Tennessee

Jordan Crooks, Mona McSharry Tally Season-Best Times in Tennessee's Sweep of LSU

Published

10 months ago

January 28, 2024

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Jordan Crooks, Mona McSharry Tally Season-Best Times in Tennessee's Sweep of LSU

Tennessee vs. LSU

Jan. 27, 2024
Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center
SCY (25 yards)
PDF results
Team scores
- Men: No. 6 Tennessee 196, LSU 104
- Women: No. 10 Tennessee 204, No. 23 LSU 94

Jordan Crooks continues to make remarkable times seem routine.

The Tennessee junior clocked a blazing 18.80 in the 50-yard freestyle, a season-best 45.18 in the 100 butterfly, and two impressive relay splits to lead the No. 6 Volunteer men past SEC foe LSU, 196-104, on Saturday.

Only Florida sophomore Josh Liendo (18.61) has been faster in the 50 free this season than Crooks’ 18.80 this weekend. Crooks, the defending NCAA champion, leads the nation with a season-best 18.40.

Crooks’ 45.18 in the 100 fly knocked just over a tenth of a second off his season-best mark (45.30), moving him up to 11th in the NCAA. He also split 19.92 on the fly leg of Tennessee’s 200 medley relay (1:24.34) — not far off his 19.27 split from NCAAs last season — and 41.87 leading off the Vols’ 400 free relay (2:51.54).

Crooks’ season-best 41.03 in the 100 free ranks 2nd in the NCAA behind Liendo (40.90). Only 11 swimmers have been under the 42-second barrier so far this season.

The most exciting race of “Senior Day” came in the 1000 free, where Tennessee senior Rafael Ponce de Leon Castilla erased a half-second deficit over the last 50 yards with a blistering 24.41 split to overtake LSU freshman Silas Beth (8:57.49). Castilla ended up reaching the wall in a lifetime best of 8:57.18, the fourth-fastest time in program history and the third-fastest in the SEC this season.

Tennessee sophomore Gui Caribe also dazzled with a 19.03 free anchor on the Vols’ 200 medley relay, a 100 free victory in 42.60, and a 42.53 split on their 400 free relay (2:51.54) that posted the 10th-fastest time in program history. He ranks 8th nationally in the 100 free this season with a 41.66.

Vols sophomore Martin Espernberger dominated the 200 fly (1:43.64) by nearly three seconds. He has been almost two seconds faster this season with a 1:41.78 that ranks 10th in the NCAA.

Tennessee freshman Nikoli Blackman earned the first individual win of his collegiate career in the 200 free (1:36.10). Vols junior Landon Driggers had a busy day with wins in the 200 back (1:45.37) and 200 IM (1:47.41) along with a 4th-place finish in the 100 back (47.72). Senior diver Bryden Hattie swept the 1-meter (366.15) and 3-meter (400.35) springboard events.

“I think Rafael (Ponce de Leon Castilla) had a tough opponent who had a good swim last week,” Tennessee associate head coach Rich Murphy said of Beth. “We knew that coming into this meet it was going to be a big task to come out with a win. I think coming out of that medley relay having success there, Rafael set himself up and he cares a ton about the team. It was really cool to see him get the win, and I also think that propelled into the efforts that we saw from Nikoli (Blackman) in the 200 free. That really got us going, and I think it was really cool to see the first half of the meet how we asserted ourselves into the competitive aspect of the day.”

The Tigers were led by senior Mitch Mason, who picked up 1st-place finishes in the 100 breast (53.20) and 200 breast (1:58.65) along with a 4th-place showing in the 200 IM (1:51.23). LSU also got an individual victory out of junior Griffin Curtis, who captured the 100 back crown in 47.72. Croatian freshman Jere Hribar threw down a pair of impressive performances in the 50 free (19.39) and 100 free (43.11), but both took 2nd place behind some tough competition in Crooks and Caribe, respectively.

Women’s Recap

Tennessee senior Mona McSharry and junior Josephine Fuller showed off their versatility with two individual wins apiece to power the No. 10 Vols past LSU, 204-94.

McSharry began her afternoon with a win in the 50 free (22.12) before going on to dominate the 200 breast in a new season-best time of 2:06.63. The 23-year-old Irish Olympian ranks 5th in the NCAA this season in the 200 breast and 13th nationally in the 50 free (22.01).

Fuller triumphed in the 200 IM (1:57.11) and 200 back (1:53.97), slightly off her season bests that rank 9th (1:55.37) and 23rd (1:53.97) in the NCAA this season, respectively.

