Matt Kredich feels like he won the lottery.

The director of swimming and diving went from world-record holder Jordan Crooks to national champion Gui Caribe, a tandem that did the coaching job for him. But the remaining senior class is just as special to a Tennessee swim and dive program that splashed Duke, winning 25 of 32 events on Senior Day.

“I will never take for granted what they have achieved and how good they are, how good they’ve become,” Kredich said. “Because what they’ve done is kind of extraordinary.”

Alongside Caribe, seniors Julia Burroughs, Bailey Davenport, Martin Espernburger, Regan Rathwell, Owen Redfearn, Nick Simons and Nick Stone partook in Senior Day festivities on Friday, Jan. 30. It’s a group that has accomplished Olympic nods, NCAA event titles and multiple broken records.

Most importantly, it is one that has learned to overcome. Kredich credits the way they’ve overcome personal challenges, including tragedy, ultimately choosing the right path for growth and development.

He has seen pay off from the moment he began recruiting some of them as juniors in high school.

“This is a really resilient class, and I think our team has become more resilient because of them,” Kredich said.

Caribe is the guiding member of the class. The Brazilian swimmer is the fourth-fastest person to ever swim the 100-yard freestyle, but fell in the shadows of the fastest to ever do it. He learned behind Crooks for three years, and the sprint duo rather became on the greatest one-two punches in NCAA history.

His legacy, instead, will be left the same way Crooks left his with Caribe.

“The amazing thing to watch this year is he’s brought others along with him,” Kredich said. So the way he and Jordan helped each other, he’s also helping the kind of the younger generation.

“I’m confident that two or three years down the line, I’ll still see Gui’s fingerprints all over the development of our young male sprinters.”

Caribe’s final regular-season meet had wins in all four events he entered. The NCAA Champion relay swimmer took first place in the 200-yard medley relay and 200-yard freestyle relay. Individually, Caribe came away with first in the 100 butterfly and 50 freestyle, the latter being his seventh consecutive win in the event.

Espernburger’s development has been one Kredich has seen best. The Austrian electrical engineer came in as a proclaimed “OK recruit,” and is leaving four years later as an SEC Champion, Olympic finalist, SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year and two-time All-American with a program record in the 200 butterfly.

“It’s impossible to separate the talent from the hard work, because he has done everything he could to become great,” Kredich said. “And that is, to me, such a strong and shining example of how to approach your sport.”

Espernburger did not compete in an event Friday, nor did fellow senior Burroughs.

As for the other swimming seniors, Simons took second place in the 100 butterfly and 200 freestyle. His fourth-place finish in the 50 freestyle clocked in at 20.03 seconds, marking a personal best. Simons also served as the opening leg of the 200 freestyle relay, which posted a second-place finish, too.

Rathwell claimed a pair of top-three finishes, earning second in the 200 back and third place in the 100 back.

“It’s really hard to say goodbye,” Kredich said. “They’ve made a huge impact.”

Redfearn led the way on the diving side. He posted two podium finishes and personal bests, taking second place in the 3-meter dive (387.55) and third place in the 1-meter (327.05). Stone brought forth a podium finish of his own in the 1-meter.

Davenport did not compete in any events Friday.

“Owen and Nick are sort of the pinnacle of this team,” diving coach Jane Figueiredo said. “And they welcomed me in. We have a lot of love for each other. I’m gonna miss them a lot.”

Though it was the final regular-season meet for the seniors, it is not the last time they’ll get to compete — nor will it be the last in their home pool. Tennessee hosts the SEC Championships beginning Feb. 16 in Allan Jones Aquatic Center.

The conference last held its swim and dive championships in Knoxville in 2022. That season, the Lady Vols took the championship crown, while the Vols tied for second place.

“The associations that we as a coaching staff, and really in the team DNA, have with this building and the facility are all really positive,” Kredich said. “So we’re thrilled to be hosting.”