Jordan Crooks Shines as Tennessee Sweeps LSU on Senior Day
The Jordan Crooks show continued Saturday in Knoxville, Tenn., as the fastest man in college swimming recorded a handful of swift efforts in his signature events as his Volunteers wrapped up their dual meet season against SEC rival Louisiana State. The Tennessee men won 196 to 104 against LSU while the women thrashed the Tigers by a 204-94 margin.
The Tennessee men showed off their signature speed in the 200 medley relay, with Harrison Lierz, Flynn Crisci, Crooks and Gui Caribe winning in 1:24.34. Crooks went 19.92 on the butterfly leg before Caribe came home in 19.03. Then, in his first individual event of the day, Crooks blasted a time of 18.80 to win the 50 freestyle, a time that only he and Florida’s Josh Liendo have beaten this season. Crooks ranks second all-time in the 50 free at 17.93, having posted the time at last year’s SEC Championships.
Crooks later won the 100 fly in 45.18, and he led off Tennessee’s 400 free relay in 41.87, giving the Volunteers a lead they would not surrender, with Caribe, Nikoli Blackman and Bjoern Kammann finishing off the 2:51.54 triumph.
Also winning two for the Volunteers was Landon Driggers, who took both the 200 backstroke (1:45.37) and 200 IM (1:47.41). Tennessee’s Rafael Ponce de Leon won the 1000 free in 8:57.18, using a furious finishing split of 24.41 to overtake LSU’s Silas Beth (8:57.49) and win by four tenths.
Nikoli Blackman topped the 200 free (1:36.10), and Martin Espernberger dominated from start to finish in the 200 fly (1:43.64). Caribe was the winner in the 100 free (42.60), and Joey Tepper won the 500 free in 4:22.98, holding off a surge from LSU’s Jovan Lekic, whose 24.36 final 50 left him only three hundredths off the pace. In diving, Bryden Hattie won on 1-meter (366.15) and 3-meter (400.35).
LSU’s Griffin Curtis won the 100 back in 47.72, and teammate Mitch Mason finished first in the 100 breaststroke (53.20) as well as the 200 breast (1:58.65).
The Tennessee women won the 200 medley relay by more than two seconds and surpassed the nearest LSU group by a whopping 3.72 seconds. Josephine Fuller, Mona McSharry, Katie Mack and Camille Spink swam a time of 1:35.84. Next up, Kate McCarville won the 1000 freestyle in 9:50.38 while teammate Lauren Wetherell took second (9:51.99) as the Lady Vols set the tone for the meet.
Brooklyn Douthwright blasted a mark of 1:44.04 in the 200 free, finishing just ahead of Spink (1:44.63), Fuller (1:45.60) and Julia Mrozinski (1:45.71) as Tennessee swept the top-four spots. Elle Caldow was first in the 100 backstroke (52.75) on the way to another 1-2-3-4 finish, and Kailee Morgan finished first in the 100 breaststroke (1:00.69). Sara Stotler (200 butterfly, 1:56.39) and McSharry (50 free, 22.12) pushed Tennessee into the first break undefeated on the day.
Spink’s first individual win cam in the 100 free, where she clocked 48.03, and Fuller finished clear of the field in the 200 back (1:54.13). McSharry returned to her typical breaststroke events for her second win, clocking 2:06.63 in the 200 breast before Mrozinski secured the win in the 500 free (4:42.77).
Mack won the 100 fly (53.88) before Fuller was victorious again in the 200 IM (1:57.11). The Tigers would keep things somewhat interesting in the 400 free relay, especially with anchor Megan Barnes splitting 48.05, but there was no stopping the team of Abby Samansky, Spink, Julia Burroughs and Mrozinski, as this group finished in 3:15.17.
LSU finally got on the board courtesy of Montserrat Lavenant in 3-meter diving (327.28), and Lavenant later finished first on 1-meter (302.48) but LSU did not win another event all day.