University of Tennessee freshman Jordan Crooks continues to prove that an athlete from a small island can compete with the world’s elite.
On Thursday, the 19-year-old Caymanian tied third in the 50-yard freestyle finals, during the 2022 NCAA Division I Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships and earned first team All-American honors.
The 50y final featured a tight race to the end, with five swimmers finishing at almost exactly the same time at McCauley Aquatic Center, in Atlanta, GA.
However, it was 2020 Olympic gold medalist Curry Brooks that took the win with a time of 18.56 seconds, followed by Bjorn Seeliger (18.59), Crooks and Matt Brownstead who shared third place after clocking 18.60.
Volunteer’s associate head coach Rich Murphy said he was “trilled” to see Crooks execution of the race.
“We were thrilled that he got the experience of racing in the A final this evening, and he tied his second-best personal time and was 0.04 away from winning,” said Murphy. “As the only freshman in the heat, he showed a ton of poise and really did well.”
Last month Crooks made history after winning the SEC title in a personal best time of 18.53 seconds, while becoming the fastest 50y freshman in NCAA history.
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