Behind the Scenes of the 2026 SEC Swim and Dive Championships

As over 300 of the nation's best aquatic athletes descended on Knoxville for the 2026 SEC Swim and Dive Championships, Marshall Goldman and Dylan Gross were tasked with solving one of sport's most complex jigsaw puzzles— pulling off the week-long tournament without a hitch.

Goldman, director of the Allan Jones Aquatic Center, and Gross, event management director for Tennessee Athletics, typically walk separate paths on a normal day on the job. Goldman oversees the day-to-day operations of the Allan Jones Aquatic Center, while Gross takes care of the behind-the-scenes operations for home athletic events. But for an event like this, the pair began planning over a year before the first splash was ever made.

Before any arrangements could be made, the duo had to understand who they were planning for. It may not seem like much on paper, but adding up all the members for a conference championship becomes monumental.

For this tournament, held Feb. 16-21, the full count for teams included around upwards of 300 athletes, as well as their staff, 20 swim officials and 12 dive officials, as well as fluctuating amounts of reporters, media crews, students and volunteers.

Once the pair knew who they were accounting for, they began to create hospitality plans for transportation, lodging, meals and parking, aside from competition. Once on site, they also had to ensure that all teams had their own areas to operate from during the tournament.

The two tried to find a way to give teams as much access to their usual routines as possible. This meant providing areas for practice, recovery, meetings and spectating matches during competition.

"It takes a tremendous amount of being able to work together in a tremendous way and there's a tremendous kind of organization that goes into it," Goldman said. "When you just look at the nuts and bolts of it, the amount of students and student athletes all at one time, the amount of staff that you have to do, the amount of areas that you have to satisfy, you have to be ready for all of that. "

Tennessee is one of only four schools in the conference with the capacity to host swim and dive championships. Among the requirements to host are that the host facility must provide seating for at least 1,200 spectators, as well as 12 warm-up and warm-down lanes for use during active competition. The host must also be able to provide a certain amount of deck space for each team during the week.

The Allan Jones Aquatic Center easily accommodates these needs with seating for up to 1,800 fans, as well as deck space for 2,000 additional individuals, team staff and other personnel.

Goldman says that their department shares a special relationship with UT Campus Recreation, which allows them to use their swimming facilities during the SEC Championship.

"We are fortunate in the relationship we have with student life and the student rec center to be able to have lanes opened over there, which puts us well far and above [other facilities]," Goldman said. "We had 17 possible training lanes and that's because of a very positive partnership that we have with the Student Aquatic Center."

A unique aspect of hosting this championship is the opportunity Tennessee is able to offer. The success of the event is ensured by a robust, hardworking team of volunteers and students.

Each day, around 75 volunteer staff members worked around the clock to ensure the tournament ran smoothly. Volunteers were crucial in all areas of the operation, including registration, hospitality, statistical distribution, athlete assistance between rounds and award presentations.

Volunteers of all ages were able to gain hands-on experience in operating a large-scale event during this tournament. Participants ranged from grade school students who got their first taste of working in sports all the way to current college students who are looking to forward their professional careers.

Goldman credits a working partnership with campus professors, as well as nonprofit organization Visit Knoxville, with helping recruit volunteers to help run the event.

"We have a good working relationship with Rob Hardin and the sports management group on campus. Half were derived from his list of students and half were derived from Visit Knoxville," Goldman said.

The event provided much more than just opportunities for students and athletes. As a result of the nearly 400 student-athletes, their families, fans, media, and volunteers, the event generated $3.7 million in revenue for businesses across the city of Knoxville over the course of the week.

"I think that's a pretty cool way to look at how the event also helps shape what is happening in Knoxville," Goldman said.

With the conclusion of this year's event, the championship will bounce around to three other locations within the SEC before returning to Tennessee in a few years. In the meantime, Tennessee will still use the Allan Jones Aquatic Center for collegiate and non-collegiate competitions.

Some of these events include hosting the ASUN Swim and Dive Championships, as well as a USA Swimming competition over the summer while Tennessee is out of the pool.

While these events are currently the focus of individuals such as Goldman and Gross, planning for the next SEC Championships has already begun.

"We're looking forward to doing it again in four years," Goldman said. "It'll be here before you know it."

University of Tennessee Athletics

Behind the Scenes of the 2026 SEC Swim and Dive Championships

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