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UT Sets Three School Records; Stands Third at NCAA Championships

Mar 23, 2001

The 5th-ranked Tennessee swimming and diving ended the first day of competition at the NCAA Championships at College Station, Texas, in third place. A bookend pair of school-record relay performances propelled the Volunteers to a first day point total of 114.5 that stands behind first-place Texas (185) and Stanford (170). Southern California (85) and Auburn (83) round the top five.

Tennessee produced their best finish of the day with the first event. The Volunteers raced to 200 freestyle relay school-record time of 1:17.56 to finish second in the nation. Chris Hussey, Renato Gueraldi, Jeremy McDonnell and Michael Gilliam turned in the record performance in the finals. The previous school record was set in the morning prelims. Prior to today's record times, the school standard was held by McDonnell, Raphael Thuin, Brent Owen, and Gilliam, who set the mark at the 2000 SEC Championships.

Tennessee closed the evening with another record relay swim in the 400 medley relay. Gilliam, McDonnell, Justin Hoggatt and Hussey turned in a time of 3:07.54 to finish third in the nation. Gilliam's leadoff backstroke leg improved upon his own school in the 100 yard backstroke with a time of 45.63. Gilliam's previous best was 46.37 set at both the 2000 and 2001 SEC Championships. The previous 400 medley relay record of 3:09.93 was set at the 2000 SEC Championships by Gilliam, McDonnell, Joel Shapiro and Owen.

Tennessee's relays were the big story, but not the only story as UT produced six other scoring performances. In the one-meter springboard diving event seniors Shannon Roy and Gabi Chereches finishd sixth and seventh, respectively. Roy scored 344.40 while Chereches totaled 338.80 points.

In a continuation of the strong 200 freestyle relay performance, the Vol sprinters gave a strong showing the 50 freestyle. Gilliam was the top finisher with a sixth-place time of 19.68 after swimming a career-best of 19.67 in the prelims. Hussey finished 11th with a time of 19.87 while Gueraldi finished 16th with a time of 19.96 after career-best of 19.75 in the prelims. Gueraldi was probably exhausted for the 50 freestyle finals after swimming outstanding relay legs in the morning and evening.

UT freshman Andrew Bree also scored points for the Vols with a 13th-place time of 1:47.75 in the 200 individual medley.

Tennessee finished seventh at the past two NCAA Championships after claiming a fourth-place finish in 1998. The fourth-place finish was the Vols best under head coach John Trembley and the program's best since 1979.