Tennessee and Georgia Split A Pair of Close Meets

VOL SWIMMERS END LOSING STREAK TO GEORGIA WITH SENIOR DAY WIN
The stage was set for the Tennessee swimming and diving team Saturday. As the Georgia Bulldogs made their way to Knoxville, eight seniors were preparing to do something a UT senior class hasn’t done in six seasons- beat UGA. The Vol seniors were not denied their win Saturday as Tennessee defeated Georgia, 169- 129.
 
“There was no way we were going to lose on senior day,” senior All-America Nolan Morrell said.
 
“We have a very fine senior class that led the team today,” head coach John Trembley said. “Tennessee broke a streak. For the first 30 years of this rivalry it was Tennessee. The last six it was Georgia. Hopefully we started a new streak today.”
 
As eight seniors swam their final laps in the Allan Jones Aquatic Center, the Vols cruised to their first win over the Georgia Bulldogs since 2002. Tennessee improves their overall record to 5-2, 2-0 in the SEC.

Tennessee got off to an early lead with a one-two finish in the 200 medley relay. The team of freshman Ricky Henehan co-captain Barry Murphy, and All-Americas Michael DeRocco and Morrell won by nearly three seconds. Freshmen Anders Storvik and Derek Paul, junior Jordan Walters and senior Scott Wherry placed second.
 
Georgia’s Troyden Prinsloo, setting a new Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center record with a time of 9:09.34, edged UT sophomore Geoff Sanders to win the 1000 freestyle. The Vols also placed sophomores Scott Friderichs in third with his career best time of 9:18.26 and Carl Jones in fifth.
 
As he has done all season, Jonas Persson, the lone Olympian on the Vols’ squad this year, dominated the 200 freestyle. Sophomore Michael Christy finished fifth and Chris Winchell placed sixth. Senior All-America Jimmy Dabney finished eighth.
 
The Big Orange swept first through third in the 100 backstroke with Morrell, Henehan and Storvik edging out the Bulldog swimmers.
 
In the 100 breaststroke, Georgia’s Neil Versfeld beat UT’s Murphy out at the wall. Mr. Clutch Brad Craig placed third and freshmen Paul and Jake Epperson placed fourth and fifth.  Senior Stephen Fortney finished seventh.
 
With his best career performance in the 200 butterfly, sophomore Forrest Leary (1:48.68) finished second- less than half a second behind UGA’s Mark Dylla. To aide Leary’s performance, senior Greg Houchin and sophomore Patrick Beasley finished fifth and sixth.
 
Senior Scott Wherry earned his second win of the season in the 50 freestyle with a mark of 20.54. DeRocco finished third and Walters placed in sixth.

Vol divers again dominated the boards taking first through third in the one-meter event. Freshman Ryan Helms earned the win with junior Michael Muscari, scoring a career best 340.73, in second and junior-college transfer Michael Wright in third.
 
Persson again showed his experience winning the 100 freestyle. Wherry placed second for the Vols while Murphy and Dabney placed sixth and seventh.
 
Earning his third win of the day was Morrell taking first in the 200 backstroke. Sophomores Christy and Winchell finished fifth and seventh.
 
The Bulldogs’ Versfeld took 200 breaststroke while Fortney, Craig, Epperson and Paul took second through fifth. UT sophomore Beasley placed eighth.
 
In the 500 freestyle, Georgia’s Troyden Prinsloo and Tennessee’s Geoff Sanders continued to battle. Unlike the 1000 freestyle, Sanders prevailed over Prinsloo. Storvik finished fourth while Friderichs placed sixth.
 
Despite being under the weather for the dual-meet, Helms continued to dominate on the diving boards Saturday. He earned his sixth total win dominating the three-meter. After scoring his career-high in the one-meter, Muscari repeated the feat on the three-meter boards with a 365.33 mark. Wright placed sixth.
 
“Ryan Helms had a very solid performance today,” diving coach Dave Parrington said. “He was very consistent and considering he was under the weather, did a fantastic job.”
 
As senior day wrapped up, Fortney claimed a win in the 200 individual medley. Morrell finished second while Epperson and Leary placed fourth and fifth.
 
Georgia took first and second in the meet’s final event, the 400 freestyle relay. Henehan, Dabney, Wherry and Storvik placed third and the team of Christy, Sanders, Paul and Houchin finished in fourth.
 
Now the Vols prepare to face-off against Florida  Jan. 30 in the final dual meet of the year.
 
No. 10 Lady Vols edged by No. 1 Georgia in Senior Day thriller
In a meet that came down to the final event, No. 1 Georgia was able to escape the Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center with a 158-142 victory over the 10th-ranked Tennessee women’s swimming and diving team on Saturday.
 
