They emerge with pounding hearts and high hopes. Together, standing tall

and proud, they run through the hallway of clapping hands as the adrenaline

flows from within. Impeccably dressed in their orange and white warm-ups,

they are greeted by a cacophony of cheering fans and blaring music. They

are psyched.

The pool lies before them, calm and still. The crystal waters tempt them to

enter, to race, to win; to set records and to break them. With the emotions

bubbling up from inside, they accept the challenge and prepare for victory.

The Tennessee men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams, propelled by

their new attitude, new team unity and continuous hard work, plan to leave

their mark on the nation as they head into this season.

The teams’ excitement was evident and their success seemed inevitable as

they set the pace with their first meets last Saturday. They raced through

the waters of the Aquatic Center leaving Kentucky in the wake of their

triumph. The dual meet, which resulted in a 136-100 win for the men and a

134-109 victory for the Lady Vols, was a great opener for what promises to

be a successful year.

Unique this season is the unification of the Vol and Lady Vol squads. They

will be swimming the majority of their home meets together and will also

collaborate for competitions on the road. This new definition of ‘team’

brings the UT swimmers to a higher level in and out of the water.

“We will be there for the girls and they will be there for us,” sophomore

Matt Hall said. “The mutual support is definitely beneficial — 50 people

cheering is always better than 25.”

Jeremy Linn returns to swim for the Vols after winning a gold and silver

medal at the 1996 Olympics. After sitting out three weeks with a minor

injury, Linn got back in the lane with his relay team and swam a pleasing

second and a half faster than the previous meet.

“Being out for a couple of days has given me new drive to swim well,” Linn

said.

Already possessing two Olympic medals and three NCAA championships, Linn

strives to build on his success, focusing now on the World Championships

being held in Perth in January.

While breaking a world record and winning another Olympic medal for the

U.S. remains a goal for Linn, he is extremely excited for UT’s season and

pleased with his team’s achievements.

“Everyone looks really good, and it is the competition within the team that

makes us swim faster against our opponents,” he said.

Never underestimating the competition, Linn and the Vols endure extensive

training in hopes that every race will be better than the last.

No stranger to dedication and hard work is senior Lady Vol Fabiola Molina,

who will also travel to Perth where she will swim for her native Brazil.

Molina recorded two wins in Saturday’s meet as she finished first in both

the 200-yard individual medley and was the lead leg in the 400 medley relay

team. Molina’s impressive time in the 200 IM provisionally qualified her

for NCAAs.

Molina was pleasantly surprised by her time and hopes that Saturday’s win

will be the first step to a championship season for Tennessee. She stressed

the importance of the teams’ unity and increasing support for one another.

“We all represent the University of Tennessee; it does not matter if we are

men or women, we are all swimmers,” Molina said. “Now that we are

supporting each other, it really makes a difference — we have fun and that

is as important as swimming fast.”

Saturday’s meet combined excellent swimming achievement with an element of

fun that made for overwhelming success. Junior two-time All-American Sarah

Nichols contributed to Tennessee’s win with a first-place finish in the

1000 freestyle.

Freshmen Zane Dewitz and Joel Shapiro had excellent collegiate debuts,

scoring points for the men’s squad with their wins.

While UT dominated the lanes, it was equally as successful on the boards.

The Vols and Lady Vols dove head first into the season with big wins on

Saturday.

Kathy Pesek, who swept the female competition by placing first in both the

one- and three-meter springboards, qualified for the Zone B Diving

Competition.

“Saturday’s meet was a good start,” Pesek said. ” the fall is a time to

assess our goals for the season — so far it is going as planned.”

Pesek, a two-time All-American for Tennessee, will be competing in Athens

this weekend in hopes to qualify for the World Aquatic Championships.

Also successfully competing for the Lady Vols were divers Alicia Ball, Jane

Woodard and Cheri Sears, who exhibitioned in both events.

Making a splash for the men was Romanian native Gabi Chereches, who

represented Romania in the 1992 and 1996 Olympics. In his first collegiate

competition, the freshman placed first in the three-meter diving and second

in the one-meter.

While Saturday’s meet displayed strong performances, it was also pleasing

to the UT swimmers and divers on an emotional level. The Vols’ emotion was

evident as they entered the pool with the traditional run from their

meeting room.

“It was a great first meet, the adrenaline was pumping; we were psyched and

ready to start the season with a win,” said senior Chris Olafson, who swam

well in his exhibition races.

Olafson also credited the integration of the men and women for adding to

Saturday’s success.

“We truly came together,” he said. “Having that much support really gets

you going. The more they cheer, the faster you go.”

With an abundance of Olympic dreams and high hopes for the NCAA season,

there is no doubt that the Tennessee swimmers are a talented group of

athletes whose future grows brighter everyday.

The Vols and Lady Vols get back into the water on Nov. 7 at home for a

tri-meet with Texas A&M and Miami.