Tennessee vs Duke: Crooks Nabs New Backstroke PB, Duke Women Score 5 Pool Records

Duke vs Tennessee

• January 31 – February 1, 2025
• Taishoff Aquatic Center, Durham, NC
• SCY (25 yards)
• Results
• Men’s Scores: #7 Tennessee 198 – unranked Duke 82 
• Women’s Scores: #5 Tennessee 145 – #16 Duke 131

Tennessee ended their regular season with a pair of wins against Duke in an abnormally structured meet format (more on that directly below). Duke still had reason to celebrate on their senior day, as the Lady Blue Devils scored four new pool/meet records.

Across the two-day meets, several events were contested twice: the 50/100/200 free and the 100s of each stroke. The meet also offered 50s of each of the strokes and 100 IM. Times on events swum twice are italicized for clarification, as most events had two winners on two different days.

Men’s Meet

Led by world champion Jordan Crooks, the Vol men finished their regular season with a decisive win against Duke. 

Crooks fired off a new personal best in the 50 backstroke, 21.11, to lead a Vol podium sweep in the event. His previous best stood at 21.17 from 2023.

Crooks also won twice in the 50 free, as the event was contested on two separate occasions. The senior clocked 19.02 on the first time around and brought it down to 18.74 on the second round. Both of these times sit well off his blistering 18.12 season best from the 2024 Tennessee Invite.

Junior Vol, Martin Espernberger, was the winningest athlete of the meet individually. The Austrian national showed off his versatility by winning all three fly events and the 500 freestyle.

Martin Espernberger wins:

• 50 fly: 21.53 (new PR by .3)
• 100 fly: 47.24 
• 200 fly: 1:42.52
• 500 free: 4:27.12

Espernberger’s sophomore teammate, Nikoli Blackman, also had an impressive showing that included three individual wins. Blackman took the 100 free (42.62), 100 IM (48.94), and 200 free (1:36.97).

Tennessee freshman Bennett swept the 1m and 3m springboard events.

The male Blue Devils captured the win in two events: Kalen Anbar took the 100 breast (54.87), while Owen Markowitz led a 1-2-3 finish for Duke in the 1000 free (9:27.52).

Women’s Meet

In a thrilling two-day dual, the Lady Vols prevailed against the Blue Devils on the road, despite Duke’s impressive slew of new records.

Two of Tennessee’s biggest scorers were Brooklyn Douthwright and freshman Emily Brown. The pair tied for a victory in the 200 IM (1:58.30). For Brown, this was a new season best, beating out her 1:58.66 from the Tennessee Invitational. The freshman then fired off a new personal best by five seconds to win the 100 IM, clocking 54.99.

Douthwright, a Canadian Olympian, picked up two more wins in addition to her 200 IM co-victory. She finished out her regular season career topping the fields in the 200 free (1:45.07) and 100 fly (52.37).

Josephine Fuller dipped under 1:52 for the first time this season in the 200 backstroke, winning in 1:51.88. This is over two seconds faster than what she was at this weekend last year.

Duke’s top stars gave the home crowd something to cheer for by notching five new pool records and a new school record.

The program best went to sophomore Ali Pfaff in the 100 backstroke. Pfaff blasted a 51.36 to  win and lower her own school record of 51.48 from the Wolfpack Invite in November. This also marks a new pool record.

Hitting double wins and double pool records was breaststroker Kaelyn Gridley. Gridley raced to 58.60 in the 100 and 2:06.10 in the 200 for two new pool best marks. Her 100 team record still sits at 58.15 from the beginning of February.

Coming off a new team record in the 100 free two weeks ago, Tatum Wall broke the pool record in the 50 free, swimming to 21.90. This is only a tenth off her 21.79 PB from midseason.

Pfaff, Gridley, and Wall combined with KyAnh Truong established a fifth pool record in the 200 medley relay, clocking 1:35.41.

Up next on the agenda for the Vols is their SEC conference meet, which starts February 17. Duke, meanwhile, will send swimmers to the UNC Invite at nearby Chapel Hill this weekend.