Trailing by nine points heading into the final race, the 400 free relay, UT needed a 1-2 finish to win the meet. The Lady Vols nearly did just that as both their A and B relays led Georgia’s top quartet for almost the entire race. A strong final leg by Morgan Scroggy was able to put the Bulldogs ahead at the finish and clinch the exciting meet.
 
Geogia’s A relay finished the race in 3:19.35. The UT relay of senior Katie Gehring, sophomore Morgan Farrell and freshmen Abbie Alton and Caitlin Perks placed second in 3:19.86, while the Lady Vol team of junior Michele King, freshman Jennifer Connolly and seniors Brittany Nauta and Carly Mathes touched the wall in 3:19.99. All three relay performances were NCAA ‘B’ cuts. 
 
“We needed a 1-2 finish in the last relay and for 325 meters we were in position,” Lady Vol head coach Matt Kredich said. “Georgia is No. 1 for a reason. They sensed that we had them on the ropes and they responded. We were just one swim or one dive away. Our seniors did a great job being leaders out there today, and some we had some incredible performances.”
 
Today was the final home dual meet for UT, and the seven seniors, Gehring, Mathes, Nauta, Maria Jugan, Sarah McCall, Staley McCartney and Ashley Quinn, were all honored before the meet.
 
And while each senior had great performances, it was the swims by junior Jamie Saffer and Connolly that set the tone for the close meet.
 
The pair teamed up with sophomore Tricia Weaner and King to kick off the meet by winning the 200 medley relay in a season-best time of 1:39.65. Their performance is an NCAA ‘B’ cut as well as the fifth-best time ever recorded by the Lady Vols in the event.
 
A few events later, Saffer had the performance of the meet in the 100 breast, smashing the school record and automatically qualifying for the 2009 NCAA Championships by obtaining the Lady Vols’ first ‘A’ cut of the season. She won the race by over two seconds and her time of 59.42 broke the old record of 1:00.46 set by King at the SEC Championships last season.
 
Saffer also snagged victories, career-bests and NCAA ‘B’ cuts in the 200 breast (2:12.68) and the 200 IM (1:59.27).
 
“Jamie Saffer was unbelievable today,” Kredich said. “She put us in the position to win the meet.”
 
Connolly led wire-to-wire to win the 100 back and lowered her season-best and NCAA ‘B’ qualifying time to 53.92. The West Lafayette, Ind. native, also won the 100 fly in a season-best and NCAA ‘B’ qualifying time of 53.89.
 
“Jenny Connolly, though only a freshman, swam like a senior for us today,” Kredich said.
 
Among the seniors, Gehring, McCall, Quinn and Jugan all nabbed personal bests.
 
Gehring tied King for first in the 50 free as both swam 22.85. McCall was runner-up in the 200 breast in a career-best and NCAA ‘B’ time of 2:15.25. She also took fourth in the 200 IM in a career-best 2:03.13.
Quinn nabbed a personal-best in the 50 free (23.07), while Jugan’s 200 back time of 2:06.11 was her best ever.
 
In diving, freshman Jodie McGroarty battled with Georgia All-American Hannah Moore on the 1-meter and 3-meter boards. McGroarty took first on the 1-meter with a season-best score of 287.85, while Moore bested her on the 3-meter as McGroarty took second with a score of 297.53.
 
“Today there were two excellent divers going at it,” UT head diving coach Dave Parrington said. “I’m really pleased with Jodie’s competitiveness as she went head-to-head with an All-American today. We will build on today and prepare for Florida next week before SEC’s in February.”
 
 After McGroarty’s win in the eighth event, the 1-meter board, UT led 76-74. However, the Bulldogs roared back by taking first in the next two events, the 200 back and 100 free to take a 101-87 lead they would not relinquish.
 
Sophomore Aleksa Akerfelds finished second in the 1000 free (9:45.98) and third in the 500 free (4:49.24).
 
In the 100 free, King finished second in a season-best 49.81, while Farrell was also runner-up in the 200 back in a season-best 1:58.05.
 
Mathes was fourth in the 500 free in 4:53.79 and third in the 200 free with a time of 1:49.69.
 
Freshman Tori Richmond had a pair of outstanding performances as well, placing third in the 200 IM (2:01.31) and fourth in the 200 fly (2:01.30). Both times were season-bests.
 
The Lady Vols return to action this Friday, Jan. 30, in Gainesville, Fla., as they wrap up the regular season against No. 6 Florida.