KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Coming off a pair of top 10 finishes at last season’s NCAA Championships. The Vols and Lady Vols begin their 2025-26 season on the road with a top-10 dual against Texas at the Lee and Joe Jamil Texas Swimming Center. The prelims begin at 11 a.m. ET, with the finals getting started at 6:30 p.m. ET. Live results will be available for fans on Meet Mobile, with the finals of the dual meet streamed on SEC Network+.

This marks the first time the two programs have met during the regular season since the 2018-19 season, when the Longhorns and the Vols met in Knoxville. The men came up just short in that dual back on Nov. 9, 2018, falling by a score of 156.5-143.5.

The Lady Vols begin the season ranked No. 4 in the CSCAA poll, with the men checking in at the No. 6 spot. 

There is a lot of excitement on the Lady Vol side, with multiple top competitors returning from last season’s squad. 11-time all-American Camille Spink is back for her junior season. Spink helped the 800m relay team earn a podium finish at NCAAs for the fourth consecutive season. She became the first Lady Vol to medal in the 100 Free since 2008, earning a bronze medal with a time of 46.68. Spink cleaned up at last season’s SEC Championships, earning five gold medals. She became the first SEC swimmer to win back-to-back 50 free championships since former Lady Vol Erika Brown did it three times from 2018-20. Joining Spink is McKenzie Siroky, who returns for her sophomore season after three all-American performances a season ago and three medals at SECs. Siroky earned a pair of silver medals in the 100 Breast and as a member of the 100 Medley Relay team, while also picking up bronze in the 200 Breast at last season’s SEC Championships. Also returning for the Lady Vols is Sophie Brison, who took home bronze in the 200 BAck behind the third-best mark in program history.

The men also look to get back into action with multiple top competitors from a season ago. Gui Caribe returns to Rocky Top for his final season, one of two returners from a 200 and 400 Freestyle Relay team that set the NCAA Record in both events en route to gold medals. Caribe is coming off a pair of third-place finishes in the 50 and 100 freestyle at last year’s NCAA Championship as well. Joining Caribe from those relay teams is Nikoli Blackman, who also qualified for both the 100 and 200 free at the NCAA meet. Martin Espernberger is back in 2025-26, coming off his second straight medal in the 200 Fly at the SEC Championships. Espernberger took a fifth place finish in the 200 Fly at NCAAs, the best finish for a Vol in the event since Melvin Stewart won the event in 1991. Sophomore diver Bennett Greene is back after a strong freshman season. Green earned the best finish in the 1-meter competition at NCAAs for a Vol since Matthew Wade in 2021 and the first freshman since Wade in 2019. Green also won bronze in 3-meter diving at the SEC Championships, becoming the first UT freshman to win a medal in the event since Liam Stone took gold in 2015.

The men’s team also welcomes newcomer Gabe Nunziata for this season. Nunziata was one of the top breaststrokers this past year, taking bronze in the 200 Breast at the 2025 USA Swimming National Championships. Nunziata is also coming off a pair of medals at the Junior World Championships, taking silver in the 100 Mixed Medley and bronze in the 200 Breast. Juliana Bocksa joins the Lady Vols this season. Last November, she won bronze in the 200 free at the German Short Course Championships. She also placed fifth in the 50 free at the 2024 European Aquatics Junior Championships.

Three swimmers were also named to the national team roster this season, with the aforementioned Siroky and Nunziata joined by transfer Kamal Muhammad. They join a list of swimmers from across the country to be named to the roster for the 2025-26 calendar. Muhammad joins the program from Virginia. He placed fifth overall in the 50-meter fly and was sixth in the 100 fly at U.S. National Championships, clocking personal-best marks in both events.