2026 College Swimming Previews: Spink, Sophomores & Hirai Are The Keys For 5 Tennessee Women ...Middle East

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2026 College Swimming Previews: Spink, Sophomores & Hirai Are The Keys For 5 Tennessee Women

By James Sutherland on SwimSwam

It’s that time of the year again. SwimSwam will be previewing the top 12 men’s and women’s teams (and then some) from the 2025 NCAA Championships. Follow along with the College Swimming Preview Channel. Want to read even more? Check out the latest edition of the SwimSwam magazine. 

    #5 TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS

    Key Losses: Josephine Fuller (33 NCAA points, 4 NCAA relays), Mona McSharry (31 NCAA points, 3 NCAA relays), Sara Stotler (15 NCAA points, 2 NCAA relays), Brooklyn Douthwright (11 NCAA points, 2 NCAA relays), Julia Mrozinski (NCAA qualifier), Kate McCarville (NCAA qualifier)

    Key Additions: HM Amelia Mason (CO – free/fly), BOTR Nicole Zettel (NC – IM/free/fly), Mizuki Hirai (Japan – fly/free), Julianna Bocska (Germany – free), Mere Whelehan (NC – free)

    GRADING CRITERIA

    Over the years, we’ve gone back and forth on how to project points, ranging from largely subjective rankings to more data-based grading criteria based on ‘projected returning points.’ We like being as objective as possible, but we’re going to stick with the approach we’ve adopted post-Covid. The “stars” will rely heavily on what swimmers actually did last year, but we’ll also give credit to returning swimmers or freshmen who have posted times that would have scored last year.

    Since we only profile the top 12 teams in this format, our grades are designed with that range in mind. In the grand scheme of college swimming and compared to all other college programs, top 12 NCAA programs would pretty much all grade well across the board. But in the interest of making these previews informative, our grading scale is tough – designed to show the tiers between the good stroke groups, the great ones, and the 2015 Texas fly group types.

    5 star (★★★★★) – a rare, elite NCAA group projected to score 25+ points per event 4 star (★★★★) – a very, very good NCAA group projected to score 15-24 points per event 3 star (★★★) – a good NCAA group projected to score 5-14 points per event 2 star (★★) – a solid NCAA group projected to score 1-4 points per event 1 star (★) –  an NCAA group that is projected to score no points per event, though that doesn’t mean it’s without potential scorers – they’ll just need to leapfrog some swimmers ahead of them to do it

    We’ll grade each event discipline: sprint free (which we define to include all the relay-distance freestyle events, so 50, 100 and 200), distance free, IM, breaststroke, backstroke, butterfly and diving. Use these grades as a jumping-off point for discussion, rather than a reason to be angry.

    Also, keep in mind that we are publishing many of these previews before teams have posted finalized rosters. We’re making our assessments based on the best information we have available at the time of publication, but we reserve the right to make changes after publication based on any new information that may emerge regarding rosters. If that does happen, we’ll make certain to note the change.

    2024-2025 LOOKBACK

    After producing their first top-five finish in more than a decade in 2024, the Tennessee women backed it up with another in 2025, placing 5th at the NCAA Championships after taking 4th the season prior.

    The Vols scored 21 more points than the previous campaign, putting up 298, but slid one spot in the team standings. They moved past Florida, but were overtaken by both Stanford and Indiana.

    Outgoing seniors Josephine Fuller and Mona McSharry led the squad once again, with Fuller leading the team with 33 individual points (after 44 in 2024) after ‘A’ final appearances in the 200 back (6th) and 200 IM (8th), and McSharry scored 31 after she was the runner-up in the 100 breast for the third straight year and also took 5th in the 200 breast.

    Besides Fuller and McSharry, Emelie Fast was the only Lady Vol to score double-digit points at the 2024 NCAAs, but last season, they got a massive boost with six women doing so.

    Camille Spink had a standout sophomore campaign, scoring 31 NCAA points after putting up just seven as a freshman, with that total being hurt after she was disqualified in the 200 free ‘A’ final. In 2025, after sweeping SEC titles in the 50, 100 and 200 free, Spink was 3rd in the 100 free and 4th in the 50 free at NCAAs while narrowly missing out on a second swim in the 200 free as she took 17th, less than a tenth off the points (her time of 1:42.06 from SECs would’ve been good for 5th in the ‘A’ final).

