Live Results: “2023 Tennessee Invitational” on MeetMobile
It’s time for the first finals session of the 2023 Tennessee Invitational which also means that we’re racing yards for the first time at this meet. Prelims took place in LCM, giving swimmers the chance to hit new Olympic Trials cuts. Now that we’re back in yards, we’ve also got our first relays on the schedule tonight. The 200 freestyle and 400 medley relays both race tonight, bookending the session.
A quick reminder about how relay qualification for NCAAs works:
The simplest way to qualify relays for NCAAs is to hit the “A Cut,” formally known as the “Qualifying Standard” in a relay.
Once a team has an “A” standard relay, they can also enter all relays where they’ve earned the “B” standard, formally known as a “Provisional Standard.”
Teams with four individual swimmers qualified can swim relay events in which they have at least a “B” standard.
Relays are qualified “to the team”, not the individual swimmers so teams can take whichever swimmers they want to use on the relay.
Teams must have at least one individual invite to send relays.
Virginia women earned the top seed in all three individual events this morning, courtesy of Cavan Gormsen (500 free), Alex Walsh(200 IM), and Gretchen Walsh(50 free). There’s a solid chance that they’ll sweep all the events this evening, they’re the NCAA record holders in both relays though they’re without Kate Douglass and Lexi Cuomo.
On the women’s side, the days events showed different teams strengths. For example, the Tennessee women make up half the swimmers in the 500 freestyle final, and Virginia claimed six lanes in the 200 IM. It’s G. Walsh’s world in the 50 freestyle, but the Alabama women continued to show why the sprints have been a strength for them all season. They put three into the ‘A’ final, lead by Cadence Vincent making her Olympic Trials cut in the event (25.34).
For the men, Tennessee flexed their depth in the 400/500 freestyle and the 50 freestyle. In the former, they own the top three seeds, highlighted by Joey Tepper‘s program record in the 400m free this morning. Then in the 50 free, Jordan Crooksdropped a sub-22 LCM 50 free to easily claim the top time of the morning. Gui Caribe sits 2nd with Tim Korstanje, Matt Brownstead, and Nikoli Blackman bunched together behind him.
Landon Driggers tied Virginia’s Sebastien Sergile for top seed in the 200 IM, giving the Tennessee men a top seed in all the individual events like the Virginia women. Sergile’s swim was a new personal best and as with all the swimmers who dropped time in LCM this morning, it will be interesting to see if that translates into yards.
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Women’s 200-Yard Freestyle Relay — Finals
NCAA Record: 1:23.87 — Virginia (K. Douglass, G. Walsh, L. Cuomo, A. Walsh) (2023)
2024 NCAA ‘A’ Standard: 1:28.43
2024 NCAA ‘B’ Standard: 1:29.21
Top 8:
Virginia ‘A’ (Nocentini, A. Walsh, Canny, G. Walsh) — 1:25.24
As expected, the Virginia women ran away with the 200 freestyle relay, winning the race by 1.98 seconds. Jasmine Nocentini, who did not swim this morning, led off with a personal best 21.45, bettering the 21.59 she swam at last season’s Purdue Invitational. Alex Walshand Aimee Canny clocked 21.45 and 21.98 splits in the middle of the race. Then, Gretchen Walshdove in and scorched a 20.36 split–3rd fastest all-time behind only Anna Hopkin (20.27) and Douglass (20.34).
At last season’s invite, Virginia went 1:26.96, so this marks a 1.72 second improvement on themselves at this point last season.
Tennessee’s squad of Mona McSharry (22.03), Amber Myers (22.05), Jasmine Rumley (21.88), and Camille Spink (21.26) clocked a 1:27.22, comfortably taking second ahead of Alabama’s ‘A’ team. This is a huge improvement for the Tennessee women from last season, when they hadn’t even swum a ‘B’ cut in this relay. Now, they’re safely under the ‘A’ cut.
After hitting her Olympic Trials cut in the 50-meter free this morning, Cadence Vincent led off for Alabama in a new personal best of 22.26. She’ll get a chance to lower that again in the individual final later this session. Kailyn Winter (22.05) and Jada Scott (21.66) will both join her in that ‘A’ final and they made up the middle 100 of Alabama’s relay here. Diana Petkova anchored in a 22.05 for 3rd.
Men’s 200-Yard Freestyle Relay — Finals
NCAA Record: 1:13.35 — Florida (J. Liendo, A. Chaney, E. Friese, M. McDuff) (2023)
Virginia ‘A’ (Brownstead, Boyle, Lamb, Madoch) — 1:17.95
Alabama ‘B’ — 1:18:82
Tennessee ‘B’ — 1:19.03
Virginia ‘B’ — 1:19.50
Tennessee ‘C’ — 1:20.18
Kentucky ‘A’ — 1:20.49
On paper, it looked like this was going to be a battle between Tennessee and Virginia. Instead, Tennessee ran away with the win, getting well under the NCAA ‘A’ cut in 1:16.03. Jordan Crooksled off in 18.46, marking the first sub-19 second 50 free in the NCAA this season. Gui Caribe followed up with an 18.90 split, then Nikoli Blackman and Micah Chambers split 19.37 and 19.30 in clean water on the back half to secure the win.
