The last time the SEC Championships took place in Knoxville, the Lady Vols claimed the conference title. Four years later, Allan Jones Aquatic Center hosted the title meet again, but success was measured differently for Tennessee swim and dive.

It did not come by way of team conference titles in 2026, but the No. 9-ranked Vols and Lady Vols took multiple personal records and titles.

The Lady Vols finished second, while the Vols finished third. Tennessee tallied nine gold medal finishes, 10 silver and 13 bronze. The program also rewrote history books seven different times with program-best marks, rewriting 35 new top-10 times.

Camille Spink (50-yard freestyle, 20.87 seconds), Emily Brown (200-yard butterfly, 1:51.52), Gabe Nunziata (200-yard breaststroke, 1:50.59) and Koby Bujak-Upton (500-yard freestyle, 4:12.56) sit atop individual record marks.

The men’s 800-yard freestyle relay, women’s 200-yard medley relay and 400-yard medley relay also broke the No. 1 spot on Tennessee’s top-10 times.

Spink made a splash, claiming three individual golds and four relay medals. Spink’s 1:41.71 time in the 200-yard freestyle earned her an SEC title and a lifetime best, placing her second in Tennessee’s top-10 times. Spink followed it up with a blazing 46.01 in the 100-yard freestyle, bringing home the title for the third year in a row, putting up another second-place spot in the top times. Spink also captured another gold in the 50-yard freestyle, beating her own Tennessee record with a 20.87.

Bennett Greene took the only first-place medal on the men’s side. He performed outstandingly in the preliminaries, holding the first-place spot with a strong 372.85 in the 1-meter. That carried over to the finals, where he posted a best score of 400.80 — moving from third to first place with one dive. He also managed a second-place finish in the 3-meter with a 421.20.

“Last year I was thinking maybe I don’t belong here. Like, ‘Oh, these, all these seniors and all these great divers, and now it’s more like, ‘OK, I belong,’” Greene said. “I’ve worked hard enough to be here, and I can win this event. So that confidence really helps.”

Freshman Frazer Tavener also had a great showing at his first SEC Championships, maintaining a podium spot throughout the heat. Tavener capped off finals with a third-place finish with a 403.90, bringing home some much-needed points for the Vols.

The Lady Vol divers also made an impact in the 3-meter springboard, with freshman Desharne Bent-Ashmeil clinching sixth place in the final. Lynae Shorter followed close behind with a 304.50.

“We want to contribute to the whole team’s points to give us this shot, to be the best we can be,” diving coach Jane Figueiredo said. “And I just want to see them enjoy themselves.”

The Lady Vol swimmers kicked off day two with a first-place finish in the 200-yard medley relay. The team — comprised of Mizuki Hirai, McKenzie Siroky, Ella Jansen and Camille Spink — not only set the fastest time in Tennessee history but also broke the SEC Championship record with a time of 1:32.80.

The 800-yard freestyle relay did not disappoint either, with the team of Jansen, Emily Armen, Amelia Mason and Emily Brown going a blazing 6:54.56, placing third in the final.

Jillian Crooks managed to have a spectacular showing as well, claiming gold in the 100-yard backstroke. Crooks also managed a new lifetime best of 50.50, which lands her second among Tennessee’s top 10 times.

Hirai, just off her spectacular relay performance earlier in the week, showed off her versatility by finishing sixth in the 100-yard backstroke and second in the 100-yard butterfly.

Jansen and Brown, teammates who claimed a third-place finish in the 800-yard freestyle relay, also placed well individually in the 200-yard butterfly. Brown took second place at 1:51.52 while Jansen claimed third at 1:52.08.

Both also made waves in the 400-yard IM. Jansen not only reached her lifetime best at 4:01.97, but brought home a new SEC title in the event. Brown came in third place in the same event, then podiumed again in the 200-yard IM.

The Lady Vols also showed off in the breaststroke as well, with sophomore Emelie Fast scoring a ninth-place finish, right off her lifetime best. NCAA Finalist Siroky carried a second-place preliminary finish into a silver medal in the 100-yard breaststroke. Simone Moll followed close behind to place third, boasting a 58.47, and earning the sixth-best time in Tennessee’s record books.

The Vols carried this energy through to the last relays, where the Lady Vols managed to score an SEC Championship title in the 400-yard medley relay. The women boasted a new Tennessee record of 3:24.58 with Crooks, Siroky, Hirai and Spink.

Spink, Armen, Brown and Jansen followed with a 3:09.02 in the 400-yard freestyle relay, finishing second place to rank fourth all-time in Tennessee’s record books.

Vols shone across the meet as well. The men placed second in the 800-yard freestyle relay, with a stellar finish of 6:10.31. The team of Koby Bujak-Upton, Nikoli Blackman, Gabe Nunziata and Ben Bricca made a refreshing statement in Knoxville.

Senior Martin Espernberger also had a fantastic final conference championship, as the senior experience shone through as he managed fourth in the 200-yard butterfly with a 1:40.42. Grayon Nye followed this performance up with a strong finish in the 100-yard breaststroke, coming out with a time of 53.31. Gabe Nunziata did not hold back in the event, either. The freshman managed both a lifetime best of 51.35 and a fourth-place finish.

Gui Caribe finished second in the 100-yard butterfly with a 43.93, a new lifetime best for the senior. Caribe also earned a second-place slot in Tennessee’s top 10. Carbie also boded well in the 100-yard freestyle, coming out with a lifetime best in the event at 40.45 seconds. His trio of silver medals also featured an 18.49-second 50-yard freestyle.

The men also had a slew of fantastic relays to finish off the meet. The quartet of Pedro Sansone, Blackman, Bujak-Upton and Caribe earned a bronze finish in the 400-yard freestyle relay.

The Vols will hit the water again on Friday, Feb. 27, at Allan Jones Aquatic Center for the Last Chance Meet.