    Freshman McKenzie Siroky was a standout with her 3rd-place finish in the 100 breast, touching just .01 back of runner-up McSharry after the two went 1-2 (with McSharry winning) at SECs. Siroky also scored in the 200 breast, taking 10th after a strong 3rd-place showing at SECs.

    Another freshman, Canadian Ella Jansen, impressed with 18 NCAA points in her first try after topping the consolation final of both the 500 free and 400 IM. A third first-year, Emily Brown, was 11th in the 400 IM and 12th in the 200 fly to hit 11 points.

    Senior Brooklyn Douthwright made the 200 free ‘A’ final in her senior year and placed 8th, while fellow fourth-year Sara Stotler earned ‘B’ final appearances in the 200 fly (9th) and 200 IM (11th) to score 15 points.

    Despite many of Tennessee’s swimmers going quicker at SECs than NCAAs, something that’s plagued them in the past, the difference was negligible this time, at least for the most part. Most of the top swimmers added only a couple of tenths from where they were at the conference meet.

    In the relays, however, the double taper may have played a role, as the Vols were faster in three of the five at SECs. Had they posted their SEC time at NCAAs in the 200 free, 800 free and 200 medley relays, they would’ve scored 32 more points, which would’ve helped push them past Indiana for 4th overall.

    Tennessee’s relays got better as the NCAA Championships went on, however, as in the 400 medley and 400 free relay on the final two nights, they reeled off back-to-back runner-up finishes behind Virginia, setting a new school record in the latter (3:08.63).

    SPRINT FREE: ★★★½

    Tennessee’s sprint freestyle group revolves around Camille Spink, and even more so than it did last year due to the departures of Mona McSharry, Brooklyn Douthwright and Julia Mrozinski, who all raced at least one sprint free event last season at NCAAs.

    Spink was 3rd in the 100 free (46.68) and 4th in the 50 free (21.27) last season (with season-bests of 21.23 and 46.25), and with Gretchen Walsh‘s graduation, she figures to move up one spot in each event, giving her a projected 33 points.

    The 200 free is the one event Spink has yet to get right at NCAAs. After being disqualified for a false start in the 2024 ‘A’ final as a freshman, she was 17th last season, nine one-hundredths outside the points, after winning the SEC title in 1:42.06 (which would’ve comfortably made the ‘A’ final).

    If Spink executes all three races at NCAAs, Tennessee’s sprint group is worthy of four stars, but as we saw last season, anything can happen and one slightly ‘off’ performance can change things. So they’ll sit with three and a half stars as we enter the season, with the capability of hitting four if Spink recreates her 50 and 100 results and takes another step in the 200.

    Behind Spink, any other points for the Vols in the sprints from returning swimmers will likely be coming from Jillian Crooks, who set a personal best time of 21.91 in the 50 free at the Tennessee Invite in November and went on to place 54th at NCAAs (22.33) in the event while also taking 45th in the 100 free (48.59). She held a season-best of 48.31 in the 100 free, but has been as fast as 47.30 in her career.

    If Crooks can get back on PB form in the 100 free, she’ll certainly be in the mix for a second swim in the 100 free (it took 47.37 to make the ‘A’ final last season), but it’s hard to gauge given she was one second off last season. She’s also got a chance in the 50 free, with her time from November only two one-hundredths off what it took to make it back in the top 16.

    A lot of the team’s sprint free depth is gone, which leaves Julia Burroughs as the third-fastest returner in the 50 free at 22.57, while sprint breaststroker McKenzie Siroky was 22.73 and could prove to be a 200 free relay asset if she further develops her freestyle.

    In the 100 free, Ella Jansen (48.34), Emily Armen (48.57) and Emily Brown (48.64) all return as sub-49 swimmers, providing solid depth, while Burroughs was a respectable 49.24.

    Then there are the newcomers, who are spearheaded by international recruits Mizuki Hirai (Japan) and Julianna Bocska (Germany). The duo owns very similar long course best times in the 50 free (25.28 for Hirai, 25.33 for Bocska) and 100 free (54.60 for Hirai, 54.87 for Bocska), which convert to 22.05/47.74 for Hirai and 22.09/47.99 for Bocska.

