Georgia, Indiana vs. Tennessee

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee, January 22. THE 10th-ranked Tennessee swimming and diving team led from start to finish on Saturday as the Vols notched two wins over top 15 teams.

Tennessee outscored SEC-East foe and 11th-ranked Georgia 155-128 and topped No. 12 Indiana 163.5-119.5. The wins give Tennessee much-needed momentum as they draw closer to championship season.

"Last time we squeaked out a win against a very good Virginia team, this time we came out on top of Indiana and Georgia," head coach John Trembley said. "We had a very strong meet. This was a very good win for us heading into our last dual meet of the year down at Florida."

Tennessee honored longtime assistant coach Joe Hendee, who took a leave of absence in August to begin cancer treatment, by painting his initials "JH" on every Vols' chest.

"Today was all about Joe," Trembley said. "We wanted to honor him and I think we did a great job supporting Joe with these wins today."

The Vols got going early with a win in the 200 medley relay with a B-cut mark of one minute 29.27 seconds.

After Ryan Harrison won the 200 free, the Vols had what Trembley called the "swim of the meet."

It was fitting the Mattias Kahlin got the first win of his collegiate career in his last meet in Knoxville. The Vasteras, Sweden, native won the 100 breaststroke in a season-best B-cut time of 54.69.

"It feels good to get my first win in four years at home," Kahlin said. "We have a good thing going on and just a few weeks until SECs. We have to keep it going."

Other Vols earning wins today were Michael DeRocco in the 50 free (20.17), Ryan Helms on the 1-meter (383.25) and Michael Wright on the 3-meter (405.60).

"I set a goal for myself on the 1-meter—I wanted to get 380," Helms said. "I made sure I stuck to my goal and tried not to think about how anyone else was doing. I made my goal and it was a good meet for me heading forward into SECs."

While a handful of Vols earned individual victories today, it was the supporting cast that carried the Vols to victory today.

Junior Anders Storvik and senior Brad Craig both had two second-place finishes while several other Vols scored to give the Vols two big wins.

"I feel like a got a little bit of rest and it really paid off today," Storvik said. "This win really lifts our guys up. We have a good mindset going down to Florida next weekend and then into SECs."

The support given by Storvik, Craig and others did not go unnoticed by Trembley. But there was another group of individuals that earned his laud.

"Our seniors have really made a great impact on this program," Trembley said. "It was great to see Mattias get a win today and I'm very proud of him and all of our seniors."

As is tradition at Tennessee, each of the eight seniors—Patrick Beasley, Craig, DeRocco, Scott Friderichs, Kahlin, Geoff Sanders, Chris Winchell and Wright—will climb into the catwalk and sign their names onto the steel beams that hold up the roof, as well as into Tennessee history.

"The Ghosts in the Rafters tradition is very special to all of us," Kahlin said. "We have a lot of traditions here, but that one is different. It's a spiritual thing—it's something to believe in."

The Vols head to Gainesville for a matchup with No. 5 Florida next Saturday. The SEC Diving Championships are also at Florida, beginning Feb. 11. The league swimming championships are slated to begin Feb. 16.

The above article is a press release submitted to Swimming World Magazine. It has been posted in its entirety without editing. Swimming World offers all outlets the chance to reach our audience by contacting us at Newsmaster@swimmingworldmagazine.com. However, Swimming World reserves the right to choose what material is posted.

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