SEC Weekly Analysis: Tennessee Needed Signature Win Over Florida

2016.03.18 2016 Womens NCAA Swimming Championships_Tennessee Kira Toussaint

Tennessee's Kira Toussaint. Photo Courtesy: Reagan Lunn/Georgia Tech Athletics

By Dan D’Addona.

It is always exciting when a meet comes down to the final relay. The tension builds slowly with every event until the pool deck is ready to explode.

The No. 15 Tennessee women won that final relay against No. 20 Florida to win Saturday’s dual meet 151-149 — one of the closest meet of the year in the entire country between two ranked teams.

The drama was taken out of the final relay a little bit because Tennessee’s Kira Toussaint, Madeline Banic, Erika Brown and Micah Bohon won the 400-yard freestyle relay in in 3:19.64, well ahead of the Gators’ 3:21.25.

It wasn’t a touch-out final race. But it was a touch-out meet.

More than that, for Tennessee, it was a statement meet. Yes, they were ranked five spots ahead of Florida, but the Volunteers had never defeated the Gators in their home pool before, and in this SEC rivalry, this meet gave the Volunteers huge momentum going into the SEC Championships, and perhaps a mental edge. They needed a win like this against a top-tier team perhaps to prove to themselves that they belong in the contending conversation.

They might not catch Georgia, but Tennessee will have a say in how the final team standings play out at SECs, and could be the surprise team of the meet.

If they can finish well at SECs, that momentum could lead to a big performance a the NCAA Championships — one that turns some heads.

Toussaint might be the most underappreciated star in NCAA women’s swimming. She has been fantastic and has changed the outlook of all of Tennessee’s relays.

This team was in need of a big moment and now they have it. Now, let’s see what they do with it.

Here is a look at what happened in the Tennessee-Florida meet:

Freshman Meghan Small won three individual events — the 200-yard freestyle, the 500 freestyle and the 200 IM — to lead Tennessee. Toussaint won the 100 backstroke and 200 backstroke, while Banic won the 50 freestyle and 100 butterfly.

Toussaint put together her third two-win meet of the season, taking first in the 100 backstroke (53.62) and the 200 backstroke (1:56.82).

Banic led a 1-2 Tennessee finish in the 50 freestyle, winning in 23.00. Banic also won the 100 butterfly by nearly two seconds (53.11). Other individual winners included Erika Brown in the 100 freestyle (49.84) and Meg Wiggins in the 100 breaststroke (1:03.62).

The No. 10 Florida men defeated No. 20 Tennessee 183-111.

For the Florida men, Jack Blyzinskyj collected two wins in the 100 and 200 back with season-bests of 47.53 and 1:45.82 respectively.

Caeleb Dressel took three events — the 50 free in an A-cut 19.08, the 200 free in 1:35.29 and the 200 IM in 1:46.12.

Chandler Bray, who took care of the breaststroke in the 200 medley relay, also handled the 200 breast, touching first in 1:59.18. Maxime Rooney‘s 44.05 time in the 100 free earned him a win in that event.

On the women’s side, Florida freshman Brooke Madden earned two career-bests on the 1-meter (308.85) and 3-meter (326.55).

Freshman Kelly Fertel also posted a team-best 2:14.43 in the 200 breast.

Seniors Taylor Katz and Autumn Finke added two last wins to cap their careers at their home pool. Distance freestyle specialist Finke won the 1000 free in 9:50.90, and Katz the 200 fly in 1:59.70.

For the Tennessee men, junior Liam Stone led the Vols with one of his best all-around diving performances in a dual meet. He recorded over 400 in both events in one meet for the first time in his career. He won the 1-meter with a score of 402.67 and the 3-meter with a score of 417.90.

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