Trio of Tennessee Athletes Earn All-SEC Awards, 22 Vols & Lady Vols Garner All-SEC Accolades

Camille Spink Celebrates After Win at SEC Championships

Trio of Tennessee Athletes Earn All-SEC Awards, 22 Vols & Lady Vols Garner All-SEC Accolades

April 15, 2026 | Swimming & Diving, Women's Swimming & Diving, Men's Swimming & Diving

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Adding to a spectacular season in the pool, three Tennessee swimming & diving athletes garnered yearly conference honors. On the women's side, junior Camille Spink was named the SEC Female Swimmer of the Year, while Desharne Bent-Ashmeil earned the conference's Female Freshman Diver of the Year award. For the men Bennett Greene took home individual honors, tabbed the SEC Male Diver of the Year.

Spink enjoyed another phenomenal season for the Lady Vols. Spink swept the 50, 100, and 200 freestyle at the 2026 SEC Championships, doing so for the second year in a row. Spink became the first female swimmer to accomplish the feat since Georgia's Kara Lynn Joyce, who did so in 2006 & 2007. Spink also took the crown in the 50 and 100 Free for the third-straight year, with the last swimmer to win both races over a three-year span being former Lady Vol Erika Brown from 2018-20. During the season, Spink set the program record in the 50 Free, breaking the 21-second barrier with a time of 20.87.

The Haymarket, Virginia native becomes just the fourth Tennessee swimmer to win the award, with the last being Ellen Walshe who was the conference's Co-Swimmer of the Year in 2022.

At the 2026 NCAA Championships, Spink notched a pair of top five individual finishes in the 50 and 100 Free, while also placing sixth in the 200 Free. Her third place in the 50 Free was her second top five placement in the event and delivered the best finish in the event for a Lady Vol since Erika Brown took second back in 2019. Spink placed fifth overall in the 100 Free, her third consecutive top ten finish in the contest after taking bronze last year and tenth in 2024. Spink also helped lead four Tennessee relay teams to podium finishes at NCAAs, with Tennessee finishing in the top eight in the 400 Medley Relay (second), 200 Medley Relay (fourth), 200 Free Relay (sixth), and 400 Free Relay (eighth).

Greene had his best year yet on Rocky Top en route to SEC Diver of the Year honors. The sophomore led all divers in points at the NCAA Championships with 38 and was the only competitor to reach all three championship finals. The Knoxville native collected third place in the 1-meter, the best finish for a Vol diver in the event since Colin Zeng won the national title in 2019. Greene also placed eighth overall in both the 3-meter and platform events to cap off his sophomore campaign in the Orange & White.

Greene won three medals at the SEC Championships for Tennessee, highlighted by his gold medal performance in the 1-meter. Greene became the first Tennessee diver to win gold in the event since 2017, when Liam Stone stood atop the podium. His two other medals at SECs came courtesy of a silver in the 3-meter, as well as a bronze in the platform. Greene has moved his way up the top ten lists in UT history in all three disciplines, now ranking fifth in the platform (419.20), and sixth in the 1-meter (410.25) and 3-meter (437.20).

Greene is now the tenth Tennessee diver to capture the conference's Diver of the Year award. It also marks the third Diver of the Year honor in the last five years for the Big Orange, with Bryden Hattie winning the prize in 2023 and 2024.

Greene also saw success on the international stage as well this season. He took the gold in the 1-meter event at the USA Diving Winter Nationals, putting up a combined score of 754.30. He also became the first Vol to win gold at the Winter Nationals since Colin Zeng won in the platform in 2017. Greene recently represented the United States at the Canada Cup of Diving, winning silver in the 3-meter in his senior international debut with a final score of 442.75.

Bent-Ashmeil had a dazzling first season on Rocky Top, culminating in SEC Freshman Diver of the Year honors. The first-year diver claimed top five spots in both the 1-meter and 3-meter at the NCAA Championships. Bent-Ashmeil earned national runner-up in the 3-meter with a school record score of 382.25. The second place finish in the event marked the best finish for a Lady Vol since Tracy Bonner won the event back in 1995. The freshman also placed fifth in the 1-meter, making her the first female diver to earn All-America honors for Tennessee since Grace Cable back in 2020. The fifth pace result for Bent-Ashmeil was also the best finish in the 1-meter since Jodie McGroarty took third back in 2013.

The London, England native also collected a top five finish in the 1-meter at the SEC Championships, placing fifth overall. She also tallied a top ten performance in the 3-meter, placing sixth for Tennessee as well. In addition to holding the school record in the 3-meter, Bent-Ashmeil also ranks eighth in program history in the 1-meter with a score of 314.63. Bent-Ashmeil also becomes just the fourth Lady Vol to win the freshman diver of the year award, and the first since Rachel Rubadue back in 2016. The freshman diver also garnered international success while representing her home nation Great Britain. Bent-Ashmeil joined her partner Amy Rollinson on top of the podium as the pair won gold in the 3-meter synchronized competition. The duo also took bronze in the event at last week's Canada Cup of Diving.

The league also released its All-SEC Teams, as well as the All-Freshman Team. Combined the Vols and Lady Vols had multiple athletes tabbed for all-conference recognition, with Tennessee boasting seven first team honorees, seven second-team recipients, seven third-team awardees, and six named to the All-Freshman team.

For the All-SEC teams, the First Team features winners of each event at SEC Championships, with Second Team consisting of silver medalists, and bronze medal winners highlighting the Third Team. The All-Freshman Teams consist of any redshirt or true freshman who finished either in the top eight or was the highest scoring freshman of each event at SEC Championships, excluding relay events.

SEC Female Swimmer of the Year
Camille Spink

SEC Male Diver of the Year
Bennett Greene

SEC Female Freshman Diver of the Year
Desharne Bent-Ashmeil

All-SEC First Team
Julianna Bocska
Jillian Crooks
Bennett Greene
Mizuki Hirai
Ella Jansen
McKenzie Siroky
Camille Spink

All-SEC Second Team
Emily Armen
Nikoli Blackman
Ben Bricca
Emily Brown
Koby Bujak-Upton
Gui Caribe
Gabe Nunziata

All-SEC Third Team
Martin Espernberger
Amelia Mason
Simone Moll
Lucio Paula
Pedro Sansone
Ulises Saravia
Frazer Tavener

All-Freshman Team
Koby Bujak-Upton
Mizuki Hirai
Jake McCoy
Gabe Nunziata
Ulises Saravia
Frazer Tavener