2024 Tennessee Invite: Day 4 Finals Live Recap

2024 Tennessee Invite

• November 19-22, 2024
• Where: Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center — Knoxville, Tennessee
• Start Times: 10 am ET prelims/5 pm ET finals
• Psych Sheets
• Results on Meet Mobile: “2024 Tennessee Invitational”
• Live Stream
• Day 1 Finals Recap
• Day 2 Prelims Recap | Day 2 Finals Recap
• Day 3 Prelims Recap | Day 3 Finals Recap
• Day 4 Prelims Recap
• Day 4 Finals Heat Sheet
• Full Meet Results

The fourth day of the 2024 Tennessee Invite will get underway with multiple events slated to take place. The night will feature finals of the 200 back, 100 free, 200 breast and 200 fly, in addition to the fastest heats of the 1650 free and timed final of the 400 freestyle relay.

Expect there to be a lot of fireworks in the women’s 200 backstroke, where UVA teammates Gretchen Walsh and Claire Curzan will go head-to-head in the A-final. Curzan was the 2023 NCAA Champion in the event while at Stanford and led the event in prelims. However, Walsh, the NCAA and American Record holder in the 100 backstroke, might have un-tapped potential in the event.

The 100 Freestyle will also be exciting on both sides, as Camille Spink and Jordan Crooks lead the fields for Tennessee. Spink has been a force in the pool this week, already posting a nation-leading time in the event during prelims. She’ll lead a contigent of Tennessee swimmers competing in the finals of the event tonight. Crooks has also been having a fantastic week and has been throwing down historical relay splits. Thus, it will be interesting to see how fast he can go.

TEAM SCORES ENTERING DAY 4

Women

• Tennessee 212, Kentucky 47
• Virginia 147, Tennessee 110
• Virginia 192, Kentucky 63

Men

• Tennessee 192, Kentucky 66
• Tennessee 178, Virginia 76
• Virginia 156, Kentucky 100

WOMEN’S 1650 FREE – FASTEST HEAT

• NCAA Record: 15:03.31, Katie Ledecky (Stanford) – 2017
• 2025 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 15:52.41
• 2024 NCAA Cutline: 16:14.03

Results:

1. Cavan Gormsen (UVA) – 16:12.78
2. Sophia Knapp (UVA) – 16:14.58
3. Kate McCarville (TENN) – 16:14.77
4. Sammie Hamilton (Kentucky) – 16:35.96
5. Lauren Wetherell (TENN) – 16:42.36
6. Summer Eaker (TENN) – 16:46.51
7. Katy Jost (Kentucky) – 16:46.59
8. Paige Housman (Kentucky) – 16:48.69

The top three finishers in this event were very tight, with Cavan Gormsen coming out on top for UVA. Gormsen took the race out fast, splitting 4:54.74 over the first 500 yards, with Tennessee’s Kate McCarville following right on her feet (4:54.89). Over the next 500 yards, the pair remained in a relative deadlock, with Gormsen only maintaining a slight lead at each wall.

In the closing 500, Gormsen made her move, pulling away from a fading McCarville. It was at this point that Gormsen’s UVA teammmate Sophia Knapp pulled herself into the conversation, laying down some of the fastest final 100s in the field to close on both swimmers. With a closing split of 58.58, Knapp (16:14.58) managed t0 hit the wall ahead of McCarville (16:14.58), while Gormsen comfortably took the victory in a time of 16:12.78.

