University of Tennessee Athletics
Vol Divers Open New Year at Georgia
December 31, 2003 | Men's Swimming & Diving
Dec. 31, 2003
VOLS' BREE BRINGS EARNS INTERNATIONAL HONORS
The Tennessee men's diving team travels to Georgia this weekend for its first competition of the new year. The meet begins Saturday, Jan. 3, and runs through Monday.
"I am really anxious to get into competition where we can go against teams from around the country," diving coach Dave Parrington said. "The different competition is always good because it brings in new faces that you normally don't get to see."
The Vols will get to see some of the the toughest competition they have faced so far this season. The field will include Georgia, LSU and defending NCAA Champion and current number one Auburn.
"The meet will be run in championship format which will be very conducive for Jevon Tarantino and Phillip Jones as they prepare for the Olympic Trials," Parrington said. "The meet will be nationally televised which will be an important ingredient for the future to get ready for other big televised events."
The Vols are returning to action after a good performance at the Houston Diving Invitational in November. Tennessee brought home wins in every event with John Venditti winning the 10-meter platform and Tarantino winning both the one and three-meter events.
"We have a bunch of big meets coming up and I am looking forward to diving against good competition," Jones said. "We have been preparing hard for these meets and they will show all the hard work we have put in."
BREE BRINGS HOME EUROPEAN HONORS
Tennessee senior breaststroker Andrew Bree became the first Irish swimmer since 1989 to earn a medal at the European Short Course Swimming Championships during the holiday break in Dublin, Ireland. Bree earned a silver medal in the 200-meter breaststroke.
"I had a great experience competing in front of my home country with many of my friends and family being able to be there," the Helens Bay, Northern Ireland native said. "In the morning preliminaries I broke the Irish record and when the finals came, coach (John Trembley) just told me to take less strokes so I would have more energy towards the end. With his advice I was able to come from sixth all the way to second in the final 50 meters."
Bree turned in an impressive time of 2:08.02 to earn the silver. Ian Edmonds, the current British record holder in the event, won the race with a time of 2:05.63.
"Andrew has returned to Tennessee enthusiastic to be a dominant individual and relay swimmer at the NCAA and SEC Championships," Trembley said. "There are also the Olympic Games in Athens that we are preparing for."