    That makes both of them potential scorers if they transition into yards (and life in the United States) seamlessly, but neither is a lock.

    In the 200 free, beyond Spink, the team has Jansen (1:44.90), Brown (1:46.35), Armen (1:46.48) and Julia Burroughs (1:46.97) returning from last year, while Bocska has a long course best of 2:00.61, which converts to 1:45.77. (Burroughs also set a best time of 1:45.39 during the 2023-24 season.)

    Then there’s the domestic recruits, which include Amelia Mason coming in with best times of 22.64/48.89/1:45.97 in the sprints, making her a potential NCAA qualifier and relay asset. There’s more depth with Mere Whelehan (22.9/49.8/1:46.8), Nicole Zettel (1:47.5) and Avery Luedke (1:47.8), but none of the U.S.-based freshmen are imminent scoring threats.

    DISTANCE FREE: ★★★

    Despite Tennessee likely only having one scoring swim this season in either distance event, they still earn three stars because of Ella Jansen‘s ability in the 500 free.

    Jansen had a pair of impressive showings in the event last season at SECs and NCAAs, the only problem was that they came in the consolation final. She placed 9th overall at the conference meet in 4:34.27, and then matched that placement at nationals in 4:34.62. Her prelim times (4:39.12/4:37.47) left something to be desired, and had she produced the times she did in the ‘B’ final in the championship heat, she would’ve been the SEC runner-up and taken 6th at NCAAs.

    With one year of college swimming under her belt, Jansen enters her sophomore year with a bit more experience, which should propel her into the ‘A’ final this season. Among returning swimmers, she ranks 4th in last season’s 500 free rankings.

    Behind Jansen, Sophie Brison placed 60th at NCAAs in 4:47.52 and went as fast as 4:46.74 last season, while Emily Brown was 4:45.62 earlier in the season. Joining the squad with some 500 free pedigree are Nicole Zettel (4:45.5), Mere Whelehan (4:47.5) and Avery Luedke (4:48.4), who could become SEC scorers with some improvement.

    Things are looking thin in the mile, as all three women who raced it for the Vols last season have graduated. Zettel comes in with a best time of 16:48, but it doesn’t figure to fit in her schedule.

    BACKSTROKE: ★★

    The Lady Vols are losing their star backstroker from the past four years, Josephine Fuller, but still have a solid group with some scoring potential, led by senior Regan Rathwell.

    Rathwell put up five points last season after placing 12th in the 200 back, setting back-to-back best times in the prelims (1:51.75) and final (1:51.29) at NCAAs. She also set a lifetime best in the 100 back, placing 24th in 51.70, a half-second back of 16th.

    Along with Rathwell, Tennessee has one other woman who was sub-52 last season in the 100 back and another who was sub-1:52 in the 200.

    Jillian Crooks entered her freshman year with a lifetime best of 51.54 in the 100 back, and set a season-best of 51.95 at the SEC Championships before going 52.14 for 37th at NCAAs.

    Sophie Brison set consecutive best times in the 200 back in the prelims (1:52.06) and final (1:51.35) of SECs to place 3rd, earning her first NCAA qualification. She went on to place 23rd at nationals in 1:53.00, missing out on the 16th-place cut-off by 1.25 seconds (which was Rathwell’s 1:51.75).

    Brison also set a 100 back PB of 52.53 at SECs before clocking 53.11 at NCAAs (48th).

    Lexi Stephens came within striking distance of earning an NCAA qualification in her freshman year, setting best times of 52.04 in the 100 back and 1:53.67 in the 200 back at SECs, and then bringing her 200 time down to 1:53.57 at the Tennessee Last Chance Invite. That ended up being 26 one-hundredths shy of the NCAA invite time of 1:53.31, making her a likely qualifier this year and in the vicinity of pushing for a second swim.

    Two other returners worth noting are Emily Brown and Ella Jansen, who posted matching times of 1:56.17 in the 200 back last season.

