Matt Kredich and the Tennessee Volunteers had a busy week, and that doesn't even include the addition of Alex Meyer to their post-grad training group. Archive photo via Tim Binning/TheSwimPictures.com
Last week was the busiest yet with six SEC teams facing each other in dual meets, Tennessee and Vanderbilt taking on out-of-conference teams in back-to-back meets, and Auburn visiting the Hoosiers for a televised meet on the Big 10 Network.
Verbal commitments to SEC teams also kept rolling in; however, the SEC didn’t land the #1-ranked high school recruit, Andrew Seliskar, as he chose to start his collegiate career in 2015 with the University of California’s Golden Bears. That’s okay, though. Gator freshmen Caeleb Dressel made a statement last Friday with performances that argue the SEC is where it’s at.
TENNESSEE’S TOUR de NORTH CAROLINA
The Volunteers spent last Thursday and Friday racing in North Carolina, defeating Queens University in Charlotte on Thursday and losing a hard-fought, spirited dual to the Tar Heels on Friday in Chapel Hill.
Volunteers Defeat Queens at the Royal Open
The Volunteers took the men’s and women’s titles by defeating Queens University at the Levine Center in Charlotte on Thursday.The Lady Volunteers defeated Queens 157-45 and the men put some similar numbers with a 139-65 win.
Team Elite of SwimMAC also showed up at the meet, bolstering the level of competition for the collegians.
Key to the Lady Volunteers’s convincing win were sweeps of the top four spots against Queens in the 50-yard free, the 200-yard free, 200-yard fly and the 200-yard medley relay.
The Big Orange’s Morgan Dickson and Camryne Morris made a statement for the program’s distance freestylers, taking one-two in the 1,000-yard free (10:11.27 and 10:24.73) with the nearest competitor 35 seconds back.
Junior Faith Johnson returned to her home state to win the 50-yard free (22.92) and post a fast 100-yard free (49.92) for second place.
“I love coming back and seeing all my friends,” said Johnson in a story on the University of Tennessee’s website. “My heart rate was increasing as I was on the bus. I was so excited. It was really great to perform like I hoped and having my parents here and all my friends was really exciting.”
On the men’s side, redshirt freshmen Evan Pinion and David Heron went one-two in the 1,000-yard free (9:15.74 and 9:19.18). Double wins came from freshmen Sam McHugh in the 200-yard fly (1:49.71), which was a Tennessee sweep of the top four spots, and the 500-yard free (4:28.88), while juniorSean Lehane posted wins in the 200-yard free (1:39.37) and 200-yard back(1:44.89).
The Volunteers coming off a win the day before faced a tougher challenge with the University of North Carolina in Chapel on Friday, losing 170-130 on the men’s side and 204-96 on the women’s.
Matt Kredich, who is in his ninth season as Tennessee’s head coach, was happy with what he saw in the loss saying in a story posted to the Volunteer’s website, “That was a great team (Tar Heels). They put up some very fast times, so in order for us to meet the goal of being competitive, they (his Volunteer squad) had to have the presence of mind to be behind and stay in those races and I thought they did a great job, in some cases outstanding jobs.”
Outstanding performances for the Volunteers, included nine victories by Tennessee men, who kept it close with North Carolina. Lehane led the way with wins in the 100-yard back (48.23 seconds), the 200-yard back (1:44.37), and a lead-off leg in the 200-yard medley relay to defeat the Tar Heels by 0.11 seconds. Peter Stevens, who also won the 100-yard breaststroke (55.08), Tyler Mills and Troy Tillman teamed up with Lehane to deliver the exciting win.
Freshman McHugh picked up where left off the day before in Charlotte with wins in the 200-yard freestyle (1:39.32) and the 200-yard individual medley (1:50.05). He nearly made it three wins, but placed second in the 200-yard fly (1:47.37).
Pinion paired his 1,000-yard win the day before in Charlotte with another distance win in the 500-yard free (4:27.12), winning by 0.47 seconds over North Carolina’s Henry Campbell.
