conference meets.