The University of Tennessee is using Friday’s SEC showdown with Florida and Kentucky as an opportunity to honor the late Ben Kredich, the son of Volunteers’ head coach Matt Kredich who tragically died in August after he was struck by an impaired driver.
Tennessee’s swimmers are donning special caps to honor Ben, which were designed by his twin brother, Miles, who previously swam for the Savannah College of Art of Design (SCAD) and was a two-time NAIA national champ in the 200 fly.
Today we swim for Ben 🧡🩵
These caps were designed by Ben’s twin brother, Miles Kredich to honor Ben’s legacy. pic.twitter.com/ZNpt25MGwT
— Tennessee Swimming & Diving (@Vol_SwimDive) November 3, 2023
The team also shared the following video honoring Ben:
Ben’s mother, Kim Kredich, noted that it’s fitting that Ben is being honored during this specific meet with the Gators and Wildcats, as Kentucky head coach Bret Lundgaard is close to the Vols program after serving as an assistant coach at Tennessee from 2012 until 2017, while Florida’s entire team and staff sent the Kredich family “an actual tree” and a card shortly after Ben’s death.
“The entire swim community has been awesome,” Kim said. “The whole meet has been dedicated to celebrating Ben’s life and time at this pool in particular.
Ben, who was 24 at the time of his death, left behind a lasting legacy that included advocating for disabled student housing at Tennessee, where he was enrolled in the FUTURE program. The program, which Kredich graduated from in 2021, is designed for students with developmental disabilities, and his advocacy helped provide students the opportunity to live on their own for the first time.
The tri-meet got underway at 11:00 am ET on Friday.
