On Wednesday, the Tennessee men’s swim team broke the NCAA 200 freestyle relay record at the SEC Swimming and Diving Championships by more than half a second.
The Vols lineup consisted of Jordan Crooks, Gui Caribe, Lamar Taylor and Nikoli Blackman, per WVLT.
A video posted on X by the SEC Network shows the Vols' relay team starting strong with a 0.24 second lead over the Florida Gators.
As the relay continues, you can see Tennessee continue to surge ahead of their competitors with every length, finishing the race in 1:12.80, around half a second faster than the Gators.
Crooks began the relay with a time of 17.96, followed by Caribe coming in at 18.04. For Tennessee’s back-half, Taylor hit the wall with a split of 18.25 and Blackman brought the team home with a 18.55 for his time, according to SwimSwam.
Wednesday marked the first time Tennessee’s first time Tennessee secured an SEC title in this event since 2001, according to WVLT.
What was the previous NCAA record?
In 2023, SwimSwam reported that the Florida men’s team shattered the 1:14.08 record — set by Auburn in 2009 — for the 200 freestyle relay with a 1:13.35.
According to the video, the Gators were able to shave some time off from their previous record during this year’s SEC Championship with a 1:13.29 finish.