KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Former University of Tennessee swimmer Erika Connolly claimed her third all-time medal at the Olympics on Saturday.
She won a silver medal with the USA women’s 4x100 freestyle team. She didn’t race in the final but did compete in the heats leading up to it. She won two medals in the 2020 Olympics held in Tokyo. She won silver and bronze in relay races in those Olympic Games.
She is the only UT women’s swimmer to win three Olympic medals. This was her only event in 2024.
In her time at UT from the 2016-2017 season to the 2019-2020 season, she was named SEC Female Swimmer of the Year twice.
Connolly's former coach, Matt Kredich, shared his thoughts on her achievements.
"It was a real privilege, really to just watch her grow and discover how great of a swimmer and how great of a teammate she could be," Kredich said. "There was an amazing progression and trajectory and her identity as a teammate went hand in hand with her identity as a swimmer."
He also said it was amazing to be a part of Connolly's time at the University of Tennessee.
"She's had some real success," Kredich said. "She's the only American female to have won a major medal at a world championship or Olympics in the past six years."
Kredich said after her initial success, Connolly suffered a back injury.
"That past 18 months has been a real challenge for her and she figured it out," Kredich said. "She kind of overcame those struggles just in time, by the skin of her teeth, and earned herself a spot on a relay that set an American record and won a silver medal."
Kredich said he hopes those he coaches don't swim for the reward of making the Olympic team or winning medals but rather the process of setting a goal and pursuing it.
"You never know what happens next, I wanna treasure this," he said. "She's such a team person, she loves swimming for the team. It's not really about her, never really has been."
Kredich also said it was amazing to see how the team mindset can lead to individual success.