Cayman Islands 2018 Youth Olympian Jordan Crooks has sent a verbal commitment to join the men’s swimming & diving team at the University of Tennessee in the fall of 2021.
“I am excited to announce my verbal commitment to further my academic and swimming career at the University of Tennessee,” said Crooks.
The 18-year old Caymanian has represented his country at several major meets across the globe, including six consecutive years at the CARIFTA Swimming Championships with his best year being 2019, where he captured 7 medals. Crooks also competed at the CCCAN Championships, CISC, FINA World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea, and the Island Games in Gibraltar.
He recently dominated his competition at the Cayman Islands National Championships, winning gold in six events and was set to compete at this year’s CARIFTA Swimming Championships, but like many other sporting events, the game’s were postponed.
Crooks also competed in November at the 2019-2020 TYR Pro Swim Series in Greensboro, North Carolina, where he made the final in the 50-meter Freestyle event with a time of 23 point 79 seconds. He also competed at the University of Tennessee’s home pool in Knoxville, this past January, where he finished in the finals for two separate events. It was the first of potentially many swim meets in the Volunteer’s pool for Crooks.
“I would like to thank my family, supporters, CIASA and the CIOC, for providing opportunities for me to swim internationally, and all my coaches throughout the years, who have helped me to get to this stage,” said Crooks. “Coach Caleb Miller and Coach Bailey Weathers stand out because they believed in my abilities, counseled me through the toughest times, and motivated me to achieve some of my best times. Our Swimming association, CIASA, is fortunate to have a Technical Director, who is very knowledgeable. Coach Bailey Weathers has a vast amount of experience with College Swimming and effectively shares this knowledge to the benefit of the wider swimming community.”
Crooks local swim team, Camana Bay Aquatic Club, recently received a revamp in the coaching staff. CBAC newly assigned swim coach Hayley Palmer, who has been training Crooks for the past several months since her arrival late last year. She said all of Crooks’ hard work over the years is now paying off.
“We’re excited for Jordan to be joining Tennessee and adding to a strong program under Coach Matt,” said Palmer. “He has worked hard for this opportunity, and we look forward to seeing what else he can achieve.”
Crooks holds a combined seven national and CIASA records, and he is looking forward to representing the Cayman Islands at a collegiate level when he joins the Tennessee Vols in the Fall of 2021.
Cay 3 Sports 