Tennessee Hall to add 7 NCAA swim champions

Mel Stewart spends his days writing scripts for Hollywood.

Tracy Bonner knows about high stakes in Las Vegas.

Tripp Schwenk's partner is a dog.

When Ricky Busquets hears the word "ah," he goes to work.

Nicole deMan does lots of baby sitting but still gets in the swim of things.

Need to get motivated? Jeremy Linn is the guy to see.

Evan Stewart takes care of business in Africa ... Zimbabwe.

What do these seven have in common?

Each owns an NCAA championship and competed for the University of Tennessee, and each will be inducted into the Tennessee Swimming Hall of Fame at Wolf-Kaplan Center in Neyland Stadium.

Inductions were scheduled for Jan. 12, but a delay in the construction of UT's new aquatic center forced postponement until late February or early March.

As world travelers these seven competed in international swimming and diving meets with alarming success. Five competed in the Olympics - Busquets in four. Stewart, Linn and Schwenk won won Olympic gold medals.

Stewart set a world record in the 200-meter butterfly at the World Championships in Perth, Australia, in 1991 by defeating Germany's Michael Gross, who had dominated that race and held the world record. He won an Olympic gold in the 200 butterfly the following year and another as a member of the winning U.S. 400 medley relay.

Linn and Schwenk won gold medals at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta on the U.S. 400 medley relay - Linn getting a silver medal in the 100 breaststroke and Schwenk a silver in the backstroke.

Linn coaches swimming and is a motivational speaker. Schwenk is a K-9 Unit police officer in Sarasota, Fla.

Busquets competed in Olympics in 1992, 1996, 2000 and 2004. He is an orthodontist who lives in Danville, Calif.

Bonner, the first Lady Vol to win an NCAA diving event, teamed with former Lady Vol Kathy Pesek to win international and American titles in synchronized diving. Bonner performs as a high diver for Cirque du Soliel's "O" in Las Veags - thrilling fans with dangerous dives and acrobatics. Her husband, Canadian Doug Headecker, also performs for the Canadian-based production.

DeMan, the first Lady Vol to win an NCAA swimming title, coaches swimming and takes care of her two children in Martinez, which is in the San Francisco Bay area. She taught school nine years.

Evan Stewart, after winning SEC, NCAA and international diving titles, returned to his home in Zimbabwe where he is a managing director.

Reservations For Lunch: Reservations may be made by calling the UT men's swimming office at 865-974-1258.

The inductees will attend the dedication and then tour the Allen Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center at it's dedication.

Tracy Bonner (Headecker): The acrobatic former Lady Vol used diving as a platform to launch a professional career in diving. Bonner was the first Lady Vol to win NCAA and SEC diving titles, taking the NCAA 3-meter championship in 1995 with a 580.20 score. She won the SEC 3-meter (517.65) in 1995 and 1-meter in 1997 (404.95). Bonner teamed with former Lady Vol teammate Kathy Pesek to win three national synchronized 3-meter diving titles and won they won the U.S. National synchronized title at Houston in 1999 - also placing fifth at the World Cup in New Zealand that year. The talented duo also captured fourth place at the Goodwill Games in 1998. Bonner was inducted into the Tennessee Lady Vols Sports Hall of Fame in 2006. She and her husband, Daniel Headecker who is a gymnast from Canada, perform for the Cirque du Soleil "O" in Las Vegas.

Ricardo "Ricky" Busquets: A four-time Olympian who represented Puerto Rico in 1992, 1996, 2000 and 2004 in the 50- and 100-meter freestyles, 100 butterfly and sprint freestyle and medley relays. Busquets placed seventh in the 100 freestyle and eighth in the 50 sprint. While a student-athlete at the University of Tennessee, Busquets, who is 33, won the NCAA 100-yard freestyle (42.64 seconds) in 1996 and was the meet's high-point performer. He earned 15 All-America honors. Busquets won SEC individual championships in the 50 freestyle (19.96 in 1995 and 19.76 in '96) and 100 freestyle (43.42 in '95 and 43.01 in '96). His 100 freestyle swim in 1996 set an SEC record. Busquets medaled twice in the 50-meter freestyle at the World Championships and won three titles at the World Cup meet. He also was on a 200-yard medley relay that set U.S. Open and American records. Ricky shared Puerto Rico's Athlete of the Year Award with Ivan Rodriguez, Bernie Williams and Felix Trinidad. Enjoys playing the guitar and surfing. Busquets, an orthodontist, and his wife Emily (a doctor in physical therapy) live in Danville, Calif., where he has a practice as well as in Hayward, Calif. He also is a motivational speaker. The Busquets have two children.