For the Lady Volunteers, double winners included senior Molly Hannis and Johnson. Hannis won the 100-yard breaststroke (1:00.84) and 200-yard breaststroke (2:12.92), while Johnson took the 50-yard freestyle (22.78) and 100-yard freestyle (50.16).
“We fought hard on finishes,” said Kredich of the loss. “What we really need to take a hard look at is how we competed (and) the way we could have competed, the way we were on the deck (and) the way we could have been on the deck. If we’re going to be the most competitive team we can think of, we’ve got something to grow into.”
Tennessee diver Mauricio Robles contributed to the points, taking the the 3-meter and placing second in the 1-meter.
The Volunteers have their annual inter-squad Orange and White Meet on Oct. 16 (Thursday). They then host the Kentucky Wildcats and visit the Hoosier’s in Indiana on Oct. 31 (Friday).
Backstroker Christina Paspalas with the Phoenix Aquatic Club committed to the Volunteers for the 2015-16 season. Ty Powers also committed to the Volunteers, bringing his freestyle and breaststroke speed from Georgia. Click names to see SwimSwam’s commitment reports.
HOST GATORS DEFEAT LSU’s FIGHTING TIGERS
The Gators defeated Louisiana State University in Gainesville, Fla. on Friday, passing the mid-point of a three-week stretch of racing that next sees them in Kentucky on Thursday (Oct. 16) to take on the Wildcats, while the Lady Fighting Tigers head to Dallas Friday (Oct. 17) for the two-day SMU Classic.
The LSU men are out of competition until Nov. 1, when the full Fighting Tiger squad travels to Tuscaloosa, Ala. to face the Crimson Tide.
Freshman Dressel Dominates
In last Friday’s Gator/Fighting Tiger match-up, star Gator freshman Caeleb Dressel won the 50-yard free (19.94), the 100-yard fly (48.39) and looked dominant in the relays with a fast 50-yard fly split (21.37) in the 200-yard medley relay and an ‘A’-quality 100-yard free split (43.44) for Florida’s 400-free relay ‘B’ team. Impressive.
The freshman doesn’t have far to look for some role models and support, as the Gator men looked solid with the near-sweep of individual wins divvied up among Carlos Omana, Pawel Werner, Nicholas Alexiou, Jack Blyzinskyj,Eduardo Solaeche-Gomez, Matt Elliott, Corey Main, Dan Wallace, and Mitch D’Arrigo.
LSU sophomore Brandon Goldman won the 200-yard back (1:49.81), beating out teammate Michael Young for the Louisiana men’s only win in the pool. Andrew Suchla did keep Young company, diving to a win for LSU in the 1-meter event.
GatorsThielmann and Hinds are Double Winners
Distance freestyler Jessica Thielmann and sprinter Natalie Hinds led the Gators with two wins each to help defeat LSU.
Thielmann won the 500-yard free (4:49.02) and the 1000-yard free (9:55.52) with the 4th best time in the U.S. this season. Hinds continued her strong start to the season by taking the 50-yard free (22.66) and the 100-yard free in(49.47).
Kara Kopcso was the bright spot in LSU’s loss, putting up double wins in the 200-yard fly (1:58.34) and the 200-yard individual medley (2:01.63). Kopsco was a presence in the 100-yard fly, taking second to teammate Amber Carter (53.89 and 55.35).
Out of the pool, fly specialist Emma Spilman from Clearwater, Fla. gave her verbal commitment to the Gators. LSU was quiet on the commitment front last week.
GEORGIA TOPS ALABAMA IN ATHENS
The Bulldog men and women did their best to synchronize results and scores in Athens, Ga. on Friday, when they defeated the Crimson Tide with scores of 164-128 (men) and 164-130 (women).
Triple Winner and Six Double Winners for Bulldogs
The win for the Lady Bulldogs was their 91st-straight, but it was the men who had more multi-event winners on the night, producing a triple winner to complement their three double wins to match the ladies’ three.
