UT diver to appear in Sports Illustrated

Tennessee's sensational sophomore diver Ryan Helms will appear in this week's issue Sports Illustrated magazine's Faces in the Crowd.

Helms was chosen after he began the season 8-0 in dual meets and won the Southeastern Conference's Diver of the Week honor each of this season?s first three weeks. In the Vols? last dual meet, Helms came within .15 points of breaking the school record on the one-meter springboard. Helms also holds the pool record on the one-meter at 388.50.

This is the first time a member of the men's aquatics program at Tennessee has ever been featured in Faces in the Crowd.

Helms was named the SEC Freshman Diver of the Year after his freshman campaign. At the 2009 NCAA championships, Helms earned honorable mention All-America certificates on both the one- and three-meter springboards. He finished 12th on the three-meter and 13th on the one-meter.

He was also named to the All-SEC Freshman Team and to the conference's freshman academic honor roll. The College Swimming Coaches Association of America also tabbed Helms as a Scholastic All-America.

The Moultrie, Ga., native is the son of Michael and Tina Helms. He graduated from Colquitt County (Ga.) High School in 2008 and is majoring in exercise science at UT.