MEN’S 1650 FREE – FASTEST HEAT

• NCAA Record: 14:12.08, Bobby Finke (Florida) – 2020
• 2025 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 14:37.31
• 2024 NCAA Cutline: 14:54.92

Results:

1. Carson Hick (Kentucky) – 14:43.70
2. Levi Sandidge (Kentucky) – 14:46.97
3. Chris Nagy (Kentucky) – 15:17.99
4. Sam O’Brien (UVA) – 15:30.24
5. Caue Gluck (Kentucky) – 15:30.61
6. Peter Thompson (UVA) – 15:33.51
7. Josh Fujimoto (Kentucky) – 15:44.04
8. Charlie Krone (TENN) – 16:00.00

The Kentucky men swept the podium in this event, with the pair of Carson Hick and Levi Sandidge perfectly pacing each other to a 1-2 finish. Through the first 500 yards, Hick and Sandidge remained even, with Hick slightly pulling away after that point. However, the margin between them remained consistent throughout the rest of the race. Ultimately, Hick hit the wall in a time of 14:43.70 for the victory, with Sandidge following close behind (14:46.97). Both swimmers were comfortably under the 2024 NCAA invite time of 14:54.92 with their swims, and now rank 1st and 3rd in the country this season.

Kentucky also saw Chris Nagy grab the final spot on the podium with a time of 15:17.99, finishing about 12 seconds clear of his closest competitor.

WOMEN’S 200 BACK – FINALS

• NCAA Record: 1:47.24, Beata Nelson (Wisconsin) – 2019
• 2025 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:50.50
• 2024 NCAA Cutline: 1:54.01

Results:

1. Claire Curzan (UVA) – 1:46.87
2. Gretchen Walsh (UVA) – 1:48.18
3. Sophie Brison (TENN) – 1:53.20
4. Tess Howley (UVA) – 1:53.25
5. Grace Frericks (Kentucky) – 1:54.26
6. Josephine Fuller (TENN) – 1:54.93
7. Lexi Stephens (TENN) – 1:54.95
8. Torie Buerger (Kentucky) – 1:56.56

Claire Curzan dropped the hammer over the final 50 yards to produce a new NCAA, American, and US Open Record of 1:46.87 in the 200 backstroke.

As expected, Gretchen Walsh was out very fast, splitting 51 through the first 100 yards. However, she couldn’t pull away from Curzan, who was also out in under 52 seconds. At the 150 mark, the pair were almost even, with Walsh only holding on to the lead off of the wall. To the naked eye, it looked as though Walsh began to fade after that, but in reality, Curzan turned on the jets and walked away. At the wall, Curzan hit in a time of 1:46.87, taking nearly a half second off of Beata Nelson’s NCAA Record of 1:47.24. Walsh, for her efforts, touched in a time of 1:48.18, which was actually faster than the time Phoebe Bacon produced to win the NCAA title last season (1:48.23) and moves her up to 9th all-time on the all-time performers list.

MEN’S 200 BACK – FINALS

• NCAA Record: 1:35.37, Destin Lasco (Cal) – 2024
• 2025 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:38.80
• 2024 NCAA Cutline: 1:40.62

Results:

1.  David King (UVA) – 1:39.82
2.  Jack Aikins (UVA) – 1:39.84
3. Will Thompson (UVA) – 1:42.20
4. Harrison Lierz (TENN) – 1:42.48
5. Szymon Mieczkowski (Kentucky)
6. Tony Laurito (TENN) – 1:44.09
7. Logan Ingerick (Kentucky) – 1:44.10
8. Joaquin Vargas (TENN) – 1:44.41

Like the men’s 1650, this event proved to be an extremely close race between teammates, with the top finishers separated by .02.

In the super final, UVA teammates David King and Jack Aikins were right on top of one another for the duration of the race, flipping together at each wall. Though Aikins held a slight advantage at the 100 yard mark, King closed the slight margin by the 150. With 50 yards left to go, it was a sprint to the wall. At the touch, it was King who came out on top, hitting the wall in 1:39.82 for the victory. Aikins was second by the slightest of margins, touching in 1:39.84. Both swimmers hit the 2024 NCAA cutline of 1:40.62 with their performances.