Driving the win for the ladies were double winners Maddie Locus, Annie Zhuand Kylie Stewart. Locus took the 50-yard free (22.94) and 100-yard free (50.44). Zhu won the 200-yard breast (2:15.01) and the 400-yard individual medley (4:17.57). Stewart took the 100-yard back (53.75)and 200-yard back (1:57.27).
Like the Lady Bulldogs, the men also had three double winners. Nicolas Finkwon the 100-yard breaststroke (55.02) and 200-yard breaststroke (2:01.64). Distance swimmer Kevin Litherland won the 500-yard free (4:29.99) and the 1,650-yard (15:28.25), while brother Jay Litherland won the 200-yard free (1:38.64) and the 400-yard individual medley (3:58.54).
Ty Stewart recorded three wins for the Bulldogs with the 100-yard fly (48.41), the 200-yard fly (1:46.96), and the 200-yard back (1:46.29).
The Bulldogs head to North Carolina Friday (Oct. 17) and then overnight they face North Carolina State.
Alabama Wins Three of Four Relays in Loss
The Tide fell to host Georgia on Friday but put up strong results with three relay wins and seven individual ones. The only relay loss was in the lady’s 200-yard medley relay, when the visiting Alabama team touched the wall first, but were disqualified for an early take-off.
It was the first time the Crimson Tide saw action since Sept. 12, when they defeated Delta State University in Tuscaloosa.
The individual wins started with freshmen Luke Kaliszak,winning the 100-yard back (48.23). Next was senior Kaylin Burchell taking the lady’s 100-yard breaststroke (1:02.13).
The divers added two wins with Taylor Zablocki (1-meter) and Dylan Marin(3-meter). The final Tide win came from freshman Mia Nonnenberg, who bested everyone to win the 400-yard individual medley (4:15.04).
The Tide compete next on Nov. 1, when they host SEC-rivals Auburn and LSU at the Alabama Aquatic Center.
Out of the pool, the Crimson Tide received a verbal commitment from Robert Howard, a backstroke and freestyle specialist from Auburn, AL.
The Lady Wildcats won 173-123, while their brothers were dominated 207.5-92.5 in Friday’s dual against South Carolina’s Gamecocks.
The Kentucky men prevented a sweep in their pool by notching two individual wins to the Gamecocks 14. Zachary Zandona won the 200-yard backstroke (1:50.63), and Brandon Flynn took the 1,000-yard freestyle (9:17.26) for the Wildcats.
For the Lady Wildcats, sophomore Danielle Galyer and seniors Christina Bechtel and Abby Myers won a combined seven individual events, contributed to two relay wins, and all earned an NCAA ‘B’ cut to highlight the win.
Galyer earned three individual wins with the 100-yard backstroke (55.18), the 200-yard backstroke (1:58.45), and the 200-yard individual medley (2:04.03). Bechtel also won three events, taking the 100-yard fly (53.18), the 50-yard free (23.3), and the 200-yard free (1:49.53).
Myers was an individual winner in the 200-yard fly (1:59.76) and contributed to both the 200-yard medley and 400-free relay wins for Kentucky.
On the recruitment front, the Wildcats landed Haley McInerny, a two Olympic trials cuts (100 and 200 fly) swimmer from Georgia.
VANDERBILT PERFORMS DOUBLE DUTY
Vanderbilt had a busy weekend hosting North Carolina’s Campbell University, University of Arkansas-Little Rock (UALR) and San Diego State on Friday in Nashville. They then did it again on Saturday against UALR and San Diego in a tri-meet.
Faulkner’s Friday
Senior Elly Faulkner contributed two of the Commodores’ five individual wins to help Vanderbilt defeat Campbell and UALR on Friday but ultimately the ‘Dores fell to San Diego State, who won the meet.
