Toussaint and Stevens Win 100 IM as Tennessee Sweeps UNC-Wilmington

FULL RESULTS HERE

In the season opener for both teams, it was the Tennessee Volunteers who came out on top on both the men’s and women’s dual meets against host University of North Carolina-Wilmington.

WOMEN’S MEET

The Volunteers made quick work of the Seahawks, starting out going 1-2-3 in the 400 medley relay. The biggest splits from their three relays were a 1:04.27 from A relay breaststroker Colleen Callahan and a 51.30 anchor by FGCU transfer Kira Toussaint on the C relay.

This was Toussaint’s first time suiting up in a dual meet for the Volunteers– the Dutch junior came back to win the 100 IM (you read that right: the 100 IM is back, remember!?) with a time of 58.51 after an impressive 25.70 split at the 50 yard mark. She was disqualified in the 100 backstroke, but her splits on the results page show up at 27.38-28.43, adding up to a solid 55.81. The Volunteers didn’t need that big of a swim, though, as they still finished 1-2-3 led by senior Harper Bruens‘ 57.43.

Meanwhile, Callahan led a Vol 1-2-3 in the 100 breast, going 1:06.01 for the win. The brooms were out, today, as the Volunteers also went 1-2-3 in the 50 free, 50 breast, and 50 back, while going 1-2-3-4 in the 1000 and then 1-2 in the 200 free and 100 fly. Freshman Maddie Banic swam a lights-out 50 fly for the win, going 24.85 to blow away 2nd place finisher Catherine Gargula of UNC-Wilmington, who finished in 25.95.

Lauren Driscoll, a Volunteer senior, had a fantastic swim of her own in the 400 IM. She clocked a 4:18.66, winning by almost 10 seconds and slipping under the NCAA ‘B’ cut of 4:19.39. The Vols went 1-2-3-4 in that race.

The Seahawks did steal one win away from the Volunteers, as junior Marissa Martinez snagged the 100 free win with a final time of 53.65. The Vols, however, closed out the meet with 1-2-3 sweeps in the 400 and 200 free relays. They won the meet, 221-58.

MEN’S MEET

The UT men, like the women, swam a lot of off events. We didn’t get to see Sean Lehane tear it up in backstroke and Peter Stevens wreck it in breaststroke, but the two did go head-to-head in the 100 IM.

Lehane, as expected, was out fast– 23.18 at the touch to Stevens’ 24.32. It was Stevens, though, with the back half of a champion to take the race in 51.74 to Lehane’s 52.25. Stevens also split a solid 54.72 on UT’s winning 400 medley relay to open the meet. Lehane was in that medley relay race on Tennessee’s B team, which placed 5th of 6 relays. He swam breast, splitting a 1:02.45.

UT senior Chris Sadsad took two events of his own, the 50 fly and the 50 free. He won the fly with a time of 21.96 over teammates Ryan Coetzee (22.31) and Lehane (22.48). Sadsad went a 20.78 to take the 50 free, the only swimmer to break 21 in the race.

The Vols managed wins in the 100 backstroke and 100 breaststroke without their stars Lehane and Stevens in those races. Jimmy Dagley and Joey Reilman went 1-2 in the back with respective times of 51.09 and 51.55, while Ross Diblin grabbed the 100 breast victory in 57.70.

The Seahawk men had some impressive swims themselves– freshman Thompson Schille was a double winner, taking the 100 free (47.82) as well as the 400 IM (4:10.22). The IM was one of the most thrilling races of the day, as Schille came back on the free leg to overtake UT’s Ethan Browne, winning by just .27.

The Seahawks also won the 400 free relay. In the end, the Volunteers came out on top, 185-93.