Tennessee freshman Camille Spink also had a big day, taking the 100 free title in 48.03 before ripping a personal-best 1:44.63 in the 200 free en route to 2nd place behind junior teammate Brooklyn Douthwright (1:44.04). Spink’s previous-best 200 free time stood at 1:43.82 from December of 2022. Fellow freshman Emelie Fast also impressed with a 2nd-place showing in the 200 breast (2:09.28, seventh-fastest time in school history) and 3rd-place effort in the 200 IM (2:00.69).

Similar to the men’s side, the 1000 free came down to the wire with Vols junior Kate McCarville (9:50.38) edging junior teammate Lauren Wetherell (9:51.99) by less than two seconds. Tennessee also got individual victories out of senior Elle Caldow in the 100 back (52.75), junior Julie Mrozinski in the 500 free (4:42.77), and fifth-year Kailee Morgan in the 100 breast (1:00.69).

“I thought our women’s team and our whole combined team did a great job with their performances today,” Tennessee associate head coach Ashley Jahn said. “So proud of our seniors in how they have led this team and how they swam at the meet today. I’m really proud of how everybody else honored the seniors with their performances as well.

“(Camille Spink and Emelie Fast) had great performances,” Jahn added. “They’ve both been getting better at a lot of things this year, and it was nice to see them take a couple of elements that they wanted to execute, get a little more confident in their race plans and execute those today in a competitive environment.”

The Tigers got multiple 1st-place finishes from senior diver Montserrat Lavenant on the 1-meter (302.48) and 3-meter (327.28) springboard events. In the pool, LSU was led by runner-up finishes from sophomore Sofia Sartori in the 200 fly (1:57.74) and 200 back (1:56.01), Michaela de Villiers in the 50 free (22.47), and freshman Sabrina Lyn in the 100 fly (55.00).

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Tennessee

Jordan Crooks Blasts 1:30.00 200 Freestyle at Day 1 of Tennessee Invite

Published

4 hours ago

November 20, 2024

Press Room

Jordan Crooks Blasts 1:30.00 200 Freestyle at Day 1 of Tennessee Invite

2024 Tennessee Invite

Jordan Crooks started the first midseason meet with a bang in the 200 freestyle. Crooks led off the Tennessee men’s 800 freestyle relay with a blistering 1:30.00. He is currently the number 8 performer all time, but you could write a book with all of the places this time is #1. Fastest he has ever been. Fastest Vol in history (beating his own record of 1:30.41 from NCAAs). Fastest swimmer this year. Fastest midseason 200 freestyler ever.

Let’s start with the personal best time. At this meet last year, he went a 1:32.07 leading off the same relay. At the time, this was a two second drop from his previous best time, also leading off the 800 free relay at the Tennessee invite of 1:34.30. He dropped more time at SECs where he swam the event individually and went 1:31.45 and 1:31.17 in prelims and finals respectively. Finally in prelims at NCAAs he went his best time until this evening at 1:30.41. This means in about 3 months, Crooks dropped a second and a half after previously being known as pretty-exclusively a drop dead sprinter.

Here are his splits from NCAAs and from tonight:

2024 NCAAs	2024 Tennessee Invite
20.64	20.48
43.56 (22.92)	43.22 (20.74)
1:06.82 (23.26)	1:06.82 (23.36)
1:30.41 (23.59)	1:30.41 (23.59)

What about the fact that this is at a midseason meet? Is Crooks the fastest midseason 200 freestyler ever? Yes. Here are the top 6 midseason times in history:

1:30.00- Jordan Crooks: 2024 Tennessee Invite
1:30.57- Drew Kibler: 2020 Texas Hall of Fame Invite
1:30.83- Drew Kibler: 2019 Minnesota Invite
1:30.86 Andrew Seliskar: 2018 UGA Fall Invite
1:31.10- Drew Kibler: 2020 Texas First Chance Qualifier (October)
1:31.30- Charlie Hawke: 2023 Tennessee Invite

Crooks’ time this evening is more than 5 tenths faster than the next fastest time at mid-season. Drew Kibler is on the list 3 times though, which makes the list look especially fast. Here are the top 6 performers in history:

1:30.00- Jordan Crooks: 2024 Tennessee Invite
1:30.57- Drew Kibler: 2020 Texas Hall of Fame Invite
1:30.86- Andrew Seliskar: 2018 UGA Fall Invite
1:31.30- Charlie Hawke: 2023 Tennessee Invite
1:31.65- Joao de Luca: 2013 Winter Nationals
1:31.73- Grant House: 2021 NC State Invite

Only two other people have ever been 1:30 at this point in the season, which just makes Crooks’ time that much more impressive. It does leave the world of swimming with a lot of questions. Is he next to go under 1:30? How will Luke Hobson respond at the Texas Invite later this week? Can we expect another half second drop in March? One thing is certain, however. It is only November, and only the first day of the meet. There is a lot more swimming in store, and if tonight is any indication, it is going to be exciting.

