Vols Secure Second Consecutive Top-5 NCAA Finish

Saturday, March 28

Prelims 10 a.m. ET | Finals 6 p.m. ET

University of Tennessee

NCAA Men's Swimming & Diving Championships

March 28, 2026 | Swimming & Diving, Men's Swimming & Diving

Final Results

ATLANTA -- Tennessee's men's swimming & diving earned its second consecutive top five finish, scoring the most points at NCAA Championships since 2001 with 272 to place fifth overall. This marks the first time the program has finished in the top five for consecutive years since a three-year stretch from 1996-98.

The Vols came into the final day of the NCAA Championships with a 13-point advantage of sixth place California. It came down to the final competition of the week, with Tennessee and NC State going back and forth during the final session. The big Orange used the last two competitions of the meet to secure its fifth. The Vols got it from across the board with four podium finishes to score 69 points on the final day.

Taking fifth ties the highest finish for the Vols since placing third in 2001. This extends the stretch of top ten finishes at the NCAA Championships for the Big Orange, the longest since doing it from 1993-2001.

Gui Caribe reached the top three for the second straight day, placing third in the 100 Free with a time of 40.41. Caribe placed in the top three in the 100 Free for the third time in his career, winning a silver medal in 2024 and bronze in 2025. Caribe finishes his Tennessee career as one of the most accomplished swimmers in program history. Caribe won a pair of national championships for the Vols, helping lead the 200 Free and 400 Free Relays to titles in 2025. He ends his collegiate career with 26 All-America certificates.

Caribe came up big for the Vols yet again on the final day of the championship meet, helping the 400 Free Relay team to a fourth place finish and First Team All-America designation. The lineup of Caribe, Nikoli Blackman, Pedro Sansone, and Koby Bujak-Upton closed the week with a time of 2:45.09 to set the third-fastest time in program history.

Blackman notched his third individual All-America recognition of the week, placing 13th overall in the 100 Free. Blackman finished with a time of 41.45, improving his fourth-best time in program history. Blackman has earned seven All-America certificates at this NCAA Championships, giving him 10 total in his career. Bujak-Upton came up just short of reaching the top-16 in the 100 Free, but had a personal best swim with a 41.80 to move to sixth in program history.

In his final swim as a Vol, Nick Simons turned in a sparkling performance. Simons reached his first championship final in his college career, breaking the school record in the 200 Back prelims with 1:38.21. He followed that up with a seventh place finish in the event to collect the First Team All-America. Simons put in the best finish for a Tennessee swimmer in the 200 Back since 2016, when Sean Lehane placed fourth.

Bennett Greene put a bow on his week at the NCAA Championships, reaching the podium for the third time this week by placing eighth with a 363.95. In prelims, Greene set a personal best mark in the platform with a score of 419.20. Greene placed in the top eight in all three diving events, becoming the first Tennessee diver since Colin Zeng to accomplish the feat. Greene was also the only diver at NCAAs to place in the top eight in all three events.

Standings
1. Texas: 445.5
2. Florida: 416
3. Indiana: 351
4. Arizona State: 328
5. Tennessee: 272
6. NC State: 258.5
7. California: 231
8. Michigan: 220
9. Virginia: 192
10. Stanford: 136

All-America Tracker (36)
Nikoli Blackman (50 Free*, 100 Free*, 200 Free*, 200 FR, 400 FR, 800 FR*, 200 MR*)
Ben Bricca (800 FR*)
Koby Bujak-Upton (200 Free, 500 Free*, 200 FR, 400 FR, 800 FR*)
Gui Caribe (50 Free,100 Free, 100 Fly*, 200 FR, 400 FR, 200 MR*, 400 MR)
Thomas Ciprick (1-meter*, 3-meter*)
Bennett Greene (1-meter, 3-meter, Platform)
Gabe Nunziata (100 Breast*, 200 Breast, 800 FR*, 200 MR*, 400 MR)
Lucio Paula (400 MR)
Pedro Sansone (200 FR)
Ulises Saravia (100 Back*, 200 MR*, 400 MR)
Nick Simons (200 Back)
* - Denotes Second Team

Podium Finishes (11)
2nd – 50 Free: Gui Caribe (18.17)
2nd – 200 Free: Koby Bujak-Upton (1:30.11)
3rd – 100 Free: Gui Caribe (40.41)
3rd – 1-meter diving: Bennett Greene (400.90)
4th – 200 Free Relay: Nikoli Blackman, Gui Caribe, Pedro Sansone, Koby Bujak-Upton (1:14.40)
4th – 400 Free Relay: Nikoli Blackman, Koby Bujak-Upton, Pedro Sansone, Gui Caribe (2:45.09)
6th – 400 Medley Relay: Ulises Saravia, Gabe Nunziata, Lucio Paula, Gui Caribe (3:00.34)
7th – 200 Breast: Gabe Nunziata (1:50.26)
7th – 200 Back: Nick Simons (1:40.07)
8th – 3-meter: Bennett Greene (402.55)
8th – Platform: Bennett Greene (363.95)

Top Ten Times & Scores (16)
1st – 200 Free: Koby Bujak-Upton (1:29.79)
1st – 500 Free: Koby Bujak-Upton (4:11.86)
1st – 100 Back: Ulises Saravia (44.39)
1st – 200 Back: Nick Simons (1:38.21)
1st – 200 Breast: Gabe Nunziata (1:50.26)
2nd – 50 Free: Gui Caribe (18.17)
2nd – 100 Breast: Gabe Nunziata (51.17)
2nd – 400 Medley Relay: Ulises Saravia, Gabe Nunziata, Lucio Paula, Gui Caribe (3:00.34)
3rd – 50 Free: Nikoli Blackman (18.77)
3rd – 100 Back: Nick Simons (44.93)
3rd – 200 Free Relay: Nikoli Blackman, Gui Caribe, Pedro Sansone, Koby Bujak-Upton (1:14.40)
3rd – 400 Free Relay: Nikoli Blackman, Koby Bujak-Upton, Pedro Sansone, Gui Caribe (2:45.09)
4th – 100 Free: Nikoli Blackman (41.45)
5th – 200 Medley Relay: Ulises Saravia, Gabe Nunziata, Gui Caribe, Nikoli Blackman (1:22.05)
5th – Platform: Bennett Greene (419.20)
6th – 100 Free: Koby Bujak-Upton (41.80)