Seniors put Lady Vols on course in swimming

In the fall of 2005, six Tennessee Lady Vols swimmers and one diver arrived on campus from such diverse places as Ohio, Florida and Knoxville.

Today, they are all seniors heading in the same direction - toward trying to make No. 10-ranked Tennessee one of the elite women's programs in the SEC.

"I feel like our program has taken some big steps in the last few years," said Bearden High School graduate Sarah McCall.

Ten-time all-American Carly Mathes from Kettering, Ohio, agrees.

"We are proud to say we were the ones who started the new path for Tennessee's success," she said.

Since it will be their final home meet, the Lady Vols' encounter with Georgia Saturday will mark the end of an era for these two as well as four-time All-American Brittany Nauta of Tampa, Fla., Katie Gehring of Punta Gorda, Fla., and Farragut graduates Maria Jugan, Staley McCartney, and Ashley Quinn.

The 2 p.m. meet at Allan Jones Aquatic Center will also offer an opportunity for a new beginning, as the Lady Vols have not beaten the top-ranked SEC rival since 1989.

However, according to Lady Vols coach Matt Kredich, victory will not come easily.

"Last year we came as close as anybody," he said. "But this year they are firing on all cylinders and ranked No. 1 and have never been tougher to beat."

Regardless of the outcome, the seniors have already helped cement a positive place for the program, Kredich believes.

"They had a real sense of ownership in changing the program," he said. "They felt like they had a real impact on the team."

The seven had actually made plans to come to UT while Dan Collela was completing his 12th season as coach. By the time they arrived on campus, however, Kredich had moved from Richmond to take over the program.

"They didn't sign up for what they ended up getting," Kredich said with a laugh.

As the seniors reflected on their careers earlier this week, they were full of a range of emotions, from sentimentality, to feelings of accomplishment, to wanting to complete their goals for this season, to looking forward to life without having to spend 25-30 hours a week in the pool.

Jugan said she has enjoyed training with such a motivated group of girls. "We want to find excellence in everything," she said.

Quinn also has similar feelings, adding that she is proud to be finishing up her career as a Lady Vol.

Gehring said she came to UT originally because of the welcoming attitude she found, and that will result in a tinge of sadness Saturday.

"My last meet is kind of bittersweet for me," she said.

McCartney, the daughter of Tennessee football captain Ron McCartney (1975) and a longtime student of diving coach Dave Parrington, said she never considering going anywhere else. The fact that the Jones Aquatic Center is open has added to the experience for her, as she jokingly added that she used to have to step over a rusty spot in the Student Aquatic Center.

Saturday's meet will be especially meaningful for Nauta, as her younger sister, Chelsea, is one of the stars for Georgia.

"This is a really big meet for me," Nauta said. "This is one of the teams we always said we wanted to beat."