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It took teamwork for Tennessee to score all its points Thursday during the opening day of the NCAA men's swimming and diving championships at King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way, Wash.

The Vols' points came with a pair of relay swims in championship heats. They scored 54 points, good enough for 10th place.

UT earned 28 points in the meet's opening race, the 200-yard freestyle relay, with a fifth-place finish. After qualifying eighth in the 400 medley relay, the night's last event, the Vols moved up two places and collected 26 points. Michael Wolfe, Barry Murphy, Octavio Alesi and Jonas Persson swam the medley relay.

Defending NCAA champion Auburn was in fourth place (97 points), as Arizona led with 137. No. 1-ranked Texas (116) held second and California (112) fourth. Georgia scored 63 for eighth and Florida 55 for ninth.

Defending 200 relay-champion Auburn won the relay in 1:15.66, almost a second faster than runner-up Arizona. Nolan Morrell, Persson, Alesi and Murphy finished in 1:17.72 for UT.

The shocking part of that race was the opening leg by Auburn's Cesar Cielo, the NCAA record-holder in the 50 freestyle. His 18.47-second sprint over 50 yards wiped out his NCAA record of 18.67 for the 50 freestyle.

The SEC continued to showcase its talent as Georgia's Sebastien Rourault, the 2006 NCAA champion and SEC titliest the past four years, won the 500 freestyle in 4:09.48 and the Bulldogs' Troy Prinsloo took sixth place in 4:14.93.

Cielo came back three races after his NCAA-record swim in the relay to win the individual 50 event in 18.52. Alex Puninski, Cielo's teammate, finished fourth in 19.38.

But SEC swimmers disappeared in the 200 individual medley as Arizona's Darian Townsend took the gold in 1:42.72.

Then came 1-meter diving and the SEC rolled on. Georgia's Chris Colwill overtook Hawaii's Magnus Frick on his final dive to win 407.25 to 399.70. Kentucky's Stephen Andrews was fifth.

Arizona won the 400 medley relay in 3:04.43. Auburn failed to make the finals, but won the consolation race worth 18 points.

The meet continues today and ends Satrurday night.

Women's Tennis: The 20th-ranked Lady Vols (11-5, 4-2 SEC) will play host to No. 33 Auburn (13-5, 3-3) at 3:30 p.m. today and Alabama (6-9, 2-4) at 1 p.m. Sunday at UT Varsity Courts in UT's final home matches of the season.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.