WOMEN’S 100 FREE – FINALS

• NCAA Record: 44.83, Gretchen Walsh (Virginia) – 2024
• 2025 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 47.10
• 2024 NCAA Cutline: 48.34

Results:

1. Camille Spink (TENN) – 46.61
2. Anna Moesch (UVA) – 46.76
3. Maxine Parker (UVA) – 48.53
4. Jillian Crooke (TENN) – 48.68
5. Kate Morris (UVA) – 49.41
6. Booklyn Douthwright (TENN) – 49.57
7. Lauren West (Kentucky) – 49.77
8. Katy Jost (Kentucky) – 50.57

With Gretchen Walsh opting for the 200 backstroke, this field was wide-open for the taking, but that didn’t make the race any less exciting. In the super A-final, Camille Spink and Anna Moesch, two of the top young sprinters in the country, went head-to-head. In the closing yards of the race, Spink got her hand to the wall first, touching in a time of 46.61, over a half second faster than her time from this morning. Moesch also posted a huge improvement from her prelims time, producing a 46.76 for second place.

Spink’s time makes her the 12th-fastest performer of all-time in the event, tied with Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace and Isabel Ivey, while Moesch’s time moves her up to 18th all-time on the top performers list.

MEN’S 100 FREE – PRELIMS

• NCAA Record: 39.90, Caeleb Dressel (Florida) – 2018
• 2025 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 41.34
• 2024 NCAA Cutline: 42.19

Results:

1. Jordan Crooks (TENN) – 40.26
2. Gui Caribe (TENN) – 40.85
3. Micah Chambers (TENN) – 42.14
4. Connor Boyle (UVA) – 42.73
5. Spencer Nicholas (UVA) – 42.77
6. Sebastien Sergile (UVA) – 43.30
7. Justin Peresse (Kentucky) – 43.38
8. Max Berg (Kentucky) – 43.71

Jordan Crooks fired off an explosive 100 freestyle time of 40.26 en route to the 4th-fastest performance of all-time.

With a fantastic start, Crooks got the immediate edge over Tennessee teammate Gui Caribe, splitting 19.13 at the 50 yard mark. After a strong flip, he launched himself into final yards of the race almost a full body length ahead. At the wall, Crooks touched in a new meet record, producing a final time of 40.26. Caribe also had a strong performance with his runner-up time of 40.85, just off of his best time from last season’s NCAA Championships.

WOMEN’S 200 BREAST – FINALS

• NCAA Record: 2:01.29, Kate Douglass (Virginia) – 2023
• 2025 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 2:05.73
• 2024 NCAA Cutline: 2:09.55

Results:

1. Aimee Canny (UVA) – 2:06.70
2. Leah Hayes (UVA) – 2:10.66
3. McKenzie Siroky (TENN) – 2:08.17
4. Emma Weber (UVA) / Bridget Engel (Kentucky) – 2:10.11
6. Hannah Marinovich (TENN) – 2:12.62
7. Olivia Mendenhall (Kentucky) – 2:13.73
8. Zoe Skirboll (UVA) – 2:10.83

UVA showed off their depth in the 200 breaststroke, claiming the top 2 spots in the event, even in the absence of Alex Walsh. Aimee Canny led the field by a wide margin, defeating teammate Leah Hayes in the super A-final with a time of 2:06.70. With her time, Canny easily dipped under the 2024 NCAA cutline of 2:09.55, coming about a second shy of the A-cut.

Out of the B-final, Tennesse’s McKenzie Siroky posted the second-fastest time of the night, swimming to a time of 2:08.17 to best Hayes’ time in the A-final by over 2 seconds. Her time from tonight was almost 3 seconds faster than her prelims performance.

