Tjasa Pintar, a member of the 2016 Slovenian Olympic Team, has given a verbal commitment to the University of Tennessee for 2017-18. Pintar is a speedy and versatile 19-year-old out of the Gorenjska Banka Radovljica swimming club. She excels in free, breast and IM.
Pintar swam the third leg of Slovenia’s 4×200 free relay in Rio. She was the fastest member of the quartet, and about 1.3 seconds faster than her best flat-start 200 free. Her top times include:
| LCM | SCY converted | |
| 50 free | 25.82 | 22.54 |
| 100 free | 56.22 | 49.20 |
| 200 free | 2:00.54 (1:59.25 Rio split) | 1:45.71 (1:44.54 Rio split) |
| 400 free | 4:17.94 | 4:49.00 |
| 50 breast | 32.78 | 28.63 |
| 100 breast | 1:10.61 | 1:01.81 |
| 200 breast | 2:34.23 | 2:15.34 |
| 200 IM | 2:16.21 | 1:59.82 |
| 400 IM | 4:52.04 | 4:17.33 |
Tennessee will have many options for Pintar. She would have scored in numerous events at 2016 SEC Championships in numerous: 50 free (B final), 100 free (B final), 200 free (A final), 100 breast (B/C bubble), and 400 IM (C final); plus she would have been very close to scoring in the 200 IM. She’ll likely do battle with Madeline Banic (and incoming Nikol Popov) for the breast spot on the medley relay and will have to drop to earn her way on to the Vols’ sprint free relays, but she will be a major contributor to their 800 free relay from Day 1.
Pintar is the latest in a stunningly good list of names who have already committed to the Lady Vols for the 2017-18 season. She joins Alexis Yager, Amanda Nunan, Bailey Grinter, Megan Sichterman, and Nikol Popov in the Tennessee class of 2021.
If you have a commitment to report, please send an email to [email protected].