University of Tennessee Athletics
800 Free Relay Tops School Record
February 20, 2008 | Men's Swimming & Diving
Complete Results | Complete Results (PDF)
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- The seventh-ranked Tennessee men???s swimming and diving team ended day one of the SEC Championships Wednesday at the Alabama Aquatic Center with a new school record. Nolan Morrell, Jonas Persson, Andrew Thirlwell and Michael Wolfe made up the 800 freestyle relay that topped the previous school record set in 2006. The Vols splashed into first-place over Florida??with an NCAA?? A-Cut time of 6:19.18, which easily surpassed the former record of 6:23.02.??
The Volunteers ended the day in second-place overall with 86 points. Auburn leads after day one with 126 ponts followed by Louisiana State University in third-place with 84 points.
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???It was a great day for the Tennessee men???s swimming program,??? UT head coach John Trembley said. ???It was great to see the 800 freestyle relay dominate like they did tonight. Their time smashed the school record.?????
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The relay saw a combination of several strong individual performances.??
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???Morrell???s lead leg was outstanding and Persson???s was phenomenal,??? Trembley said. ???Wolfe performed well, and Thirlwell beat his personal best by two seconds. So, he???s certainly back after his back surgery last year and months of rehab.?????
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The relay did not completely steal the spotlight. Sophomore Michael Muscari battled through a stomach virus to finish eighth on the three-meter with a season-best score of 355.35.??
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???Muscari really fought hard,??? Trembley said. ???He had IV???s in his arms and couldn???t travel with the team on Monday. He was very ill, and we weren???t even sure he was going to compete.?????
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UT diving coach Dave Parrington shared similar sentiments.??
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???I???m really proud of Muscari,??? Parrington said. ???He really dove his heart out to make the finals. He???s always ready to fight everyone down to the wire.?????
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Senior teammate Ryan Rincon added a point to the team score with 16th-place finish on the three-meter boards. Chris Davis dove to a score of 268.00.??
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The 200 medley relay significantly added to the team score when Wolfe, Barry Murphy, Octavio Alesi and Morrell finished second, clocking in at 1:26.07.??
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???Our guys performed great tonight in the 200 medley, particularly Barry Murphy,??? Trembley said. ???I was glad to see our guys earn the silver. It???s good to get back to the winning ways.?????
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The SEC Championships continue Thursday at 11 a.m. followed by the finals at 6 p.m. (All times EST). Tomorrow???s events consist of the 500 freestyle, 200 individual medley, 50 freestyle, one-meter diving and 200 freestyle relay.??