MEN’S 200 BREAST – FINALS

• NCAA Record: 1:46.35, Leon Marchand (ASU) – 2024
• 2025 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:50.65
• 2024 NCAA Cutline: 1:53.12

Results:

1. Noah Nichols (UVA) – 1:52.96
2. Jonathan Rom (Kentucky) – 1:54.16
3.  Jed Garner (TENN) – 1:54.98
4. Matt Heilman (UVA) – 1:55.98
5. Matt Styczen (UVA) – 1:56.68
6. Adomas Gatulis (Kentucky) – 1:57.27
7. Grayson Nye (TENN) – 1:57.40
8. Murilo Braga Amatuzzi (Kentucky) – 1:59.48

UVA’s Noah Nichols claimed the top spot in the men’s 200 breaststroke, putting together a solid race from start-to-finish en route to a time of 1:52.96. With that performance, Nichols dipped under the 2024 NCAA cutline of 1:53.12 by a few tenths of a second, putting himself in the position to potentially swim the race at the NCAA Championships. Kentucky’s Jonathan Rom had a runner-up finish with a time of 1:54.16, right on his time from prelims.

WOMEN’S 200 FLY – FINALS

• NCAA Record: 1:49.16, Alex Walsh (Virginia) – 2024
• 2025 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:52.47
• 2024 NCAA Cutline: 1:55.88

Results:

1. Tess Howley (UVA) – 1:54.06
2. Sara Stotler (TENN) –  1:54.82
3. Emily Brown (TENN) – 1:53.91
4. Bailey Hartman (UVA) – 1:55.21
5. Ella Jansen (TENN) – 1:56.16
6. Cavan Gormsen (UVA) – 1:58.23
7. Billie Sherratt (Kentucky) – 1:58.34
8. Maddy Hartley (Kentucky) – 2:00.28

Tess Howley produced a solid time in the 200 butterfly to take the event over Tennessee’s Sara Stotler. Howley swam an ambitious race, taking it out hard over the first 100 yards and holding on for the victory in a time of 1:54.06. Stotler touched 2nd in a time of 1:54.82.

Out of the B-final, Tennessee’s Emily Brown actually produced the fastest time of the day, putting together a great race to knock over 3 seconds off of her time from prelims. Brown touched in a time of 1:53.91 to lead the B-final field by roughly 1.5 seconds, giving herself a comfortable margin of victory. She also set a best time with her performance, knocking almost a half second off of her previous best of 1:55.50. All three of the top finishers came in under the 2024 NCAA invite time.

MEN’S 200 FLY – FINALS

• NCAA Record: 1:37.35, Jack Conger (Texas) – 2017
• 2025 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:40.05
• 2024 NCAA Cutline: 1:42.10

Results:

1. Martin Espernberger (TENN) – 1:39.34
2. Bjoern Kammann (TENN) – 1:40.75
3. Hayden Bellotti (UVA) – 1:41.97
4. Ryan Merani (Kentucky) – 1:42.77
5. Colin Bitz (UVA) – 1:45.72
6. Aaron Gasiewicz (Kentucky) – 1:45.83
7. Aidan Crisci (TENN) – 1:45.90
8. Dillon Wright (UVA)  – 1:45.92

Tennessee teammates Martin Espernberger and Bjoern Kammann threw down fast performances in the super A-final of the men’s 200 butterfly. Through the first 100 yards of the race, the two swimmers were almost even, hitting the walls at the same time. However, at the 125 yard mark, Espernberger used a huge underwater to separate himself from his opponent. From there, he built almost a body-length lead over the final 75 yards of the race to hit the wall in a time of 1:39.34 for a new Tennessee school record and NCAA A-cut. That time would’ve finished 4th at the 2024 NCAA Championships and currently ranks him 3rd in the country this season.

For his efforts, Kammann finished in 1:40.75, also setting a best time and getting well under the 2024 NCAA invite time of 1:42.10.

