Tennessee Aquatics Invitational
- May 16-18, 2025
- Allan Jones Aquatic Center – Knoxville, Tenn.
- LCM (50 meters)
- Results: « Tennessee Aquatics May Invitational » on MeetMobile
Last weekend was a busy one for smaller club meets hosted by top NCAA programs. In addition to the Bulldog Grand Slam and the Sun Devil Open, the Volunteers hosted the Tennessee Aquatics Invitational in Knoxville, which primarily featured Tennessee, Louisville, and Kentucky swimmers.
Women’s Highlights
One of the biggest highlights of the meet was Tennessee freshman McKenzie Siroky, who successfully rolled the gains she made in the yards pool back into long-course. Siroky swam lifetime bests in all three breaststroke events last weekend and won the 50 and 100 breaststroke.
She got her meet started with the 50 breaststroke, swimming a lifetime best 30.68 in prelims before going on to win finals in 31.11. Her prelims swim marked her first sub-31 second outing as she bypassed the 31.13 she swam to open her 100 breaststroke in the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials final. The time makes her the 13th fastest woman in the event this season. Perhaps more importantly for her prospects at the upcoming U.S. Nationals, she’s the fourth fastest American, behind Skyler Smith, Lilly King, and Emma Weber.
Siroky is also now the fourth-fastest American woman in the 100 breaststroke this season after clocking a lifetime best 1:07.05. Again, her former lifetime best was from the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials; she dropped .66 seconds from that swim in Indianapolis with her swim last weekend.
In both races, Siroky beat her college teammate and Olympic bronze medalist Mona McSharry. The two had several close races during the 2024-25 NCAA postseason, often with the veteran McSharry coming out on top. This weekend, Siroky touched ahead of McSharry’s 31.96 in the 50 breaststroke and 1:08.03 in the 100. The two are at different points in their training cycles—McSharry is already qualified for the 2025 World Aquatic Championships and is also continuing to get back into training after rejoining the Vols in January following an extended break.
The Olympic bronze medalist grabbed the win in the 200 breaststroke. She swam 2:28.16, beating Tess Cieplucha’s 2:29.88. Siroky swam a lifetime best 2:36.86 in the morning but scratched the final. Though McSharry was a 31.96 in the 50 breaststroke final, her 31.28 in prelims marked a season-best for her.
Lexi Stephens, who also just wrapped her freshman year in Knoxville, swept the women’s backstroke events. The highlight of her three wins was the 100 backstroke. She swam two personal bests over the course of the day, first swimming 1:01.42 then 1:01.26 in the final.
Stephens’ lifetime best coming into the weekend was a 1:01.57 from the Virginia LC Senior Championships before she joined the Vols. She also won the 50 backstroke in 29.04, them completed the hat trick with a 2:13.96 200 backstroke.
Louisville’s Ella Welch shined in the sprint butterfly events. She broke 1:00 in the 100 butterfly for the first time last summer, swimming 59.80 at the Indy May Cup and then 59.66 at the U.S. Olympic Trials. She cleared both times last weekend, firing off a lifetime best 59.30 to win.
She also won the 50 freestyle (25.90) and swam the fastest women’s 50 butterfly of the meet in prelims, posting a lifetime best 27.10. She was slightly off that mark in the final, which allowed Ella Jansen to grab the win in 27.16, a lifetime best of her own. Jansen flexed her range by winning the 400 IM (4:40.96) and 400 free (4:11.34) on the back two days of the meet.
More Event Winners:
- 100 freestyle: Brooklyn Douthwright – 55.89
- 200 freestyle: Summer Cardwell – 2:01.65
- 800 freestyle: Caroline Riggs – 8:55.47
- 200 butterfly: Billie Sherratt – 2:15.76
- 200 IM: Emily Brown – 2:14.79
Men’s Highlights
South Africa’s Michael Houlie fired off a lifetime best 26.89 in the men’s 50 breaststroke to open the meet. Houlie made the 50 breaststroke semifinals at the 2023 World Championships, finishing 16th. This swim would have qualified him for that final in Fukuoka as he chopped a hundredth off the lifetime best he swam to win the race at the South Africa National Aquatic Championship in April.
The swim improves Houlie’s standing as the ninth-fastest man in the event this season.
His Austrian teammate Martin Espernberger picked up two wins last weekend, getting back in the competition pool quickly after his 200 butterfly win at the Fort Lauderdale Pro Swim. Espernberger won the 100 butterfly in 52.85, about a half-second off the 52.31 he swam for fourth in Fort Lauderdale. The next day, he clocked 1:58.32 to win his primary event, the 200 butterfly. Espernberger swam 1:55.71 for the win in Fort Lauderdale a couple of weeks ago.
Jackson Millard and Ben Bricca split the men’s backstroke events. Millard won the 50 backstroke on the first night with a 25.83, touching .01 seconds ahead of Bricca. Bricca, a Tennessee freshman, earned the win in the 100 backstroke. He swam 55.07 in prelims, then won the final in 55.09, once again approaching the 55-second barrier.
Millard got back on top in the 200 backstroke on the final day of the meet. He swam a 2:01.35, pulling away to beat Bricca by about six-tenths. Again, Bricca swam a lifetime best, posting a 2:01.95 in the final that broke the lifetime best of 2:03.42 he swam in prelims by 1.47 seconds.
There were many close races on the men’s side of the meet. Along with Millard beating Bricca by a hundredth in the 50 backstroke, Aidan Pari edged out Espernberger by three-hundredths, 24.48 to 24.51, to win the 50 butterfly on the first day of the meet.
On Saturday, Koby Bujak-Upton swam a lifetime best of 1:49.93 to win the 200 freestyle by four-hundredths ahead of Kentucky’s yards distance free breakout star this season, Carson Hick. Bujak-Upton was involved in another tight race in the 100 freestyle, though this time his lifetime best 49.87 earned second behind Guys Brooks’ 49.79. Hick had a busy weekend, racing the 100/200/400/800 freestyle, plus the 400 IM. He won the 400/800 freestyle (3:56.81/8:04.34).
Other Kentucky swimmers taking home wins included Adomas Gatulis and Ryan Merani. Gatulis won the 100 breaststroke with a lifetime best 1:01.85, one of his three breaststroke PBs in Knoxville. Before the meet, Gatulis had never broken 1:03. Merani swam 2:04.14 for the 200 IM win ahead of Tommy Bried’s 2:04.42.
Yale’s Deny Nankov and Jake Wang battled in the 50 freestyle. Nankov earned the win in 23.00, while Wang followed with a 23.10 for second place.
More Event Wins
- 200 breaststroke: Jonathan Rom – 2:16.65
- 400 IM – Tommy Bried – 4:22.50
Ooh, 1:07.0 right now is dangerous. She’s a factor next month.
She should try the 300 breaststroke next
Come on McKenzie! You’re my dark horse in the W 50 BR, W 100 BR.
Same