    One key addition to the backstroke group this season is Mizuki Hirai, though it’s possible she doesn’t race any backstroke individually in the postseason. She raced the 50 back (26.23) and 100 back (57.29) at the 2024 Short Course World Championships, placing 9th and 14th, respectively, and showed she’s got some real speed in the discipline. Her time in the 100 back converts to 51.61, and with her strong underwater work, she could potentially dip into the 50s. However, Hirai’s best event is the 100 fly, which coincides with the 100 back on the NCAA schedule, though it’s not an unheard-of double. She’ll likely swim the 50 free on Day 2 and then will have to decide if she’s doing the 100 fly/100 back double or if she opts for the 100 free on Day 4.

    With Fuller’s graduation, Hirai’s addition is an important one for the medley relays if they end up slotting her there. Charlotte Crush will arrive in 2026 and take over as the team’s top backtroker, but this season, Hirai might be their best option on the lead-off leg.

    Beyond Hirai, there’s plenty of talent joining the roster, with Amelia Mason (53.3), Avery Luedke (53.4/1:56.3), Alyssa Claborn (53.4/1:57.2) and Nicole Zettel (54.8/1:57.6) all top-tier backstrokers who could contribute at the conference level right away.

    BREASTSTROKE: ★★★★★

    Tennessee’s breaststroke group is in good shape despite losing superstar Mona McSharry to graduation. After learning from McSharry in her freshman year, McKenzie Siroky is back as arguably the NCAA title favorite in the 100 breast, and the Vols also welcome back redshirt sophomore Emelie Fast, who was a 20-point scorer at the 2024 NCAAs.

    Siroky, who deferred her freshman year to focus on the 2024 Olympic Trials (and get a full season of swimming under her belt after previously splitting time while playing ice hockey), had a phenomenal 2024-25 campaign, placing 2nd at SECs in the 100 breast (57.27) behind McSharry and then taking 3rd at NCAAs behind Alex Walsh and her Irish teammate.

    In the 200 breast, Siroky was 3rd at SECs (2:06.57) and then 10th at NCAAs (2:07.56), though she could’ve been in the ‘A’ final (2:07.60 cut-off), but was a bit off in the prelims (2:08.55).

    With Walsh and McSharry graduated, Siroky is the top returner in the 100 breast and the favorite for NCAAs, with international newcomers like Eneli Jefimova and Anastasia Gorbenko posing the biggest threat on paper.

    The 200 is an event Siroky is still learning—the first time she swam it she was 18—but she quickly evolved into one of the best in the nation, bringing her best time down to 2:06.57 at the conference championships and producing a total of five sub-2:08 performances throughout the season. It took 2:07.60 to make the ‘NCAA A’ final last season, which is something Siroky is capable of.

    Despite losing McSharry, Tennessee brings Fast back into the fold after she subluxated her shoulder last November, abruptly ending her 2024-25 season.

    The Swedish native set both of her best times at the 2024 NCAA Championships as a freshman, topping the ‘B’ final to place 9th in the 100 breast (58.08) and then making the ‘A’ final and taking 7th in the 200 breast (2:06.79).

    Like Siroky, Fast has a very good chance of making ‘A’ finals in both events this season if she can get back to top form. She said she got back into training in April, but did not race this past summer.

    The Lady Vols have a third returning sub-1:00 breaststroker in Hannah Marinovich, a rising sophomore who set a personal best time of 59.95 in the 100 breast at the 2025 SECs, where she placed 16th. Marinovich, who also set a PB of 2:12.62 in the 200 breast last season, isn’t in scoring range just yet but could inch closer to NCAA qualification with some improvement (it took 59.51 to earn an invite last season).

    They’ve also got rising junior Tori Brostowitz (1:00.5/2:12.5) and incoming freshman Milly Leonard (1:02.7/2:14.8) bolstering their breaststroke group.

    BUTTERFLY: ★★★

    Tennessee is losing all three of its sub-52 100 fliers from last season, but the addition of Mizuki Hirai more than makes up for it.

    Hirai, the World Junior Record holder in the LCM 100 fly (56.33) and the fastest-ever junior in SCM (55.10, though not ratified as a WJR), brings an elite ability in the event that could see her emerge as the biggest challenger to Torri Huske for the NCAA title this season.

