2024 Tennessee Invite: Day 4 Prelims 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 Heat Sheet

The fourth and final day of the 2024 Tennessee Invite will get underway with four events in this morning’s prelim session, with the 200 back, 100 free, 200 breast and 200 fly on the schedule for both men and women. We’ll also see timed final heats of the 1650 free later in the day.

At least on paper, the race to watch this morning is the women’s 200 back, where 2023 NCAA champion Claire Curzan, Tennessee senior Josephine Fuller and the unknown quantity in the event that is Gretchen Walsh will go to battle.

Curzan holds the top seed and has been as fast as 1:47.64 in her career, while Fuller has been an NCAA ‘A’ finalist in two straight seasons, placing 4th in 2023 and 5th last season. Walsh is going outside of her specialty in this race, which has led to plenty of intrigue as to what type of time she can produce.

Tennessee’s Camille Spink headlines the women’s 100 free, Virginia’s Aimee Canny owns the top seed in the 200 breast, and the 200 fly is full of contenders led by UVA’s Tess Howley, Tennessee’s freshman duo of Emily Brown and Ella Jansen, plus Lady Vols’ senior Sara Stotler. Fuller also holds an entry in the 200 fly.

On the men’s side, Virginia’s Jack Aikins headlines the 200 back, his teammate Noah Nichols should be the man to beat in the 200 breast despite being entered with no time, and Tennessee’s Martin Espernberger spearheads the 200 fly.

In the 100 free, Jordan Crooks, also entered with no time, is the one to watch, while his teammates Gui Caribe, Nikoli Blackman and Lamar Taylor own the top three seeds.

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

Day 4 Prelims Heat Sheet

WOMEN’S 200 BACK – PRELIMS

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

1. Claire Curzan (UVA), 1:50.10
2. Gretchen Walsh (UVA), 1:50.52
3. Josephine Fuller (TENN), 1:53.42
4. Grace Frericks (UKY), 1:54.45
5. Tess Howley (UVA), 1:54.56
6. Lexi Stephens (TENN), 1:54.63
7. Sophie Brison (TENN), 1:54.85
8. Ella Bathurst (UVA), 1:55.11

The Virginia duo of Gretchen Walsh and Claire Curzan set the standard in the heats of the women’s 200 back, both throwing down 1:50-point swims to claim the top two seeds for the final by a wide margin.

In Heat 2, Walsh rocketed to a time of 1:50.52 (53.53/56.99) to drop nearly a second from her previous lifetime best of 1:51.42 set during a dual meet in January 2023.

In the following heat, Curzan answered with a time of 1:50.10 (53.69/56.41), taking the top seed from Walsh and moving to #1 in the NCAA rankings. Curzan moves past Texas A&M’s Miranda Grana (1:50.50) for the top time in the country, having previously been 1:51.84 against UNC (not including Curzan’s SCM time from the Florida dual which converts to 1:49.64).

Walsh’s swim also ranks her 3rd in the NCAA trailing only Curzan and Grana.

Tennessee’s Josephine Fuller, a back-to-back NCAA ‘A’ finalist in this event, cruised to the win in the fourth and final heat, clocking 1:53.42 for the #3 seed. Fuller owns a season-best of 1:52.04 set against Louisville.

Qualifying in 6th, Tennessee freshman Lexi Stephens set a new personal best time, dropping down from the 1:54.90 she produced this past March with a time of 1:54.63.

MEN’S 200 BACK – PRELIMS

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

1. Jack Aikins (UVA), 1:40.33
2. David King (UVA), 1:41.29
3. Harrison Lierz (TENN), 1:42.14
4. Will Thompson (UVA), 1:42.46
5. Szymon Mieczkowski (UKY), 1:43.28
6. Sam O’Brien (UVA), 1:43.56
7. Logan Ingerick (UKY), 1:44.27
8. Tony Laurito (TENN), 1:44.30

Virginia junior Jack Aikins posted a new season-best time to lead the field in the prelims of the men’s 200 back, clocking 1:40.33 to knock more than a second off the 1:41.61 marker he produced against UNC.

Based on times coming into today, Aikins ranks 7th in the NCAA with that swim.

In the following heat, his freshman teammate David King put up the only other sub-1:42 swim of the morning, rolling to a swim of 1:41.29 in what was his first time racing the event (SCY) this season. His PB stands at 1:40.52 set in March.

