Vols Capture Pair of Medals, Three Podium Finishes on Stacked Day Two of NCAAs

Thursday, March 26

Atlanta, Ga.

Prelims 10 a.m. ET | Finals 6 p.m. ET

University of Tennessee

NCAA Men's Swimming & Diving Championships

Vols Capture Pair of Medals, Three Podium Finishes on Stacked Day Two of NCAAs

March 26, 2026 | Swimming & Diving, Men's Swimming & Diving

Thursday Finals Results Men's 1-meter Results Friday Heat Sheets

ATLANTA -- A pair of Vols picked up top three finishes on a busy day two at the NCAA Men's Swimming & Diving Championships at McAuley Aquatic Center.

Koby Bujak-Upton had the highlight of the day, as the redshirt freshman earned national runner-up in the 200 Free. In a close race, Bujak-Upton just missed out on first place by just .08 seconds. This is the second highest in the 200 Free in program history, behind Andy Coan's national championship in the event back in 1979.

Bennett Greene collected a third place finish in the 1-meter, securing the bronze for Tennessee with a score of 400.90. It came down to the final dive of the evening, with Greene just edging out the competition to earn the podium finish. For Greene, he garners First Team All-America honors

Thomas Ciprick placed 11th in the men's 1-meter, garnering Second Team All-America distinction in his first action of the NCAA Championships. The last time Tennessee had two divers finish in the top 16 at NCAAs was 2019 when Colin Zeng won the event and Matthew Wade finished 15th.

Gabe Nunziata took on the 100 Breast for the Vols, placing ninth overall to earn his first individual All-America honors of his young collegiate career. This finish marks the best for a Vol in the event since Jarel Dillard took eighth place back in 2022. Nunziata finished with a time of 51.17, moving the freshman to second all-time in program history and just .02 seconds off the program record held by Flynn Crisci.

Gui Caribe added to the All-America swims for the Vols, placing 11th in the 100 Fly with a time of 44.55. Caribe earned Second Team All-America for the second consecutive year after placing ninth last season. Nikoli Blackman notched his first individual All-America designation of his career, placing 13th in the 200 Free with a time of 1:31.55. This is the first time that the Vols have had two swimmers finish in the top-16 in the 200 Free since 2008.

To close out the night, the 200 Free Relay finished fourth. The lineup of Blackman, Caribe, Pedro Sansone, Bujak-Upton posted the third-fastest time in program history at 1:14.40. This marks the fourth consecutive top five finish for Tennessee in the 200 Free Relay.

Standings
1. Texas: 215.5
2. Florida: 205
3. Arizona State: 133.5
4. Indiana: 132.5
5. California: 124
6. NC State: 122
7. Michigan: 115
8. Tennessee: 107
9. Virginia: 88
10. Stanford: 83

All-America Tracker (18)
Nikoli Blackman (200 Free*, 200 FR, 800 FR*, 200 MR*)
Ben Bricca (800 FR*)
Koby Bujak-Upton (200 Free, 200 FR, 800 FR*)
Gui Caribe (100 Fly*, 200 FR, 200 MR*)
Thomas Ciprick (1-meter*)
Bennett Greene (1-meter)
Gabe Nunziata (100 Breast*, 800 FR*, 200 MR*)
Pedro Sansone (200 FR)
Ulises Saravia (200 MR*)
* - Denotes Second Team

Podium Finishes (3)
2nd – 200 Free: Koby Bujak-Upton (1:30.11)
3rd – 1-meter diving: Bennett Greene (400.90)
4th – 200 Free Relay: Nikoli Blackman, Gui Caribe, Pedro Sansone, Koby Bujak-Upton (1:14.40)

Top Ten Times & Scores (4)
1st – 200 Free: Koby Bujak-Upton (1:29.79)
2nd – 100 Breast: Gabe Nunziata (51.17)
3rd – 200 Free Relay: Nikoli Blackman, Gui Caribe, Pedro Sansone, Koby Bujak-Upton (1:14.40)
5th – 200 Medley Relay: Ulises Saravia, Gabe Nunziata, Gui Caribe, Nikoli Blackman (1:22.05)