Faulkner’s double wins came in the 200-yard individual medley (2:06.60)and the 200-yard breaststroke (2:19.82). Her teammate Kathryn Coughlin earned the Commodores’s first in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:04.54), and Carrie Bencic took the 500-yard free (5:02.20) to lead Vanderbilt.
The ‘Dores capped the meet off with a win in the 400-yard free relay (3:31.56) to post their fifth win of the meet.
Saturday afternoon saw the Commodores step up their results from Friday by closing the gap on San Diego State in the points standing, but in the end it was the same result with Vanderbilt narrowly falling to San Diego 121-113. The ‘Dores did defeat UALR 198-43 in Saturday’s tri-meet.
Key individual results for Vanderbilt include Coughlin winning the 50-yard breaststroke (29.95), Breanna Sapienza winning the 50-yard fly (25.72), and Brenda Cha winning the 100-yard individual medley (1:00.32), which led the Commodores sweep of the top six positions.
The Commodores now travel to Pensacola, Fla. for a Thursday tilt (Oct. 16) with the University of North Florida.
The Auburn women defeated the host Hoosiers 129-113 on Friday in the televised dual, while the Tiger men fell 149-91.
Two of the Lady Tiger’s seven wins came in the form of one-two-three finishes. The first was in the 50-yard free with Megan Fonteno (23.04),Ashton Ellzey (23.37), and Hull (23.48) taking the top spots. In the 100-yard free, Allyx Purcell won (49.82, NCAA ‘B’ cut), while ValerieHullfinished second (51.16), and MckennaDeBever placed third (51.61).
Individual wins came from Annie Lazor in the 200-yard individual medley (2:02.97), Natasha Lloyd in the 200-yard breast (2:17.50), and Ashley Neidigh in the 1,000-yard free (9:52.05).
Auburn’s women finished first and second in the 200-yard medley relay and closed the meet with a winning performance in the 400-yard free relay (3:21.22).
Sophomore Joe Patching earned NCAA ‘B’ cuts in his the 200-yard back (1:45.75) and 200-yard individual medley wins.
In diving, the Hoosiers swept the wins. Auburn’s Fraser McKean finished third in both the 1-meter and 3-meter events. For the women, Cinzia Calabretta posted second (3-meter) and third-place (1-meter) finishes.
Auburn’s women are back racing on Saturday (Oct. 17), as they host Vanderbilt and Notre Dame. The men do not race until Nov. 1, when the full team travels to Tuscaloosa to take on Alabama and LSU.
Auburn added middle distance freestyler, Russell Noletto, who swims for the City of Mobile Swim Association. Liam McCloskey, a fly and freestyler from the San Diego area, also committed to Auburn. Click names to see SwimSwam’s commitment reports.
Texas A&M University (Aggies): The men open their season at 6 p.m. on Friday (Oct. 17) in Austin, TX with a dual meet against the Longhorns at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center. Results will be posted here(click details). The Aggie ladies will open their season on Saturday (Oct. 18), when they’re in Fayetteville, Ark to meet the Razorbacks.
University of Arkansas (Razorbacks): After a loss to the Gators on Sept. 27, the Arkansas ladies have been preparing for a contest with conference rival Texas A&M on Saturday (Oct. 18), which will be the season-opener for the Lady Aggies.
The University of Missouri (Tigers): The Mizzou have been out of action since winning the men’s and women’s titles at their ninth-annual Show-Me-Showdown on Oct. 3. The women do not race until Oct. 24, when they visit Fayetteville, Ark to take on the Lady Razorbacks. The men do not see race action until Oct. 31, when they host the Missouri State Bears at the Mizzou Aquatic Center.
Griffin Schaetzle, a backstroke specialist from Pennsylvania has verbally committed to the Tigers. Courtney Evenson, free and back specialist from Minnesota, will join Aquajets Swim Team teammate, Kylie Dahlgren, next year in Columbia with the Tigers too. Click names to see SwimSwam’s commitment reports.
