Camille Spink discusses Tennessee career, second SEC gold medal sweep
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The NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships will be held March 18-21 at McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta, Georgia.
Tennessee junior Camille Spink will compete in the NCAA swimming championships, qualifying for the 50-meter freestyle, 100-meter freestyle and 200-meter freestyle.
She enters NCAA competition after completing a sweep in the SEC Swimming and Diving Championships at Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center.
Spink won a gold medal in the 50-meter freestyle, 100-meter freestyle and 200-meter freestyle for a second consecutive year. She won the 50 and 100 freestyle for a third-straight season in the event.
Ahead of the 2026 NCAA championships, Spink discussed her process from her first year at Tennessee to earning 11 All-America certificates and 21 SEC medals (14 gold, six silver, one bronze) with Vols Wire.
“Going into college, I had a lot of space to grow, especially in swimming,” Spink said. “I never thought I would get to the point where I am today and able to compete so passionately in my events. Since coming to college, I’ve dropped over two seconds off my 100, over a second-and-a-half in my 50 and three seconds off my 200.
“It all comes down to coach Matt (Kredich) and my teammates, as well. He has been able to form me into such a good athlete that it’s so much beyond what I can do in the pool. I think that really motivates and fuels me for these performances. As long as I have my team behind me, then I really think I can go as long as I can. The love that I get from my teammates, especially during practice, when we are all pushing each other to be better and we remind each other of our goals all the time during our test sets. Having them keeping me accountable is a really great way for me to get better at small detail things. I am so grateful. I love all of it, the process, I am so proud of this team and happy to give back to it in the way that I have."
After making her Tennessee debut in a season-opening victory against Louisville on Oct. 12, 2023, Spink competed in the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, winning a gold medal in the 4x200 freestyle relay and a bronze medal in the 200-meter freestyle.
She discussed her time in the Pan American Games, representing the United States, and possibly competing in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, California.
“I had a couple of months at Tennessee before the Pan Am Games," Spink said. "One of my teammates Josephine Fuller went with me to that meet, so I really got to connect with her. I think that was kind of like a starting off point for me to embrace what it feels like to be a true Lady Vol. I’ve just added on to it after all these years.
“I have Olympic dreams. I’m going to continue to try and get them. I love swimming short course. That’s what we do in college. I think I have a lot more time to drop in long course. Last year I was ready, but I injured my knee and I couldn’t perform as well as I knew that I could at my national meet. It was kind of a setback, but I’ve had three summers now and I think I am ready to compete long course really well this year and drop more time.”
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This article originally appeared on Vols Wire: Camille Spink details swimming at Tennessee after SEC gold medal sweep
