It seems like the only thing that people want to talk about lately is the men’s basketball team’s nosedive to the bottom of the Southeastern Conference.
Well I, for one, am getting tired of that subject. The No. 22 Vols beat Vanderbilt Saturday, 78-70, so maybe that will slow this topic down a bit.
Instead of this popular, yet monotonous, topic of discussion, I want to take this editorial space to give some credit where credit is due the men’s swimming and diving team.
The No. 2 Tennessee men’s swimming and diving team spent this past weekend in Tuscaloosa, Ala., for the SEC Swimming and Diving Championships. The AquaVols finished second in the meet with 632.5 points.
Auburn won the meet with a blistering 814 points. However, Auburn has been what people like to call a powerhouse in swimming and diving. The Tigers have finished first or second in the last four national championships. That means they’re good.
Day 1 of the championships saw Tennessee set an American Record in the 200 medley relay. The foursome of Michael Gilliam, Jeremy McDonnell, Justin Hoggatt and Brent Owens sealed the SEC title with a time of 1:25.37.
Gilliam was Outstanding Swimmer of the meet after winning his third 100m backstroke title, finishing second in the 100m freestyle and swimming the anchor in the record-breaking relay.
All weekend, I have wondered if anybody actually understands what this means. So, I’ll say it again for emphasis: Tennessee set an American Record.
In the SECs, the AquaVols also took home the gold in the 800 freestyle relay when Greg Simpson, Andrew Bree, Zane DeWitz and Brett Tannhauser combined for a time of 6:28.14. It was the first time Tennessee has won the event since 1976.
Diver Gabi Chereches was named Outstanding Diver of the meet after winning his third consecutive platform diving championship.
Add to that the fact that diving coach Dave Parrington was named Outstanding Men’s Diving Coach. To say that the AquaVols dominated the meet could be an understatement, despite the score.
The AquaVols have exceeded expectations all season long, starting with an upset victory over then-No. 1 Texas on Jan. 6.
Tennessee also took home the Dallas Morning News Classic in Austin, Texas, on Jan. 19-20. Auburn finished sixth in the meet.
The AquaVols finished the regular season undefeated in dual meets and they are ranked second in the nation. Too bad ESPN didn’t show any of their matches. Too bad their Saturday matches were overshadowed by the Jefferson Pilot basketball Game of the Week. Too bad every newspaper across Tennessee didn’t put their results, along with two supporting articles, atop the sports page on a weekly basis.
It’s funny how we view sports and their importance in our lives.
