University of Tennessee Athletics
Vols Tally Two Wins Versus SC and UK
October 26, 2007 | Men's Swimming & Diving
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The 11th-ranked Tennessee men???s swimming and diving team ousted both South Carolina and Kentucky Friday at the UT Student Aquatic Center. The Vols won the double meet by a score of 157-141 over Kentucky and 202-96 over South Carolina.
???We have some good hard racing today, which was good to see,??? UT head coach John Trembley said. ???However, we are still making some mistakes in hard race settings and competitive races, of which I am concerned because we tried hard to fix some individual mistakes that we were making. Enthusiasm was great and attitude was great in some really hard racing. Technical soundness is not there but that is no surprise because it is early in the season and they are all tired from training. We need to prepare really well for the end of the season. I think we are a really good team right now. But I think we are far from being where we were last year at this time."
Despite Trembley???s expectations, the Vols swam to first place finishes in the 200 medley relay (1:31.31). Freshmen Geoff Sanders and Carl Jones paced to first- and second- place finishes, respectively, in the 1000 freestyle (9:38.13 and 9:38.76). Senior captain Michael Wolfe swam a 49.87 100 backstroke to place first and won the 500 freestyle in 4:34.02. Freshman Brad Craig timed in at 2:02.70 and triumphed in the 200 breaststroke. The Sweden-native Jonas Persson topped his competitors in the 100 freestyle with a time of 44.74.
???There was some very nice racing today, particularly for Octavio Alesi and Nolan Morrell, both of whom were double winners.???
Alesi won the 50 freestyle (20.37) and the 100 butterfly (49.57). Morrell snatched first place in both the 200 backstroke (1:48.89) and the 200 freestyle (1:39.95).
???Kentucky also swam very competitively in their races,??? Trembley said. ???South Carolina, on the other hand, performed well and won the 200 I.M.???
Kentucky???s Will Vietti won the 200 breaststroke in 2:04.96 and their 400 freestyle relay captured first-place (3:04.16) on the final event of the day.
In the diving portion of the contest, Kentucky too performed well as Stephen Andrews took first- and second- places in the three- and one- meter dives, respectively (333.35 and 284.05). Sophomore Michael Muscari took third-place in both competitions with a score of 279.80 in the one-meter and 319.40 in the three-meter.
???The performance on the diving team was a mixed vat,??? UT diving coach Dave Parrington said. ???We really had some good competition from South Carolina and Kentucky. Michael Muscari performed really outstanding today. Ryan Rincon was a bit off on the 3-meter but performed positively otherwise. Chris Davis did well after striking the board a week ago. I would, however, like to see a little more consistency in our diving.???
The Vols remain undefeated after three dual-meets, despite their performance on the day.
???I give us a C plus today,??? Trembley said. ???But we must keep our eye on our marks which are the SEC and NCAA Championships.???
The Vols next take on Auburn Friday, for UT???s final home meet at the UT Student Aquatic Center. The meet begins at 4:30 pm. This will be the last home meet before the new Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center opens January 4 for a dual meet against Georgia Tech.