    Hirai’s SCM time of 55.10, which also stands as the Asian Record, converts to a sizzling 49.63 in yards, while her long course time of 56.33 converts to 49.48. Either way, she’s a favorite to land in the top three at NCAAs, with Huske (48.52) the only returner who broke 50 seconds last season (and raced the event at NCAAs), while Alex Shackell is another threat as she heads to Indiana with a PB of 49.49.

    The Vols don’t figure to have any other NCAA entrants in the 100 fly this season, with Emily Brown (52.79) and Ella Jansen (52.92) the only returning swimmers who broke 53 last season, and both of their focuses lie elsewhere.

    In the 200 fly, Brown is coming off a 12th-place finish at NCAAs in 1:53.99 after hitting a PB of 1:53.31 at SECs. Fellow first-year Jansen placed 19th at NCAAs (1:54.57) and set a best time of 1:54.28 at SECs. Based on those swims, both could very well be scorers this season, with Brown inching towards cracking the ‘A’ final and Jansen right on the cusp of the consols.

    Among incoming domestic recruits, Nicole Zettel (54.2/1:58.2), Amelia Mason (53.8/2:00.1) and Alyssa Claborn (54.4) bring some fly ability to the team.

    IM: ★★★

    Tennessee has a formidable duo for the next three seasons in the 400 IM with Ella Jansen and Emily Brown coming off respective 9th and 11th-place finishes in the event at their debut NCAA Championships.

    After Jansen (4:01.61) was the runner-up and Brown (4:05.17) took 6th and both set personal best times at SECs, Jansen topped the NCAA ‘B’ final for 9th overall (4:02.53) and Brown set a new best of 4:04.89 for 11th.

    Jansen should be an ‘A’ finalist this season based on her pedigree, and Brown has a chance after her PB at night ended up being just four one-hundredths shy of what made it back to the top eight in the morning (4:04.86).

    Brown is the only returning swimmer who raced the 200 IM at NCAAs last season, though she was ultimately disqualified for her shoulders going past vertical on the back-to-breast turn. She would’ve placed 27th with her time of 1:56.34, but her lifetime best of 1:55.24 from SECs would’ve made the ‘B’ final (1:55.50 cut-off).

    Jansen (1:57.96), Tori Brostowitz (1:59.27) and Emelie Fast (1:59.92) were the other swimmers on the roster who were sub-2:00 in the 200 IM, though Fast owns a PB of 1:57.44, which makes her more competitive at the conference level but still well shy of NCAA scoring.

    Nicole Zettel has a chance to make an immediate impact in her freshman year with best times of 1:58.08 and 4:11.10, which put her within striking distance of NCAA qualification if she can drop a bit of time (1:56.69/4:09.53 were the 2025 cutlines).

    DIVING: ★

    Tennessee only has two divers on its 2025-26 roster, and although one has been an NCAA qualifier and another was ranked in the top five in this year’s recruiting class, it’s hard to predict any points for them as we stand right now.

    Lynae Shorter, a rising junior who qualified for NCAAs as a freshman and had her best finish come at 36th on 1-meter, had one top 16 finish at SECs last season, placing 13th on 3-meter, but didn’t make it back to NCAAs.

    U.S. Nationals finalist Emma Rhines joins the Vols with some pedigree after being ranked #5 in SwimSwam’s diving recruit rankings. Like Shorter, Rhines specializes in the springboard events, and she made the final of the women’s 3-meter event at the 2025 USA Diving National Championships in May, placing 12th. Based on some of the competitors who were in that field, Rhines isn’t quite ready to be an NCAA scorer right from the jump, but she’s not far off.

    RELAYS: ★★★

    Note that the grading system doesn’t align perfectly for relays as double points.

    Relay grading system:

    5 star (★★★★★) – 31+ points per relay event 4 star (★★★★) – 22-30 relay points per event 3 star (★★★) – 12-21 relay points per event 2 star (★★) – 5-11 relay points per event 1 star (★) – 0-4 relay points per event

    It’s going to be pretty close to a complete overhaul for the Tennessee relays this year as they lose three-quarters of the medley relay lineups they fielded at the 2025 NCAAs and half of all three free relays.

