Underrated Tennessee Women’s Swim Team in Hunt For Return to National Top-Five
The Tennessee women’s swim and dive team has been overshadowed both by the powerhouse women’s programs against whom they battle at the NCAA Championships as well as their male counterparts, with a sprint group led by Jordan Crooks that has become the envy of the country. Crooks is one of two men to ever break 18 in the 50-yard freestyle, and he is the only man to ever break 20 in the short course meters 50 free, while Gui Caribe has joined Crooks in finishing top-three at both the NCAA Championships and Short Course World Championships.
But zoom out, and you’ll see that Tennessee has become one of the country’s best combined swimming and diving programs: last year, the women’s team finished fourth at the NCAA Championships while the men took sixth, a pair of results rivaled only by Florida (third and third) and Indiana (seventh and fourth). The Tennessee women might lack the star-power of Virginia and Stanford or the depth of Texas, but they are well-positioned for another run at the top-five.
The most accomplished swimmer on the Lady Vols’ roster is Mona McSharry, who won Olympic bronze in the 100-meter breaststroke at the Paris Games. McSharry took the fall off before returning to Knoxville for her fifth year, and while she has yet to post any elite times, her history of success in the breaststroke events — including runnerup finishes in both distances at last season’s NCAA Championships — cannot be overlooked.
That said, McSharry might not be the best breaststroker on her own team anymore. Enter McKenzie Siroky, a freshman who placed seventh in the 100-meter breast at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Siroky is a former Division I hockey commit who switched her focus to swimming late in high school, taking a gap year to prepare for Trials and her ensuing enrollment at Tennessee. In college, Siroky has excelled instantly: her 100 breast time of 57.80 currently ranks No. 4 in the country this season, and she is sixth in the 200 breast at 2:07.12.
And that’s not all in breaststroke: Tennessee also brings back Emelie Fast, a sophomore from Sweden who placed seventh in the 200 breast and ninth in the 100 breast at her first NCAA Championships.
Josephine Fuller — Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
Now for the swimmers who will provide the biggest point-scoring punch at the SEC and NCAA Championships: senior backstroker and IMer Josephine Fuller and sophomore freestyler Camille Spink. Fuller is the perfect example of an under-the-radar swimmer, having received scant attention despite her 44 individual points at the 2024 NCAA meet. She finished third in the 200 IM and fifth in both backstroke events, and at Olympic Trials, she took fourth in the 100-meter back while reaching the semifinals in two other events. So far this year, Fuller has performed best in the 200 IM, her season-best mark of 1:52.86 surpassed only by Alex Walsh and Emma Sticklen.
Spink, meanwhile, placed ninth in the 100 free as a freshman at the college level while making the 200 free A-final (she was disqualified), and after a pair of Olympic Trials semifinals appearances, she is thriving in year two in Knoxville. Spink has the country’s second-best time in the 100 free, her 46.61 behind only Gretchen Walsh, while ranking fourth in the 50 free (21.33) and eighth in the 200 free (1:42.78).
Moreover, the depth that propelled the Lady Vols to fourth in the country last year is back for another run at the top-five. Swimmers responsible for 19 of Tennessee’s 20 relay legs from the 2024 meet return. Fuller, McSharry and Spink are the main catalysts, but other contributors should not be forgotten. Brooklyn Douthwright finished ninth in the 200 free at the national meet while Sara Stotler was a B-finalist in the 200 fly in addition to her role as the primary medley relay butterflyer.
Freshman Ella Jansen joins the team after racing for Canada at the Paris Olympics, placing 12th in the 400 IM and swimming a leg on an 800 free relay team that placed fourth. Jansen currently has national top-10 times in the 500 free and 400 IM, and she is sure to take on a significant relay role right away. Speaking of freshman, Jillian Crooks (younger sister of Jordan) has already gone sub-22 in the 50 free, and she could provide handy sprint depth in the coming months.
The best team in the country? Not quite, but if the Tennessee women can bring their best performances to the NCAA Championships as they did last March, Kredich’s group will be in store for another exciting finish.