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Titans Drop in Latest Power Rankings

Published

12 hours ago

November 19, 2024

Press Room

The Tennessee Titans are on a losing streak after falling 23-13 to the Minnesota Vikings in the team’s Week 11 matchup.

The loss puts the Titans at 2-8 on the year, meaning the team must win out in order to avoid a losing season. The Titans are tied for the fewest amount of wins in the league, putting them in position to potentially acquire the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Sports Illustrated writer Conor Orr also views the Titans as one of the NFL’s worst teams, placing them at No. 30 in his latest power rankings, one spot lower than the previous week.

“Will Levis was hurried on half of his snaps on Sunday. I don’t think we’re under any illusion that he’s the long-term answer and certainly he’s earned a place of deep suspicion among the fanbase, but there are some games where he plays at least halfway decent — Levis bested Rodgers for a barely-positive EPA per dropback rating Sunday — yet it feels like the Titans don’t have a shot,” Orr writes.

The only teams that rank below the Titans in the power rankings are the Las Vegas Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars, who also lost by multiple scores in Week 11 action.

The Titans have struggled with offensive line play all year long, so it’s no surprise that it led to another loss against the Vikings. The Titans will have to get better in that department, along with several others, if they want to move up in the power rankings and grab a few more wins in the final third of the season.

The Titans are back in action on Sunday as they travel to the Lone Star State to face off against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium in Week 12.

Make sure you bookmark Tennessee Titans on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

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With I-40 damaged from Helene, how will it impact holiday traffic in Tennessee? What to know before you go

Published

19 hours ago

November 19, 2024

Press Room

With I-40 damaged from Helene, how will it impact holiday traffic in Tennessee? What to know before you go

Are you taking a road trip this holiday season?

You’re not alone. AAA experts predict 71.7 million travelers to be on the roads nationwide around Thanksgiving, a 1.3 million increase over 2023 numbers.

In East Tennessee, Tennessee Department of Transportation Spokesperson Mark Nagi anticipates the highways being “very busy.” Road damage and closures add even more complication and congestion to the already-crowded roads.

Tropical Storm Helene caused grave damage to Tennessee and North Carolina highways when the storm swept through on Sept. 27. Months later, road damage continues to be top of mind for drivers.

“We’re continuing to work to get these roadways and bridges open as quickly as possible,” Nagi said.

Interstate 40 remains closed across the Tennessee and North Carolina state border after a mudslide wiped out a portion of the highway. The North Carolina Department of Transportation has a plan to reopen two-way traffic in the gorge, but not in time for Thanksgiving or Christmas travel.

To make travel a bit easier, there will be no temporary lane closures from noon on Wednesday, Nov 27, through 6 a.m. on Dec. 2, according to Nagi. However, this does not apply to long-term closures like I-40 where roads are closed for damage.

Tips for holiday travel

Knowing that highways in East Tennessee could be extra busy this year, Nagi shared some road trip tips to make the holiday travel easier.

Download the SmartWay app, or look at the road closure map online.
Give yourself extra time to travel. Leave early if you can.
Try to avoid travel during peak times, including Wednesday, Nov 27.

Where is I-40 closed?

Still, you’re unable to drive across the Tennessee state line into North Carolina on I-40.

In Tennessee, there is one lane of traffic open in each direction between Mile Marker 446 and Mile Marker 451 at the state line. Commercial traffic cannot go any further than Mile Marker 440 on I-40 East, according to Nagi.

The highway is closed in both directions from Mile Marker zero to 20 in North Carolina.

How many people travel across I-40 at the gorge?

I-40 is a major thoroughfare through the Southern Appalachian Mountains. The stretch of I-40 in North Carolina that was damaged by Helene supports about 7,610 trucks daily and a total average daily traffic of over 26,000 vehicles.

Alternate route: Use Interstate 26 through Erwin

You can use I-26 through Erwin to cross the state line. This route option reopened in late October, according to Nagi. There is one-lane two-way traffic through the area.

Nagi said there would likely be more traffic on this route through the holiday travel season.

Alternate route: Use Interstate 81 and Interstate 77

From Knoxville, travelers can head north on I-81, which connects with I-77 toward Charlotte. It’s more miles, but you can eventually get to Ashville and other areas of North Carolina from there.

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