Tennessee Men Break NCAA Record in 200 Free Relay – 1:12.80

2025 SEC Championships

• Dates: Tuesday, February 18–Saturday, February 22
  • Prelims: 9:30 am EST/ Finals 5:30 pm EST (Tuesday-5:00 EST)
• Location: Gabrielsen Natatorium — Athens, GA
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Less than two years after the final super-suited record in the NCAA was surpassed by Florida, the Tennessee men have taken the 200 free relay to new heights.

Led by the formidable 1-2 punch of Jordan Crooks (17.96) and Gui Caribe (18.04), the Vols hacked over half a second off the mark set by the Gators in 2023. Their back-half consisted of Lamar Taylor (18.25) and Nikoli Blackman (18.55).

Florida also dipped under the old record, with only Josh Liendo returning from the 2023 quartet.

Record Split Comparison:

It was their explosive front-half that gave the Vols the firepower to surpass the record. Crooks’ performance slots in as the fourth fastest of all time, and he now has more 17-point swims than Caeleb Dressel. In fact, the top five performances are now all sub-18 seconds.

Top 5 Performances, Men’s 50-Yard Freestyle

1. Caeleb Dressel – 17.63 (2018 NCAAs)
2. Caeleb Dressel – 17.81 (2018 NCAAs)
3. Jordan Crooks – 17.93 (2023 SECs)
4. Jordan Crooks – 17.96 (2025 SECs)
5. Jordan Crooks – 17.99 (2024 SECs)

Crooks is having a stellar meet so far. He already clocked the third-fastest 50 free relay split anchoring Tennessee’s 200 medley relay, and we’ll see him in action in the individual 50 free later tonight. He’ll be swimming in lane four after smashing Josh Liendo‘s pool record in prelims (18.12).

Caribe’s time appears to be his fastest split ever. He’s seeded 3rd in the 50 behind Liendo and Crooks.

The back-half should not be overlooked, however. Taylor is a fifth-year transfer from DII Henderson State. His best flat-start time is 19.03, and this appears to be his first time splitting sub-19 in his career. He swims his first individual SEC final tonight after qualifying 14th in the 50. Taylor also holds the 200 free relay record in DII from his time at Henderson State; he now holds the record in the same event across two divisions.

Blackman, a sophomore, came into this season with a best time of 19.59 from the 2024 SEC Championships. He’s since lowered that to 19.15 at the Tennessee Invite last November, and dropped again in prelims to qualify 9th, less than 0.03-seconds off an A final berth (19.05). His anchor leg, while the slowest of his team, represents the huge strides he’s made this season.

• SwimSwam’s own Yanyan Li predicted Blackman’s future as Tennessee’s next sprint star back in 2023.