Nathan Murray, Alec Connolly Send Verbal Commitments To Tennessee

Photo Courtesy: Tia Patron/Tennessee Athletics

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The Tennessee men’s swim team got verbal commitments from two diamonds in the rough, as Nathan Murray and Alec Connolly pledged to become Volunteers next fall.

Tennessee will be looking to beef up its backstroke squad after the graduation of 200 back NCAA runner-up Sean Lehane next spring, and Murray will be a part of that. Murray has a lifetime best of 1:45.13 in the 200 back, which was done in March 2014, but has the potential to be faster in the coming years. In long course, his 200 back best time is 2:02.34, which has qualified him for Olympic Trials.

“I picked Tennessee for several reasons,” Murray said. “I felt at home with the team. I absolutely think coach Matt Kredich and the whole staff know what they’re doing, and I loved the feel and spirit of the school.”

Murray, who represents SwimMAC Carolina, is also just a few tenths away from qualifying for Trials in the 100 back (57.78 best time). He also has talent in the 400 IM, thanks to a best time of 3:55.78 in short course yards. In terms of selecting events for the championship season, the 100 back and 400 IM generally fall on the same day, putting a bit of conflict into Murray’s event choices.

Connolly won’t be moving far from home. He swims for Tennessee Aquatics, the USA Swimming club team that trains at the University of Tennessee. He’s very new to year-round swimming, having come very recently from summer league competition. But, he’s got major potential, particularly in the sprint freestyle. He’s qualified for junior nationals in the 50-yard free with a 20.94, having improved from 22.11 in a meet last January.

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