WOMEN’s PLATFORM DIVING

Results:

1. Elizabeth Kaye (UVA) – 243.00
2. Claire McDaniels (Kentucky) – 223.95
3. Maddie Reese (TENN) – 223.45

MEN’S PLATFORM DIVING

Results:

1. Owen Redfearn (TENN) – 368.00
2. Bennett Greene (TENN) – 343.15
3. Nick Stone (TENN) – 326.10

WOMEN’S 400 FREE RELAY – FINAL

• NCAA Record: 3:05.84, Virginia – 2024
• 2025 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 3:13.74
• 2025 NCAA ‘B’ Cut: 3:15.28

Results:

1. UVA ‘A’ (Curzan, Walsh, Moesch, Canny) – 3:06.93
2. Tennessee ‘A’ – 3:12.00
3. Tennessee ‘B’ – 3:14.53
4. UVA ‘B’ – 3:15.72
5. Tennessee ‘C’ – 3:19.29
6. Kentucky ‘A’ – 3:19.98
7. UVA ‘C’ – 3:20.84
8. Kentucky ‘B’ – 3:24.57

With a quartet performing well, the UVA women had a shot at the NCAA Record in this relay. They came up about a second short of that, but still dominated the event by over 5 seconds. Shortly after breaking the American record in the 200 backstroke, Curzan led the team off in a 46.98, marking her first venture under the 47 second barrier. On the second leg, Gretchen Walsh wrapped up her strong meet with a blistering 45.24 split. That split marks the 3rd-fastest 100 freestyle split in history, only trailing her 45.18 from last season’s Tennessee Invite and 45.17 from last season’s NCAA Championships.

On the third leg, Moesch produced a solid 47.22, though she was faster in the individual event earlier in the session. 200 breaststroke champion Canny showed off her versatility with a 47.49 anchor leg to seal the win for UVA.

Tennessee produced a 3:12.00 for a runner-up finish, also hitting the NCAA A-cut. Spink led the team off in a 47.00 split, just off of her 46.61 from the individual event.

MEN’S 400 FREE RELAY – FINAL

• NCAA Record: 2:43.40, Arizona St. – 2024
• 2025 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 2:49.79
• 2025 NCAA ‘B’ Cut: 2:51.01

Results:

1. Tennessee ‘A’ (Caribe, Chambers, Blackman, Crooks) – 2:44.13
2. UVA ‘A’ – 2:48.33
3. Tennessee ‘B’ – 2:50.63
4. Kentucky ‘A’ – 2:54.19
5. UVA ‘B’ – 2:54.43
6. Tennessee ‘C’ – 2:55.22
7. UVA ‘C’ – 2:55.99
8. Kentucky ‘B’ – 2:57.24

Tennessee closed out the meet in memorable fashion, dominating the men’s 400 free relay in their home pool. The team of Caribe, Chambers, Blackman, and Crooks combined for a sizzling 2:44.13, coming in less than a tenth off of the NCAA and US Open Record in the event. Caribe led the team off in a 41.17, a few tenths off of his time in the 100 freestyle from earlier in the session. He handed that off to Chambers, who produced a solid 41.70 to take the lead over the field. From there, Blackman hopped in the pool and split 41.37 to hand it off to Crooks. With the race on the line, Crooks threw down a massive 39.89 split on the anchor leg, becoming the first person in history to split a sub :40 100 freestyle. Previously, the fastest 100 free split in history belonged to Caeleb Dressel, who posted a 40.15 at the 2018 NCAA Championships.

Men’s 100 Freestyle Split – Top 5 Performances: 

1. 39.89 – Jordan Crooks (TENN), 2024 Tennessee Invite
2. 40.15 – Caeleb Dressel (Florida), 2018 NCAAs
3. 40.17 – Chris Guiliano (Notre Dame), 2024 ACCs
4. 40.20 – Caeleb Dressel (Florida), 2017 SECs
5. 40.23 – Nathan Adrian (Cal), 2009 NCAAs

FINAL TEAM SCORES

Women

• Tennessee 304, Kentucky 84
• Virginia 234, Tennessee 153
• Virginia 282, Kentucky 105

Men

• Tennessee 274, Kentucky 114
• Tennessee 248, Virginia 134
• Virginia 226, Kentucky 159