Nov. 15, 2011
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The University of Kentucky swimming and diving team will travel to Knoxville, Tenn., this week to compete in the University of Tennessee Invite that will take place on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at the Jones Aquatic Center. The meet will be the final of the fall season for UK.
“This meet is always the highlight of the first semester,” UK head coach Gary Conelly said. “The team is very excited about competing and getting some foreshadowing of how their season will culminate. A few of our guys who will be going to Olympic Trials in June are training through the meet but we are still expecting fast times across the board. The divers are just as excited. It will be a very competitive meet with lots of great performances.”
Greg Ferrucci has been the leader for the UK diving team this season, breaking the school record on the three-meter diving competition two different times, including two weeks ago when the reigning Southeastern Conference Freshman Diver of the Year posted a score of 396.25 en route to a first place finish in the competition. In the first six diving competitions of the year, Ferrucci has finished first in five of them. The sophomore from Huntersville, N.C. has also been named SEC Diver of the Week the last two weekends the Wildcats have been in action. Ferrucci leads the SEC in both the one and three-meter diving competitions this season.
Tyler Reed will look to continue his standout senior campaign, as Reed will compete in many freestyle events, which he has seen great success in this season. Reed swam a 20.89 in the 50-freestyle two weekends ago, cracking the top-15 in the SEC with that time. Reed currently sits eighth in the 100-freestyle, posting a time of 45.24 seconds in the season opener in Knoxville last month. Reed is also seventh in the SEC in the 200-freestyle, with a best time of 1:39.13.
Megan Eppler and Christina Bechtel have been the leaders in the water for UK in the fall campaign. Bechtel has posted numerous first-place finishes in the butterfly events this year. Bechtel’s best times include a 55.13 in the 100-butterfly, and a 2:01.06 in the 200-butterfly, good enough for the ninth, and eighth-best times in the SEC respectfully.
Christa Cabot has been the leader on the diving boards for UK, posting a handful of first-place finishes, as well as many impressive scored. The freshman owns the ninth-best score in the SEC in the three-meter dive, with a score of 313.27, and the 15th-best time in the one-meter competition with a best score of 272.10 in Nashville, Tenn.
After an 0-2 start, the UK men’s team has rallied to get back over the .500 mark, as they now own a 3-2 record, while the women currently own a 4-2 record.
The meet will take place all day Wednesday, Thursday and Friday all day.
For continuing coverage of UK Swimming and Diving, log on to UKAthletics.com.
