Jordan Crooks’ 19.36 50 Free Leads Tennessee in Opener with UNC-Wilmington
Tennessee’s Jordan Crooks threw down a 19.36 50 freestyle Saturday, the highlight of a pair of Tennessee wins over UNC Wilmington.
The men’s team prevailed by a score of 216-78. The Lady Volunteers were victorious, 190-105.
Crooks holds the team record in 18.53 seconds. He’s got that in his sights again this year, the sophomore from the Cayman Islands off to a blistering start. He led a 1-2 in the 50 with teammate Gui Caribe (20.22), then won the 100 fly in 46.81. (He also holds the program record in that event, at 45.33.)
Crooks split 20.76 in fly on the Vols’ winning 200 medley relay (with Harrison Lierz, Jared Dillard and Scott Scanlon). He also split 19.33 off the end of an exhibition Volunteers A 200 free relay that went 1:20.27 (with Aleksey Tarasenko, Scanlon and Caribe).
The Vols spread the wins around. Joaquin Vargas won the 200 free and 500 free. Caribe claimed the 100 free in 43.86. Tarasenko was second in the 200 free and third in the 100 free.
Lierz pulled off an impressive double, winning the 100 back and 200 IM. Second in the 100 back was 200 back winner Nick Simons. Dillard was second to teammate Michael Houlie in the 100 breast but won the 200 breast. Bryden Hattie and Matt Wade went 1-2 in both diving events.
For UNC Wilmington, Jacob Duracinsky finished second in the 100 free. He also was credited with the 200 IM win around UT’s exhibitions.
Kristen Stege led the Lady Vols charge from the start. The won the 1,000 free, in a 1-2 with Aly Breslin, then won the 500 free later in the meet. Second to her in the latter race, Julia Burroughs, was also the runner-up to Sara Stotler in the 200 free. Stotler won the 100 free as well.
Kailee Morgan, a Carson-Newman transfer, won both breaststroke events in her Vols debut. Regan Rathwell won the 200 back in 1:59.17 and had the second fastest time in the 100 breast. Olivier Harper (100 back), Kate McCarville (200 fly) and Natalie Ungaretti (50 free) added wins for the Vols, though in the latter, Mona McSharry – in 23.43 seconds – had a faster time as an exhibition swimmer.
UNC Wilmington came away with a couple of wins. Tink Niebel had the fastest time in the 100 free in 52.08, as did Maura Schoppa in the 100 fly.
Tennessee’s divers split the wins on the women’s side. Tanesha Lucoe claimed 1-meter gold with a score of 28.420 ahead of Maddie Reese. Reese was second to Grace Cable on 3-meter.