Alabama’s squad of Tim Korstanje, Kaique Alves, Charlie Hawke, and Zarek Wilson surprised by coming from behind to finished 2nd ahead of the Cavaliers. Matt Brownstead and Connor Boyle got Virginia started, with Brownstead leading off in 19.30 and Boyle splitting 19.24. They were .44 seconds ahead of Alabama at the halfway point, but then Charlie Hawke split 18.85 and started to close the gap.
On the anchor leg, Zarek Wilson handily outsplit Jack Madoch, 19.65 to 20.32, pulling Alabama ahead of Virginia for the first time the entire relay and getting his hand on the wall .47 seconds ahead of Madoch for 2nd. Alabama missed the NCAA ‘B’ cut by a tenth.
No. 13 Tennessee (12-0) will open Southeastern Conference basketball play on Thursday. Rankings reflect the USA TODAY Sports women’s basketball coaches poll.
Texas A&M (7-5) will host the Lady Vols at Reed Arena in College Station, Texas. Tennessee leads the basketball series versus the Aggies, 11-8, dating to 1997.
Tennessee is looking to start the 2024-25 basketball season 13-0 for the first time since the 2017-18 campaign (15-0).
The Lady Vols enter Thursday’s SEC opener having scored 100 points six times during the 2024-25 season. The all time record for the Lady Vols is seven during the 1987-88 season.
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READ: 2024-25 Tennessee Lady Vols basketball roster
PHOTOS: Kim Caldwell through the years
Here is how to watch the Tennessee-Texas A&M basketball game, including time, TV schedule and streaming information.
What channel is Tennessee vs. Texas A&M game on? Time, TV schedule
TV channel: SEC Network+
Start time: 8 p.m. EST
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Steve Miller (play-by-play) and Tab Bentz (analyst) will be on the call.
Watch Tennessee vs. Texas A&M live on ESPN+
Tennessee Lady Vols 2024-25 basketball results
Oct. 31 Carson-Newman (Exhibition — W, 135-49)
Nov. 5 Samford (W, 101-53)
Nov. 7 UT Martin (W, 90-50)
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Nov. 12 Middle Tennessee State (W, 89-75)
Nov. 16 Liberty (W, 109-93)
Nov. 26 Western Carolina (W, 102-50)
Dec. 4 Florida State (W, 79-77)
Dec. 7 Iowa (W, 78-68 — Brooklyn, New York)
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Dec. 14 North Carolina Central (W, 139-59)
Dec. 18 at Memphis (W, 90-75)
Dec. 20 Richmond (W, 92-67 — West Palm Bech, Florida)
Dec. 21 Tulsa (W, 102-61 — West Palm Beach, Florida)
Dec. 29 Winthrop (W, 114-50)
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Former Alabama and Florida State WR Malik Benson is set to visit Knoxville soon.
Tennessee will be the host of a very talented wide receiver’s visit. Tennessee will be hosting Florida State wide receiver transfer Malik Benson on a visit.
Benson is a former Alabama Crimson Tide and Florida State Seminole wide receiver. Before committing to the Tide, Tennessee was heavily in the conversation to land Benson. Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama were the finalists for the talented wideout.
Benson finished his season with 311 yards and one touchdown. In the season prior with Alabama, he finished with 162 yards and one touchdown.
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Benson will visit both Tennessee and Oregon after calling off his Texas A&M visit.
Tennessee still awaits news from Mike Matthews on if he plans to continue the transfer process. If he does that will be the sixth departure to the portal at the wide receiver position. The Vols will need to bring talent in from the portal to even the playing field and it starts with a big impression from Benson.
The Tennessee Titans have a lot of holes to patch this coming NFL offseason, and perhaps none are more important than finding a new quarterback.
While the Titans’ easiest path to a franchise quarterback will be selecting one in the NFL Draft, they could also potentially pursue the free-agent mark or trades to discover an answer.
Lately, more and more momentum has been building toward Aaron Rodgers becoming Tennessee’s next signal-caller, and if that does happen, the Titans will certainly need to surround him with some more weapons.
Cory Kinnan of Daft on Draft recently put together a mock draft and has Tennessee landing both Rodgers and Missouri Tigers wide receiver Luther Burden III during the offseason.
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“With a ton of needs on an aging roster, the Titans are not in the position to take a quarterback,” Kinnan wrote. “This could be a team that gets in the market for Aaron Rodgers, so they get him a target here in Luther Burden III. Not the receiver you expected? He’s my WR1 so why not slot him first in this mock draft?”
Burden is widely viewed as one of the most explosive playmakers in this year’s draft class and is coming off of a 2024 campaign in which he caught 61 passes for 676 yards and six touchdowns in what was actually a down year for him.
Last season, he hauled in 82 receptions for 1,212 yards and nine scores.
The idea of the Titans gambling on Rodgers is a risky one, considering that the 41-year-old has not looked like himself with the New York Jets this year.
Rodgers is also under contract for 2025, so Tennessee would either have to trade for the future Hall-of-Famer or hope that the Jets cut him in order to add him.
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It should definitely be an interesting offseason in Music City.
Make sure you bookmark Tennessee Titans on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!
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