Tennessee
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).
The Tennessee Titans have suffered through a brutal 2024 NFL season. In Week 17, that continued with a 20-13 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Entering the final game of the season, the Titans hold a 3-13 record. This season completely fell apart and it has left some thinking that first-year head coach Brian Callahan could be on the hot seat.
Despite all of the rumors, it doesn’t sound like the team views it the same way.
According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, Tennessee is still very high on Callahan and he is expected to be back along with a good portion of his staff.
“It has been a trying season for the Titans, with a string of close early losses, underwhelming (and at times confounding) quarterback play and a 3-12 record entering Sunday’s game at Jacksonville. But first-year head coach Brian Callahan and the bulk of his staff are expected to return,” Rapoport wrote.
“Internally, there is a feeling Callahan has shown long-term promise and the team has improved; the expectation next season is that that’ll be reflected more on the field and the scoreboard. Fixing the QB position — former second-round pick Will Levis was benched in December — is Job No. 1.”
Honestly, this would be the right call by the Titans. Callahan is far from being the one to blame for the shortcomings of this year’s team. The quarterback position has been the biggest problem in Tennessee.
If the Titans are able to find a quarterback upgrade in the offseason and make a few other moves to fill some roster holes, they could very well be a sleeper team to watch in 2025.
Along with the poor quarterback play this season, Tennessee has struggled with injuries. Defensively, L’Jarius Sneed has missed a ton of time and Chidobe Awuzie also missed a good chunk of time. Plenty of other players have also missed games due to injury.
There are so many things that went wrong with the 2024 season that were out of Callahan’s control.
Hopefully, the franchise can make the right decisions this offseason, bring in the right talent at positions of need, and stay healthy next season. Those are the main factors, not making a head coaching change.
All of that being said, it’s going to be an interesting offseason for the Titans and fans. There is a lot of work to be done and it seems very likely that they will have an aggressive approach as they look to get back into playoff contention.
Make sure you bookmark Tennessee Titans on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!
Tennessee basketball faces off against Norfolk State on Tuesday afternoon in its finale tuneup before opening up SEC play on Jan. 4 against Arkansas.
A pair of Tennessee stars are chasing program records as things start to get amped up in the new year.
Point guard Zakai Zeigler is on pace to become Tennessee’s single-season assist record holder as well as its career assist record holder.
Through 12 games this season, Zeigler has totaled 99 assists. If he keeps things up at his current rate, Zeigler will finish the regular season with 256 assists. That will be enough to trump Rodney Woods’ 227 assists during the 1974-75 season for the most in a single-season.
It could be difficult for Zeigler to continue his current pace of 8.2 assists per game. However, Zeigler averaged seven assists per game in SEC play last season which was more than he averaged in non conference play. If Zeigler averages seven assists in SEC play again this season he’ll break the record before the postseason begins.
The senior point guard is also chasing Tennessee’s career assist record. If Zeigler continues at his current pace this season, he’ll conclude the regular season with 728 career assists which would clear Johnny Darden’s 715 career assists for a new program record.
Through 11 games, Zeigler has a 2.60 assist-turnover ratio which would be the eighth best in a single-season in Tennessee history. Zeigler’s 11 turnover game at Louisville is largely dragging down his assist-turnover ratio this season.
More From RTI: Tennessee Basketball Set For New Year’s Eve Clash Before Intriguing SEC Opener
Transfer shooting guard Chaz Lanier is the other Vol chasing down program records and it’s three-point shooting numbers for the talented sharpshooter.
Lanier has made 45 triples so far this season at a 47.4% clip. He’s on pace to finish the regular season with 116 made three-pointers which would leave him two short of Chris Lofton’s single-season program record. Lanier would need to just total three made triples in the postseason to break Lofton’s record.
Perhaps the most impressive part of Lanier’s pursuit to pass the best three-point shooter in Tennessee’s program history is that he’s on pace to finish the regular season with 62 fewer attempts than Lofton in his record breaking 2007-08 season.
Lanier’s current 47.4% clip would be the second best in a single season in Tennessee history behind Jon Higgins 48.6% clip in 2000-01. However, Higgins made just 53 total triples that season while Lanier has already made 45.
Like Zeigler, the challenge is going to get more-and-more difficult for Lanier as the season progresses. However, Lanier is shooting better against power five opponents to this point in the season.
Zeigler and Lanier resume their record chase as No. 1 Tennessee returns to the court on Tuesday afternoon against Norfolk State. Tipoff is at 3 p.m. ET on Tuesday afternoon at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center. The SEC Network+ is broadcasting the. game.
Tennessee
Tennessee Titans 2025 NFL Draft order update: Titans close in on top-2 pick after Giants win
The Tennessee Titans are one loss away from a top-two pick in the 2025 NFL Draft thanks to some help from a division rival.
Tennessee’s loss at Jacksonville was combined with Indianapolis’ upset loss at the New York Giants to push the Titans up to No. 2 in the projected draft order with one week left in the regular season. The Giants would have been in line for the No. 1 overall pick with losses over the final two games; New England is now the projected No. 1 pick heading into Week 18. The Patriots already have promising rookie first-round pick Drake Maye at quarterback.
Among other three-win teams coming into Sunday, the Raiders dominated the Saints in New Orleans while Cleveland plays Miami later Sunday.
The Titans face Houston next week in Week 18, while New England hosts Buffalo. The Giants will face the Eagles next weekend.
Here’s the full first-round draft order if the season ended today; this will be updated after Sunday’s games.
Order updated after Sunday’s late afternoon games
- New England Patriots (3-13)
- Tennessee Titans (3-13)
- New York Giants (3-13)
- Cleveland Browns (3-12)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (4-12)
- New York Jets (4-12)
- Carolina Panthers (4-12)
- Las Vegas Raiders (4-12)
- Chicago Bears (4-12)
- New Orleans Saints (5-11)
- San Francisco 49ers (6-9)
- Indianapolis Colts (7-9)
- Dallas Cowboys (7-9)
- Arizona Cardinals (7-9)
- Miami Dolphins (7-8)
- Cincinnati Bengals (8-8)
- Atlanta Falcons (8-7)
- Seattle Seahawks (9-7)
The Titans need a loss to Houston next week coupled with a Patriots win over Buffalo to push up to the No. 1 overall pick.
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