Tennessee Opens College Swimming League With Second Place Finish

Friday, October 9

Knoxville, Tenn.

6:30 p.m. ET

University of Tennessee

CSL Meet #1 (Louisville, Michigan, Virginia)

Charlotte Crush Celebrates Pre-Race in CSL Match

Tennessee Opens College Swimming League With Second Place Finish

October 09, 2026 | Swimming & Diving, Women's Swimming & Diving, Men's Swimming & Diving

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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- The Tennessee men's and women's team combined for a second place finish in its opening match in the College Swimming League on Friday evening.

Tennessee picked up wins in six total events and the women's 4x50 Medley Relay Super Skins en route to 535 points to place second. Virginia finished first with 567 points, with Louisville (315.5 points) and Michigan (302.5 points) to round out the match.

Charlotte Crush highlighted the season's opening meet by setting the school record in the 200 Back. In her collegiate debut, Crush touched the wall with a time of 1:48.87, outpacing the field to earn first place. She was joined by another freshman, as Madison Kryger finished second in the 200 Back with a 1:49.97, the third-fastest time in program history.

Gabe Nunziata took home the win in the 200 Breast for the Vols, finishing with a time of 1:53.07. Freshman Drew Eubanks earned third place in his first collegiate meet, checking in with a time of 1:53.97 and tying the seventh-best time in program history. Eubanks and Nunziata paired up again later in the match, with Eubanks collecting the win in the 100 Breast with a time of 52.40. Nunziata finished second in the event, coming in with a time of 52.84.

The men added a win in the 4x50 freestyle relay, thanks to a huge final swim from Nikoli Blackman to secure the victory with a 1:16.23. Ulises Saravia captured the win for the Vols in the 100 Back, touching the wall with a time of 45.34.

Coming off a great season in the 200 Free last year, Koby Bujak-Upton continued his strong performance in the event with a win for Tennessee. The junior came in with a solid time of 1:32.51

With the match coming down to the wire, Tennessee's women won the Super Skins in the 4x50 Medley Relay, coming from behind in the final heat. The team of Crush, Kryger, Mckenzie Siroky and Camille Spink put together four phenomenal swims to earn the Super Skins win for Tennessee. It was a huge momentum building result, that helped cut the Virginia lead to just eight points. Virginia would net the win in the men's 4x50 Medley Relay, edging Tennessee's men to win the match.

Women's Results

Charlotte Crush added a second place finish in the 100 Fly, putting down a time of 50.97 to set the fifth-best time in UT history
Leah Tigert brought home points for the Big Orange in the 200 Free, placing second with the 10th fastest time in program history of 1:44.07
Kryger added a third place finish in the 100 Back for Tennessee, touching the wall with a 51.65 to set the eighth-best time in program history.
Jillian Crooks claimed third place in the 50 Free, while setting a new personal best time of 21.68 and moving to fifth in the program top ten list.
McKenzie Siroky put together a strong swim for Tennessee in the 100 Breast, finishing second overall with a solid time of 59.20.

Men's Results

Julian Koch made his debut for Tennessee, earning second in the 100 Free. The junior closed the race with a time of 42.15, setting the ninth-fastest time for the Vols.
Abduljabar Adama would finish in third place for Tennessee in the 100 Fly in his collegiate debut to finish the event with a 46.06.
Vova Gavrysh earned third place finishes in his Tennessee debut, doing so in both the 200 Fly (1:43.88) and the 200 IM (1:45.93)

Director of Swimming & Diving Matt Kredich on CSL and hosting in Knoxville…
"It's a great product. The format's awesome, the production is pretty incredible, and it's just wildly entertaining for competitive swimming to go at that pace with four great teams. The crowd was awesome tonight; it was a blast."

On Charlotte Crush…
"I don't really have words. She's so cool, and she got herself off to a great start with the win, and then she hit the skins in the 50x5, and then hit skins in the relay, like she swam, I don't know, 11, 12 times, and every time she had a smile on her face behind the block. Every time she competed with a lot of discipline; even under fatigue, she was really disciplined. She's a great competitor. She's really special."

Top Ten Times
1st – 200 Back: Charlotte Crush (1:48.87)
3rd – 200 Back: Madison Kryger (1:49.97)
5th – 50 Free: Jillian Crooks (21.68)
5th – 100 Fly: Charlotte Crush (50.97)
7th – 200 Breast: Drew Eubanks (1:53.97)
8th – 100 Back: Madison Kryger (51.65)
9th – 100 Free: Julian Koch (42.15)
10th – 200 Free: Leah Tigert (1:44.07)