KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The time has come for Carson-Newman swimming to tackle its biggest dual meet of the 2021-22 season, as the Eagles make the short trek to Knoxville Saturday. Carson-Newman will square off with #6/#16 Tennessee for the first time ever in program history.
The Eagles were in action last weekend as they celebrated Senior Day by welcoming the Mars Hill Lions. Once the action got started in the water, it was all Eagles from wire-to-wire as C-N secured their third straight dual meet victory over the Lions. In all three dual meets, Carson-Newman has now outscored the Lions by a combined score of 1,131-89. Last Saturday's action also marked the fewest points scored by the Lions in all three dual meets.
As it was Senior Day, C-N took the time to honor 10 seniors for their time with their program along with the recognition of graduate assistant coaches Sara Duarte Garcia and Ksenia Naydenova prior to the meet. "Today was so special for us as we would honor the group of seniors and have a full team on deck. Yes, last week was special but today meant so much more to have the families here and for our teams to send the seniors off with a resounding win," head coach Jordan Taylor said.
As part of their 403-75 throttling last weekend, Carson-Newman would win 27 of the 28 total events swam. Among many of the bright spots for the Eagles men's side on Saturday was senior Brandon Meier (Greenville, S.C.). Meier started off his day as the anchor leg for the winning men's 200-yard medley relay before going on to win the men's 50-yard freestyle with a time of 21.12.
"The seniors really did the work today to close out with a huge win after a tough week of training. However, this week we wanted to put in the work and win this one for the seniors," Meier said. "The energy was immaculate today as we are a tight-knit team. To send off such a big group, today meant everything especially before going to UT next week. Next weekend will be fun as we try to give them a run for their money."
For the women, Debora Xavier provided a level of consistency as part of the Eagles victory. Xavier would win the women's 100-yard butterfly with a time of 59.79. The sophomore was aided by her fellow sophomore teammate, Kyla Blakemore, as she would sweep the backstroke events, including a win in the 200-yard backstroke in a time of 2:04.77, almost 15 seconds faster than second place who finished with a time of 2:18.49.
As it has been shown since the program's inception, one thing has remained constant: Eagles being top-25 for DII Swimming. Currently, the Eagles sit at #9 for the women's and a hard-fought #14 for the men's heading into Saturday.
This Saturday will be a special occasion for UT Swimming & Diving as they will celebrate Senior Day prior to the meet. The last time UT was in action came against nationally-ranked Georgia as the sixth-ranked Lady Vols beat no. 12 UGA, 163-135, while the no. 16 Vols fell 169.5-129.5 to the 12th-ranked Bulldogs last Saturday at Gabrielsen Natatorium. After winning just one event before the first break, the Lady Vols dominated the second portion of the meet, posting the top time in six of the final seven events.
"The ability to go and compete one-on-one with Tennessee speaks volume for our program. We know they are full of world talent and for our athletes to be able to compete alongside future Olympians, I want the team to go out and compete like we have practiced and the results will follow," Taylor said. "It may not be all about winning every race and gaining the points, but instead bettering ourselves as we start to taper and prepare for Conference soon."
The action will commence between the Eagles and Volunteers on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. from the Allan Jones Aquatic Center on the campus on the University of Tennessee.
Admission is free for all regular season meets, and the clear-bag policy will be in place for all fans. Though not required for entry to Jones Aquatic Center or movement throughout the seating area, facial coverings are encouraged. Parking will be available in Lot SC40 off Kingston Pike near Tyson Park (PDF).
Fans can follow along with live results on UTSports.com or by using the Meet Mobile app.
Be sure to keep up with the Carson-Newman swim team all season long on cneagles.com and on all of C-N's social media platforms.
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