    They were phenomenal last season to secure runner-up finishes behind Virginia in the 400 free and 400 medley relays, while they were elite at SECs in the 800 free relay and, despite adding four seconds at NCAAs, still took 6th. Their relative weak points were the 200s, placing 9th in free and 13th in medley, though their times from SECs would’ve landed them in the top eight.

    Luckily for the Vols, there are several candidates to replace the outgoing seniors.

    Tennessee’s Relay Breakdown

    Relay 2025 NCAA Result (Time) Lineup Losing Potential Adds Season-Best Time 200 FR 9th (1:27.03) Spink, McSharry, Crooks, Myers McSharry, Myers Hirai, Bocska, Burroughs, Mason 1:26.49 (SECs) 400 FR 2nd (3:08.63) Spink, Fuller, Jansen, Douthwright Fuller, Douthwright Hirai, Bocska, Jansen, Armen, Brown, Mason 3:08.63 (NCAAs) 800 FR 6th (6:53.87) Douthwright, Spink, Jansen, Fuller Douthwright, Fuller Bocska, Mason, Brown, Armen, Burroughs, Whelehan 6:49.83 (SECs) 200 MR 13th (1:35.28) Fuller, Siroky, Stotler, McSharry Fuller, Stotler, McSharry Hirai, Rathwell, Crooks, Spink 1:34.27 (SECs) 400 MR 2nd (3:24.99) Fuller, McSharry, Stotler, Spink Fuller, McSharry, Stotler Rathwell, Crooks, Siroky, Hirai 3:24.99 (NCAAs)

    The 200 free relay returns Camille Spink and Jillian Crooks, who both have been 21-point from a flat start, with Spink having been as fast as 21.23 and Crooks splitting 21.50 on a relay. Newcomers Mizuki Hirai and Julianna Bocska have meters times that convert to 22.0, so they’re the most likely replacements for this relay, though there’s a host of others with best times in the 22-mid range who could pop off this season.

    The epic runner-up finish at NCAAs in the 400 free relay came thanks to a 46.90 lead-off from Spink and a 46.48 second leg from the graduated Josephine Fuller, though Ella Jansen was a strong 47.40 swimming third. With two open spots, the most obvious candidates are again Hirai and Bocska, who should be able to split in the 47s, while Crooks has been 47 from a flat start, so she’s a candidate, as are 48-point swimmers Emily Armen, Emily Brown and Amelia Mason.

    Though the 400 free relay may lose one second with Fuller’s 46.4 walking out the door, they should be able to have three 47s to go along with Spink’s 46-low lead-off ability.

    The 800 free relay was dynamite at SECs last season, winning the conference title over Texas in a school record time of 6:49.83. The two fastest legs from that squad return, with Spink having split 1:41.28 and Jansen anchoring in 1:42.33. They added four seconds at NCAAs, clocking 6:53.87 for 6th place, with Spink well off her SEC split (1:43.99) while Jansen went even faster at 1:42.21.

    There are plenty of gaps to fill in for the departures of Brooklyn Douthwright, Julia Mrozinski (SEC relay) and Fuller (NCAA relay), and the team has options, though they may be taking a step back from where they were last year. Brown, Armen and Julia Burroughs are the returners who were sub-1:47 last season, while incoming freshman Mason may be the leading candidate to take a spot with her best time of 1:45.97. There’s also Bocska, whose LC best time converts to 1:45-high, and 1:46 first-year Mere Whelehan.

    If Spink and Jansen are at their best, and then the other two legs can chip in splits in the 1:45-flat range, the team should be able to produce a time similar to what they did at NCAAs last season and finished somewhere between 6th and 8th.

    Where things will see an even bigger shakeup is the medley relays, with Fuller, Mona McSharry and Sara Stotler having raced on both at NCAAs, meaning McKenzie Siroky (200 medley) and Spink (400 medley) are the only returners.

    For the 200 medley relay, Mizuki Hirai is looking like the team’s best bet for the lead-off leg, at least for this season before Charlotte Crush‘s arrival next fall. With Fuller graduating, Tennessee doesn’t have any top-tier backstroke sprinters, and Hirai has been 26.23 in SCM, which converts to 23.6

    Siroky and Spink are obvious picks for breast and free, though if this is the relay they end up leaving Spink off, Jillian Crooks or Julianna Bocska could be the anchor replacement.

