The 2014-2015 swimming and diving season is coming closer to its finale. Conference and NCAA championships are just around the corner, making the next few weeks critical for Tennessee.
Coach Matt Kredich and his No. 11 ranked men (6-4, 3-1 SEC) and No. 7 ranked women (6-3-1, 2-1-1 SEC) swimming and diving teams welcome the challenge.
“I like where we are,” Kredich said. “We’re four weeks out from SEC Championships, and a month after that we have NCAA’s. … Still, we’ve certainly got a lot more to do to get where we wanna be.”
Tennessee has a tough opponent ahead this weekend in SEC rival Georgia. Many regard the No. 3 ranked Bulldogs and No. 1 Lady Bulldogs as two of the best teams in the country. Swimmer Nicolas Fink for Georgia is one of the most highly ranked swimmers in the NCAA. In a match against Texas last weekend, Fink helped his team in the 200 medley relay win in 1:27:06, which broke a school record.
“We don’t do anything special for individual swimmers,” Kredich said. “We challenge, we know are going to be competing against them. P.J. (Peter John) Stevens is gonna be one of the best breaststrokers in the NCAA. … This is gonna be a great opportunity for him to compete against Nick Fink, who’s one of the best in the world.”
The matchup against the Bulldogs will also mark Senior Night for the Vols. Ryan McFall, Tristan Slater, Jacob Thulin, Troy Tillman, Erin Gaeckle, Molly Hannis and Cherelle Thompson will all be competing one last time inside the Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center.
McFall is ready for the Bulldogs to come to town.
“It’s our home pool,” McFall said. “The talent that Georgia is, to be able to go head to head with them, is a big deal. Being able to defeat them would be an even bigger deal. … In my memory, we’ve never lost to Georgia at our home pool, so that, too, is a big deal.”
Coach Kredich feels that, although this isn’t a date usually circled on the team’s calendar, Senior Night is still very important.
“(The seniors) were all recruited at Tennessee, and after their first year, they spent three years helping us to develop an identity,” Kredich stated. “It’s a very patient group, a very resilient group. They’re very competitive, and they’ll do anything for their team. … They’ve influenced the team through their values, so now the team reflects them.”
The meet will begin Saturday at noon. It will be the last home meet for Tennessee this season. All students are admitted free.
