University of Tennessee Athletics
Monday, February 16
Knoxville, Tenn.
All Day
University of Tennessee
vs
SEC Championships
Greene Captures Gold Medal to Open SEC Championships
February 16, 2026 | Swimming & Diving, Men's Swimming & Diving
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Down to his final dive of the evening, Bennett Greene needed to execute a nearly perfect dive to secure the gold medal for Tennessee. Greene came through in the clutch, leaping into first place to bring home the gold medal for Tennessee on day one of the SEC Swimming & Diving Championships.
Greene got the win by the slimmest of margins, defeating Texas' Nick Harris by .10 points for a score of 400.80 to 400.70. Greene becomes the first Vol to take the gold medal in the 1-meter at the SEC Championships since Liam Stone, who won it for Tennessee back in 2017. Adding to the similarities between Greene and Stone, both won the gold medal in their home pools.
Including Greene, all five Volunteers got points on the day. Thomas Ciprick finished in fourth for Tennessee in his first SEC Championships, finishing with a final score of 366.70. Nick Stone and Frazer Tavener each earned top ten finishes on the day as well, with Tavener placing ninth for the Vols and Stone placing tenth. Tavener also made his debut for Tennessee in the SEC meet, notching a 335.45. Stone earned his second top ten finish in his career in the 1-meter at the SEC meet, his other coming in 2024 where he tallied an eighth place finish. Owen Redfearn also placed for Tennessee in the 1-meter, finishing the event in 25th. All together, the Vols gained 98 points to get the week started in the SEC Championships.
Up next, day two of the SEC swimming and diving championships gets underway on Tuesday. Action gets started first with the 1650 Freestyle, followed by the prelims in the Women's 1-meter. The evening session features the final in the Women's 1-meter, as well as finals in both the 200 Medley Relay and the 800 Free Relay. The Lady Vols will be defending their crown in the 800 Free Relay on Tuesday night, while the men look to defend their title in the 200 Medley Relay.
Head Diving Coach Jane Figuieredo
"I didn't think we were at our best, and I know that some of our guys are disappointed even though the result was great. Thomas could have been a lot better. Bennett didn't dive his best, but managed to squeeze it out in the end. We're still extremely excited overall for how the first day went. Just really proud of all of them today."
Men's Team Rankings
1. Tennessee - 98
2. Florida - 53
2. Texas - 53
4. Auburn - 41
5. Missouri - 29
6. LSU - 24
7. Georgia - 22
8. Texas A&M - 20
9. Alabama - 15
10. Kentucky - 6
12. South Carolina - 1
Men's Medal Count (1)
1. 1-Meter: Bennett Greene (400.80)
Greene got the win by the slimmest of margins, defeating Texas' Nick Harris by .10 points for a score of 400.80 to 400.70. Greene becomes the first Vol to take the gold medal in the 1-meter at the SEC Championships since Liam Stone, who won it for Tennessee back in 2017. Adding to the similarities between Greene and Stone, both won the gold medal in their home pools.
Including Greene, all five Volunteers got points on the day. Thomas Ciprick finished in fourth for Tennessee in his first SEC Championships, finishing with a final score of 366.70. Nick Stone and Frazer Tavener each earned top ten finishes on the day as well, with Tavener placing ninth for the Vols and Stone placing tenth. Tavener also made his debut for Tennessee in the SEC meet, notching a 335.45. Stone earned his second top ten finish in his career in the 1-meter at the SEC meet, his other coming in 2024 where he tallied an eighth place finish. Owen Redfearn also placed for Tennessee in the 1-meter, finishing the event in 25th. All together, the Vols gained 98 points to get the week started in the SEC Championships.
Up next, day two of the SEC swimming and diving championships gets underway on Tuesday. Action gets started first with the 1650 Freestyle, followed by the prelims in the Women's 1-meter. The evening session features the final in the Women's 1-meter, as well as finals in both the 200 Medley Relay and the 800 Free Relay. The Lady Vols will be defending their crown in the 800 Free Relay on Tuesday night, while the men look to defend their title in the 200 Medley Relay.
Head Diving Coach Jane Figuieredo
"I didn't think we were at our best, and I know that some of our guys are disappointed even though the result was great. Thomas could have been a lot better. Bennett didn't dive his best, but managed to squeeze it out in the end. We're still extremely excited overall for how the first day went. Just really proud of all of them today."
Men's Team Rankings
1. Tennessee - 98
2. Florida - 53
2. Texas - 53
4. Auburn - 41
5. Missouri - 29
6. LSU - 24
7. Georgia - 22
8. Texas A&M - 20
9. Alabama - 15
10. Kentucky - 6
12. South Carolina - 1
Men's Medal Count (1)
1. 1-Meter: Bennett Greene (400.80)
Players Mentioned
Diving
/ Men's Swimming & Diving
Diving
/ Swimming & Diving
Diving
/ Men's Swimming & Diving
Diving
/ Swimming & Diving
Diving
/ Men's Swimming & DivingEverything Orange S3 | Gui Caribe (Swimming & Diving)
Friday, January 30
Everything Orange S2 | Dave Parrington (Swimming & Diving)
Thursday, May 01
Everything Orange S2 | Matt Kredich (Swimming & Diving)
Thursday, September 05
S&D | Mona McSharry Feature
Tuesday, March 19
