By James Sutherland on SwimSwam
Competitor Coach of the Month is a recurring SwimSwam feature shedding light on a U.S.-based coach who has risen above the competition. As with any item of recognition, Competitor Coach of the Month is a subjective exercise meant to highlight one coach whose work holds noteworthy context – perhaps a coach who was clearly in the limelight, or one whose work fell through the cracks a bit more among other stories. If your favorite coach wasn’t selected, feel free to respectfully recognize them in our comment section.
Matt Kredich led the Tennessee Volunteers to a very successful month of October, winning one College Swimming League (CSL) match, giving Virginia a real run in another, and landing Camille Spink on the U.S. roster for the Short Course World Championships.
The Vols opened the season in CSL Match 4 on Oct. 9, winning six events and the women’s super skins to score 535 points, placing 2nd overall behind Virginia (567).
Freshman Charlotte Crush highlighted Tennessee’s effort by setting a new program record in the women’s 200 back (1:48.87), while fellow first-year Madison Kryger moved to #3 all-time in school history in 1:49.97 to place 2nd.
Crush led the entire meet with 70.5 points, having also placed 2nd in the 100 fly, 5th in the 100 IM, contributed to two relays and finished as the runner-up to Claire Curzan in the women’s 50 fly skins.
Male sophomore Gabe Nunziata was 4th overall in meet scoring with 50.5 points, including winning the 200 breast, placing 2nd in the 100 breast and taking 3rd in the men’s breaststroke skins.
Tennessee followed up by hosting Carson-Newman the following day, handily sweeping the Eagles, and then two weeks later, they were back in action at the sixth CSL match at Georgia on Oct. 23.
The Vols had a dominant performance at the match, piling up 668 points to topple Alabama (382.5), Georgia (353) and Auburn (316.5), officially clinching their spot in the CSL Championship Match on Nov. 6.
Crush once again paced the Vols, leading the meet in scoring by a wide margin with 87 points, resetting her school record in the 200 back (1:48.31), earning additional wins in the 100 back and 100 fly, and coming out on top in the women’s butterfly skins over teammate Mizuki Hirai. Hirai ranked 2nd in the meet with 58 points, while Camille Spink was 3rd with 57 points.
Spink made history in the 100 free, clocking 45.91 to become just the eighth woman ever under the 46-second barrier and pull within eight one-hundredth of the program record of 45.83 set by Erika Brown in 2020.
Nikoli Blackman led the Tennessee men with 43 points, winning the 50 free, 100 free, and anchoring the men to victory in the super skin relays.
One week later at the U.S. Short Course World Championship Trials, Spink had a very impressive performance as the lone Tennessee entrant, placing 3rd in the women’s 50 free (23.26), 4th in the 200 free (1:54.14, 1:53.71 in prelims) and 5th in the 100 free (51.66, 51.61 in prelims), setting personal bests across the board.
That 4th-place finish in the 200 free earned her a spot on the U.S. roster, making her one of 18 swimmers set to make their World Championship debut for the Americans next month in Beijing.
Additionally, Spink now ranks #3 all-time among American women in the 50 free, #6 in the 100 free and #18 in the 200 free.
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Read the full story on SwimSwam: Competitor Coach of the Month: Matt Kredich