Racing alongside King in the third and final heat, Tennessee’s Harrison Lierz, the top seed coming in, clocked 1:42.14 for the 3rd-fastest time of the session, taking more than three seconds off his month-old season-best time of 1:45.20.

Virginia sophomore Will Thompson was notably only just shy of his best time to qualify 4th in 1:42.46, having been his fastest ever (1:42.24) at this meet last year.

WOMEN’S 100 FREE – PRELIMS

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

1. Camille Spink (TENN), 47.04
2. Anna Moesch (UVA), 47.65
3. Jillian Crooks (TENN), 48.66
4. Maxine Parker (UVA), 48.89
5. Brooklyn Douthwright (TENN), 49.01
6. Julia Mrozinski (TENN), 49.42
7. Emily Armen (TENN), 49.52
8. Julia Burroughs (TENN), 49.58

Tennessee was a dominant force in the heats of the women’s 100 free, punctuated by sophomore Camille Spink throwing down the fastest time in the country for the top seed.

Spink split 22.29/24.75 en route to a time of 47.04, overtaking the 47.30 she produced during the Vols’ dual with Louisville for the #1 time in the NCAA.

Racing alongside her in the third and final heat, Virginia freshman Anna Moesch had the fastest swim of her collegiate career in a time of 47.65, ranking her #3 in the country this season. Moesch had previously been 48.22 this season, and owns a best time of 47.11 set in April.

Tennessee claimed five of the other six spots in the ‘A’ final, led by another freshman, Jillian Crooks, who recorded a season-best of 48.66.

MEN’S 100 FREE – PRELIMS

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

1. Jordan Crooks (TENN), 40.77
2. Gui Caribe (TENN), 41.52
3. Micah Chambers (TENN), 42.22
4. Lamar Taylor (TENN), 42.31
5. Connor Boyle (UVA), 42.49
6. Nikoli Blackman (TENN), 42.60
7. Spencer Nicholas (UVA), 43.09
8. Sebastien Sergile (UVA), 43.23

After a pair of explosive performances last night, Tennessee’s Jordan Crooks kept the ball rolling with a blistering performance this morning in the men’s 100 freestyle.

Leading a group of five Volunteers who earned spots in the top six of the prelims, Crooks fired off a time of 40.77 to take over the #1 ranking in the country, becoming the first swimmer sub-41 in 2024-25.

• Crooks Splits: 19.52/21.25

Crooks had yet to race the 100 free this season, but did split 41.19 on Tennessee’s 400 free relay during their dual with Louisville last month. His personal best stands at 40.39, set at the 2024 NCAAs, and at this meet last year, he was 41.03.

Crooks’ junior teammate Gui Caribe also posted one of the fastest times in the country to qualify 2nd for the final, clocking 41.52 to rank #2 in the NCAA behind Crooks. Coming into the day, ASU’s Ilya Kharun‘s held the fastest time at 41.56.

Caribe held a season-best of 42.15 coming into the meet, set against Louisville, and set his best time of 40.55 last year at NCAAs.

Tennessee grad seniors Micah Chambers (42.22) and Lamar Taylor (42.31) followed in 3rd and 4th, with Chambers setting a new personal best and Taylor missing his by just .01.

UVA put three swimmers into the top eight, led by senior Connor Boyle, who was only four-tenths off his PB in 42.49.

WOMEN’S 200 BREAST – PRELIMS

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

1. Emelie Fast (TENN), 2:08.32
2. Leah Hayes (UVA), 2:09.47
3. Aimee Canny (UVA), 2:09.59
4. Emma Weber (UVA), 2:10.44
5. McKenzie Siroky (TENN), 2:11.20
6. Bridget Engel (UKY), 2:11.96
7. Anna Keating (UVA), 2:12.49
8. Zoe Skirboll (UVA), 2:12.69

Tennessee’s Emelie Fast and Virginia’s Leah Hayes produced the top two times of the morning in the women’s 200 breast from the third and final heat, with Fast using her front-half speed to gain the early advantage and hold on down the stretch to touch first in a time of 2:08.32.

The swim for Fast knocks more than a second off her season-best time (2:09.60) and ranks her 5th in the NCAA this season. She owns a PB of 2:06.79 from the 2024 NCAAs.

The freshman Hayes hit a new lifetime best of 2:09.47 to qualify 2nd overall, lowering the 2:09.68 PB she set last December at Winter Juniors – East. Her previous season-best was 2:11.64, set against UNC.

