Crooks 100 Back Gold Leads Huge SEC Day Three for Tennessee

Wednesday, February 18

Knoxville, Tenn.

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Jillian Crooks Celebrates 10 Back Gold Medal Win on Day Three of SEC Swimming & Diving Championships

Crooks 100 Back Gold Leads Huge SEC Day Three for Tennessee

February 18, 2026 | Swimming & Diving, Women's Swimming & Diving, Men's Swimming & Diving

SEC Championships Day 3 Results SEC Championships Central Thursday Prelim Heat Sheets Photo Gallery

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee swimming and diving totaled eight medals, including one gold, in a whirlwind day three at the SEC Swimming & Diving Championships.

The performance of the evening came from Jillian Crooks, who claimed gold in the 100 Back. Crooks captured the victory in the first event of the finals, giving the sophomore swimmer her first SEC gold and second medal of her collegiate career. The gold medal in the 100 Back was the first for Tennessee since 2012, and just its third all-time. Crooks finished the contest with a time of 50.50, moving her to second all-time in program history. Tennessee now has earned a medal in the event for the fourth consecutive year, following Josephine Fuller's three consecutive silver medals in the 100 Back. Mizuki Hirai picked up sixth in the 100 Back for Tennessee, finishing the A-Final with a 51.82. Lexi Stephens also recorded a top ten performance in the 100 Back, finishing ninth while also moving to ninth in program history with a 51.97.

The action continued on the women's side in the 200 Fly, where Emily Brown and Ella Jansen secured a second and third place finish. Brown improved her school record time in the event, touching the wall 1:51.52. Matching Brown, Jansen also moved up the Tennessee record books, now sitting second overall with a time of 1:52.08. Brown earned her first SEC medal of her career, while Jansen logged her second medal of the week and fourth of her career.

Day three for the Lady Vols was capped off by another dual medal performance, this time coming in the 100 Breast. The duo of McKenzie Siroky and Simone Moll took second and third place in the event, bringing home more valuable points for the team total. Siroky brought home the silver medal for the second-straight year for Tennessee. Moll put down a time of 58.47 to get the bronze, a mark that improved the South African's sixth-ranked time in team history.

Martin Espernberger kept up his career success in the 200 Fly, with the senior collecting the bronze medal with a time of 1:40.42. For Espernberger, this marks his third SEC medal in the event, which has seen him also win gold (2024) and silver (2025). Freshman Gabe Nunziata has had a phenomenal start to his week. After helping the 800 Free Relay team to a second place finish last night, he led the way for Tennessee in the 100 Breast with a fourth place finish while moving to fourth in program history with a 51.35. Ulises Saravia took fifth for the men in the 100 Back, while also improving his second-best time in UT history by touching the wall at 44.74.

In the A-Final of the men's 3-Meter, Bennett Greene and Frazer Tavener each put up podium performances, with Greene taking the silver and Tavener the bronze. Greene adds to his outstanding start to the SEC Championships, following his gold medal in the 1-Meter in night one. Tavener needed a brilliant final dive to put himself in medal contention, holding off fourth place Carson Paul from LSU by .45 points in a 403.90-403.45 scoreline. This was the first time that a pair of Volunteers were on the podium together in the 3-Meter since 2000, where Gabi Chereches and Shannon Roy finished 1-2 in the event.

In the men's 3-meter, the Vols collected 93 total points with all five divers bringing home points. Thomas Ciprick and Nick Stone each made the B-Final in the 3-meter. Ciprick led the way for Tennessee in the consolation final, earning 11th place overall with a score of 366.30, with Stone finishing closely behind in 13th with a 334.00. Owen Redfearn also placed for the Vols in the 3-meter, closing out the event in 17th.

Director of Swimming & Diving Matt Kredich
"First of all, Jillian [Crook]'s race was just brilliant. It was technically executed so well, and she and Coach Sarah Collins have out a lot of work into the elements of that race. More than anything though, that was the celebration of her toughness and resilience. Shes's had some struggles over the past year or so, but she has never given up and kept her faith in herself, her team, and her ability"

"Overall, we had some fantastic performances across the board tonight. The eight medals tonight each represent a unique story and each was worthy of a huge celebration by the team. It really was a great night of competition".

Notables

Ben Bricca logged a 12th place finish in the men's in the 100 Back for the Vols. Bricca also etched his name in the Tennessee record book, clocking a time of 45.46 to move to fifth in UT history. Nick Simons finished close behind Bricca in the B-Final, placing 14th for the Vols on the evening.
Emelie Fast added to the Lady Vols action in the 100 Breast, taking the B-Final in the 100 Breast en route to finishing ninth overall in the event.
Regan Rathwell clocked a time of 52.55 in the Women's B-Final of the 100 Back, finishing in 13th place in the event. Freshman Alyssa Claborn also brought home points for the Lady Vols in the 100 Back, checking in at 23rd with a 53.41.
Amelia Mason finished in 23rd for the Lady Vols in the 200 Fly, while Grayson Nye took 23rd for the Vols in the 100 Breast

Competition heads into day four on Thursday, as the 100 Fly, 400 IM, 200 Free individual events get underway, while the 400 Medley Relay hits the pool as well. The women hit the diving well on Thursday, as action in the 3-meter gets underway. Prelims are slated to begin at 9:30 a.m., with finals scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

Women's Team Rankings
1. Tennessee - 377
2. Texas - 345
3. Florida - 340.5
4. Auburn - 274.5
5. South Carolina - 254.5
6. LSU - 248
7. Alabama - 238
8. Texas A&M - 211
9. Georgia - 201
10. Missouri - 169.5
11. Kentucky - 132
12. Arkansas - 89
13. Vanderbilt - 58

Men's Team Rankings
1. Texas - 470.5
2. Florida - 462
3. Tennessee - 414.5
4. Auburn - 316
5. LSU - 282
6. Georgia - 281
7. Kentucky - 280
8. Missouri - 206
9. Alabama - 198.5
10. Texas A&M - 159.5
11. South Carolina - 142

Women's Medal Count

1. 100 Back - Jillian Crooks (50.50)

1. 200 Medley Relay - Mizuki Hirai, McKenzie Siroky, Ella Jansen, Camille Spink (1:32.80)

2. 200 Fly - Emily Brown (1:51.52)

2. 100 Breast - McKenzie Siroky (57.62)

3. 200 Fly - Ella Jansen (1:52.08)

3. 200 Breast - Simone Moll (58.47)

3. 800 Free Relay - Ella Jansen, Emily Armen, Amelia Mason, Emily Brown (6:54.56)

Men's Medal Count

1. 1-Meter: Bennett Greene (400.80)

2. 800 Free Relay - Koby Bujak-Upton, Nikoli Blackman, Gabe Nunziata, Ben Bricca (6:10.31)

2. 3-Meter: Bennett Greene (421.20)