University of Tennessee Athletics
SEC Swimming and Diving Championships Begin Wednesday at Auburn
February 17, 2003 | Men's Swimming & Diving
Feb. 17, 2003
The Tennessee swimming and diving team travels to the the Southeastern Conference Championships in Auburn, Ala., this weekend as a top contender for the conference title. The Volunteers bring a young and talented squad to challenge for the championship of America's toughest swimming and diving conference.
The Volunteers currently rank tops in the conference in the 50 and 100 freestyle thanks to a solid season from junior Renato Gueraldi. Gueraldi's time of 19.57 in the 50 free marks this year's fastest time in the nation.
Appearing in their first ever SEC Championships are freshmen Casey Dauw, Paul Eder, Bryan Goldberg, Tyler Gustafson, Kiel Huston, Lubrey Lim, Raymond Rosal, Michael Russo and Jason Thomas. The Vols have felt an immediate impact from both Dauw and Thomas and look for them to expand on UT's scoring effort in these championships. Dauw leads Tennessee in four events including the 200, 500 and 1650 freestyle. He also ranks third in the conference with his 400 I.M. time of 3:50.92. Thomas is right on Dauw's heels, ranking second in the 200, 500 and 1650 freestyle events.
In the diving well, Phillip Jones looks to repeat as SEC Champion on the three-meter springboard. Last year, Jones took his first SEC crown with a score of 596.25. This year, Jones has yet to dive in a collegiate meet without winning either the one-meter competition, the three-meter competition or both.
UT has won 10 SEC championships and finished runner-up 12 times. The Vols placed fourth a year ago and last won the title in 1996.
UT Ranked No. 12 Nationally
Tennessee is now the 12th-best team in the country according to the College Swim Coaches Association of America Top 25 Poll. The Vols opened the season ranked eighth and slipped to No. 12 after tough back-to-back losses at the hands of Georgia and Florida. The Volunteers finished 12th at the 2002 NCAA Championships, and have finished among the top 10 in the nation in 13 of the last 15 seasons with a high of third coming in 2001.
Seven Seniors Lead Volunteers
The 2003 senior class is putting the finishing touches on an impressive run in Knoxville. So far in their four years at UT, the seven seniors have recorded a 25-4 dual-meet record. They have finished among the top 12 in the nation in each of their three trips to the NCAA Championships, including a third place finish in 2001.
In addition to the accomplishments in the pool, the nine seniors have distinguished themselves in the classroom as well. The group has been named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll 10 times and earned eight Academic All-America honors.
Additionally, the class was an integral part of the Vols twice earning Team Academic All-America status.
UT at SEC Championships
Tennessee has won 10 Southeastern Conference Championships since the pool program returned to Knoxville in 1968. The most recent title came in 1996 as UT played host to the championships and treated the Student Aquatic Center crowd to a school record 846 team points. The 1996 title was the second as a coach for Vol skipper John Trembley, who led the 1989 squad to championship in his first season as coach in 1989. The Vols first SEC crown came in 1969 when legendary coach Ray Bussard took his second team, consisting of freshmen and sophomores, to the top of the conference. After a pair of runner-up finishes in 1970 and 1971, Bussard put together a string of seven consecutive conference titles from 1972-1978.
Head Coach John Trembley
Tennessee head coach John Trembley is in his 15th season at the helm of the Vols. In his time, the Vols have finished among the top 10 in the nation 12 times, including five top 5 finishes. Trembley has led the Vols to SEC titles in 1989 and 1996 and to runner-up finishes on six occasions. Trembley has fashioned a 112-12 dual-meet record with a 65-8 mark against SEC foes. Trembley has received numerous awards for his success, including four SEC Coach of the Year trophies.
Players Mentioned