The other swimmer breaking 2:10 this morning was UVA’s Aimee Canny, who coasted to a time of 2:09.59 in Heat 2 after clocking 2:07.60 earlier this season against UNC (#2 in the NCAA).

Tennessee freshman McKenzie Siroky took more than three seconds off her personal best in 2:11.20 to qualify 5th, just behind UVA’s Emma Weber (2:10.44) in the first heat. Siroky has only raced this event a handful of times and set her previous best of 2:14.85 last month against Louisville.

MEN’S 200 BREAST – PRELIMS

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

1. Noah Nichols (UVA), 1:53.81
2. Jonathan Rom (UKY), 1:54.56
3. Jed Garner (TENN), 1:55.39
4. Grayson Nye (TENN), 1:56.78
5. Matt Styczen (UVA), 1:56.91
6. Matt Heilman (UVA), 1:57.00
7. Murilo Braga Amatuzzi (UKY), 1:59.00
8. Adomas Gatulis (UKY), 1:59.11

Virginia fifth-year Noah Nichols closed with a quick 28.99 final 50 to claim the top seed in the men’s 200 breast in a time of 1:53.81, pulling ahead of Kentucky’s Jonathan Rom (1:54.56) on the last two lengths.

Racing the SCY event for the first time this season, Nichols was notably faster than he was at this meet last year in the final (1:54.20). His time ranks 10th in the NCAA this season.

Rom, a transfer from Grand Canyon, was within seven-tenths of his lifetime best of 1:53.87 in 1:54.56, nearly six seconds under his season-best set last month.

Tennessee’s Jed Garner topped the first heat in 1:55.39 to solidify the #3 seed for the final, dropping more than a second off his lifetime best (1:56.82).

WOMEN’S 200 FLY – PRELIMS

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

1. Tess Howley (UVA), 1:54.47
2. Sara Stotler (TENN), 1:55.55
3. Ella Jansen (TENN), 1:56.36
4. Bailey Hartman (UVA), 1:56.43
5. Cavan Gormsen (UVA), 1:57.26
6. Emily Brown (TENN), 1:57.92
7. Maggie Schalow (UVA), 1:58.28
8. Carly Novelline (UVA), 1:59.24

Virginia’s Tess Howley turned on the jets of the last 50 in the women’s 200 fly, pulling away from Tennessee freshman Ella Jansen on the last 50 during Heat 1 to claim the top seed for the final in 1:54.47.

The swim for Howley dips under her season-best of 1:54.73, set against UNC, though she went a SCM time against Florida that covers to 1:52.93. She owns a PB of 1:51.95 from the 2024 NCAAs.

Jansen touched in 1:56.36, good for the #3 seed and just shy of the lifetime best she set last month (1:55.85).

Tennessee senior Sara Stotler comfortably won the second heat in 1:55.55, lowering her season-best of 1:55.79 for the #2 seed heading to the final.

Tennessee freshman Emily Brown, racing her 12th swim of the meet, advanced 6th into the final in 1:57.92. She just missed out on the ‘A’ final earlier in the session in the 200 back, placing 9th.

MEN’S 200 FLY – PRELIMS

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

1. Bjoern Kammann (TENN), 1:40.84 *Meet Record
2. Martin Espernberger (TENN), 1:40.85
3. Hayden Bellotti (UVA), 1:42.41
4. Ryan Merani (UKY), 1:43.91
5. Colin Bitz (UVA), 1:45.30
6. Aidan Crisci (TENN), 1:45.53
7. Aidan Hill (TENN), 1:45.64
8. Aaron Gasiewicz (UKY), 1:45.72

Tennessee’s Bjoern Kammann unleashed a new Meet Record in the prelims of the men’s 200 fly, clocking 1:40.84 from Heat 2 to erase Gal Cohen Groumi‘s mark of 1:41.40 set in 2022.

Kammann’s swim also marks a massive new lifetime best, lowering his previous mark of 1:45.04 set last month against Louisville as he now ranks 3rd in the NCAA this season. He had only raced the event twice in his career prior to this season.

His teammate Martin Espernberger followed up by going under the old record in the following heat in 1:40.85, missing Kammann’s mark by .01 and coming within two-tenths of his personal best 1:40.64 set last season at NCAAs.

Virginia’s Hayden Bellotti dropped a second off his newly-minted PB in 1:42.41 to advance in 3rd, having set a best time of 1:43.41 at the beginning of the month against UNC.