KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The 2024 Olympics are days away from commencing and there will be no shortage of Volunteers in Paris with a program-record 17 current and former members of the Tennessee Swimming and Diving program representing a dozen different nations.
The new program record nearly doubles the previous best of nine set during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. It will be the 14th consecutive Summer Games featuring a UT swimmer or diver, dating back to the 1972 Games in Munich.
Knoxville native Wes Kitts will complete dream of family joining him at the Olympics For the ninth time in the past 11 Olympics, Team USA will feature at least one Tennessee Vol or Lady Vol. Erika Connolly (formerly Brown) will represent the Stars and Stripes for the second straight Olympic Games.
Connolly became the most decorated female swimmer in school history from 2016-2020, garnering 22 All-America certificates and 18 SEC titles. A two-time SEC Swimmer of the Year, she was the first woman in SEC history to win the same three events in three straight seasons.
After becoming the first Lady Vol swimmer to compete in the Olympics while being a member of the active roster in 2016, Kira Toussaint of the Netherlands is set to become the first Lady Vol swimmer to compete in three consecutive Olympics.
Team USA divers discuss overcoming injuries and coming out of retirement Other Tennessee athletes returning for their second Olympics include Tjasa Pintar of Slovenia, Mona McSharry and Ellen Walshe of Ireland, Joaquin Vargas of Peru, and Lyubomir Epitropov of Bulgaria.
Check out the full list of Olympic athletes and which events they will compete in.
Olympic qualifiers
- Gui Caribe (Brazil) – 50m Freestyle, 100m Freestyle
- Erika Connolly (USA) – 4x100m Freestyle Relay
- Jillian Crooks (Cayman Islands) – 100m Freestyle
- Jordan Crooks (Cayman Islands) – 50m Freestyle, 100m Freestyle
- Brooklyn Douthwright (Canada) – 4x100m Freestyle Relay
- Lyubomir Epitropov (Bulgaria) – 200m Breaststroke
- Martin Espernberger (Australia) – 200m Butterfly
- Ella Jansen (Canada) – 400m Individual Medley
- Mona McSharry (Ireland) – 100m, 200m Breastroke
- Kayky Mota (Brazil) – 100m Butterfly
- Julia Mrozinski – (Germany) – 200m Freestyle
- Tjasa Pintar (Slovenia) – 4x100m Freestyle Relay
- Regan Rathwell (Canada) – 200m Backstroke
- Lamar Taylor (Bahamas) – 100m Freestyle
- Kira Touissant (Netherlands) – 100m, 200m Backstroke
- Joaquin Vargas (Peru) – 400m Freestyle
- Ellen Walshe (Ireland) – 200m, 400m Individual Medley
The swimming competitions in Paris are scheduled to run from July 27 through August 9.
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