Nicole deMan (Dewes): She was the first UT Lady Vol to win an NCAA swimming title - the 50-yard freestyle in 22.59 in 1995 - and earned 20 All-America certificates as a Lady Vol. deMan also won SEC 50 freestyle championships (22.86 in 1995 and 22.84 in '96). She also won the SEC 100 freestyle (49.73) in 1996. deMan was chosen Lady Vols athlete of the year in 1996, was fifth in the 50-meter freestyle at the 1996 Olympic Trials. She was the first Lady Vol to win three SEC individual titles and was a silver medalist in the 50 freestyle in 1995 and took a bronze in the 1997 and earned a gold medal as a member of the winning U.S. 400 freestyle relay. deMan was inducted into the Tennessee Lady Vols Sports Hall of Fame in November of 2007. She and her husband, John Dewes, are parents of 5-year-old daughter Juliana and 3-year-old son Austin. They live in Martinez, Calif., where she was an elementary school teacher nine years and also coaches swimming in addition to being a stay-at-home mom.

Jeremy Linn: This 1996 Olympic silver medalist in the 100-meter breaststroke swam the fastest 100 breaststroke leg (1:00.32) ever as a member of the United States world-record-setting 400 medley relay that year in Atlanta. Linn earned All-America status 17 times as a UT Vol and was SEC athlete of the year three times. He is the only swimmer to win the men's SEC 100-yard breaststroke four consecutive years. He broke the American 100-yard breaststroke record (53.32) in winning the SEC race as a freshman in 1995 and again in 1997 (51.86), also an SEC record that still stands. His Olympic silver-medal 100-meter swim also set an American record. Linn won the SEC 200-yard breaststroke twice (1:56.82 in '95 and 1:55.42 in '97). He also swam on five American-record medley relay teams as a Vol and was selected to five U.S. National teams. Linn was the 1998 Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame amateur athlete of the year. Linn, who lives in Hillsborough, N.C., is a swim coach, motivational speaker and swimming clinician.

Tripp Schwenk: After winning an NCAA 200 backstroke championship in 1992 and three SEC titles, Schwenk won an Olympic gold in 1996 at Atlanta as a member of the U.S. 400-meter medley relay. He also won a silver medal in the 200 backstroke (1:58.99). His first two SEC titles came in the 100-meter backstroke (56.93 in 1992) and 200-meter backstroke (1:42.06) when the meet was swum long course at Alabama. Schwenk set an SEC record of 1:42.07 in the 200-yard backstroke in 1992 and swam a 1:42.06 to win the NCAA race a month later. He won the 200-meter backstroke at the 1991 World University Games and was on winning 400 medley relays for the U.S. in 1991 and 1993. Schwenk is a police officer in Sarasota, Fla., where he and his wife, Heather, have a 21-month old son, Toby, and daughter, Taylor.

Evan Stewart: This world traveler and former UT Vol represented Zimbabwe three times in the Olympics in diving, won the World 1-meter championship at Rome in 1994, captured NCAA 3-meter titles in 1994 (614.65 points) and 1995 (655.40), and six SEC crowns - 1-meter in 1994, 1996, 1997 - and 3-meter in 1994, 1995 and 1996. Stewart set an SEC record of 583.55 in '97 on the 1-meter. He won gold, silver and bronze in Commonwealth Games competition. In 1995, Stewart won 1-meter and 3-meter titles in the All-Africa Championships. He lives in Harare, Zimbabwe, where he is a managing director.

Melvin Stewart: He thrived on dramatics, and this world-record setter in the 200-meter butterfly has become a screenwriter. Stewawrt was one of UT coach John Trembley's first recruits and immediately led the Vols to an SEC championship at Gainesville, Fla., in 1989 by winning the 100-yard backstroke and 200 butterfly and finishing second in the 100 butterfly. He set the world record in the 200-meter butterfly at the 1991 World Championships at Perth, Australia, in 1:55.69 while defeating world-record-holder Michael Gross of Germany. Stewart won the NCAA 200-yard butterfly record of 1:41.78 the same year. He said of his NCAA record, "I'm more proud of that record than the other. I swam it wearing Tennessee colors." Stewart also won the NCAA 200 butterfly (1:44.30) in 1989 as a freshman. His NCAA record has not been broken. Stewart won 14 U.S. National events, won the 1992 Olympic gold in the 200-meter butterfly and another while swimming on the winning 400 medley relay. He won 200-meter butterfly titles at the 1986, 1990 and 1994 Goodwill Games, setting the Games record (1:57.05) in 1990, and swam on the winning 800 freestyle relay for the U.S. .Stewart, who lives in Bakersfield, Calif., and his wife Tiffany have a 7-year-old daughter, Bayley.