    Butterfly then becomes the biggest question mark if Hirai is on back. Jansen split 23.73 on a relay last season at the Tennessee Invitational, which isn’t a far cry from the 23.36 split Stotler provided last year. Another option could be Crooks, who went 24.20 from a flat start in a dual meet last winter, and has been 26.40 in SCM and 27.53 in LCM.

    If they end up putting Hirai on fly, the backstroke leg could go to Regan Rathwell, Lexi Stephens or Sophie Brison, though all three get better as the distance increases. Another backstroke option could be Crooks, but it does seem as though Hirai on back is their best move, especially with potentially the best 50 breaststroker in the NCAA, Siroky, diving in second, they could get some clear water and a bit of a buffer on some other teams.

    For the 400 medley, it seems much more likely Hirai is used on fly, and Siroky and Spink are clear picks for breast and free. For backstroke, Rathwell (51.70), Crooks (51.95) and Stephens (52.04) are all fairly close on paper, so it could be any one of them.

    After they placed 2nd to UVA last season, Tennessee will be hard-pressed to repeat that type of performance this year in the 400 medley relay. However, if their backstroker can pull within a second of Fuller’s lead-off leg from NCAAs (50.21), they could produce a similar time if Hirai is able to go 50-flat on fly, which would gain that one second back from last year’s team that had Stotler split 51.01.

    Overall, the relays look like they are taking a small step back this season, but they’ve got plenty of key pieces returning and some intriguing additions who could make more of an impact than expected. Hirai will play a major role in all but the 800 free relay.

    Total Stars: 23.5/40

    2025-26 OUTLOOK

    The Lady Vols are seeing a big chunk of their core walk out the door—90 individual NCAA points and a combined 11 NCAA relay swims are gone, putting the onus on the returning swimmers to take over as the leaders and guide the newcomers.

    Camille Spink is an NCAA title threat and will be the driving force behind this team’s performance in four of the five relays, and rising sophomores McKenzie Siroky, Ella Jansen, Emily Brown and Jillian Crooks are all critical pieces of the team moving forward and will be counted on to take another step after successful freshman campaigns.

    The return of Emelie Fast is massive, helping offset the loss of Mona McSharry and maintaining the team’s 1-2 punch on breaststroke, while the addition of Mizuki Hirai fills a much-needed gap in sprint fly and back (the only problem is she can’t do both in the medley relays).

    Can Tennessee hold its top-five position, with so many key losses? Time will tell. The teams that sandwiched them last year, Indiana and Florida, also lost some critical swimmers, and the rest of the teams behind them in the top 10 all seemed to improve, so nothing’s certain. But if Spink and Hirai are at their best, the sophomore class builds on last year, and a few surprises are able to contribute, they’ve got a good chance.

    WOMEN’S 2025-26 COLLEGE PREVIEW INDEX

    RANK (2024) TEAM SPRINT FREE DISTANCE FREE BACK BREAST FLY IM DIVING RELAY TOTAL 1 Virginia Cavaliers 2 Stanford Cardinal 3 Texas Longhorns 4 Indiana Hoosiers 5 Tennessee Volunteers ★★★½ ★★★ ★★ ★★★★★ ★★★ ★★★ ★ ★★★ 23.5/40 6 Florida Gators ★ ★★★ ★★ ★★★ ★★ ★★★½ ★★★ ★★★ 20.5/40 7 Louisville Cardinals ★★★★ ★★ ★★½ ★★★ ★★★ ★★★ ★ ★★★★ 22.5/40 8 Cal Golden Bears ★★★½ ★★★★ ★★★½ ★★★ ★★★★ ★★½ ★ ★★★★ 25.5/40 9 Michigan Wolverines ★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★ ★★★ ★★½ ★ ★★★★★ 26.5/40 10 NC State Wolfpack ★★★ ★ ★★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★ ★★ ★ ★★★★ 23/40 11 USC Trojans ★★★★ ★★★ ★ ★½ ★ ★★★½ ★★ ★★★ 19/40 12 Wisconsin Badgers ★★ ★ ★★½ ★★ ★ ★ ★ ★★ 12.5/40

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