Aug. 16, 2011

LEXINGTON, Ky. – University of Kentucky swimming senior Tyler Reed broke the :50 mark in the 100 freestyle at the 2011 ConocoPhillips USA Swimming National Championships in Palo Alto, Calif. Reed’s time, a personal best, places him in the top 50 in the world in the 100 free.

The meet, which took place from Aug. 2-6 at the Avery Aquatic Center, featured some of the best swimmers in the country, and Reed showed what he’s capable of. Competing in the 100 free, Reed swam a time of 49.88, making his time one of the few in the world in the 49-second bracket.
 
“I’m really excited for Tyler because it’s a major step forward in his career,” UK swimming and diving head coach Gary Conelly said. “It puts him in position to be a legitimate threat to be on the Olympic team in 2012. It will also perhaps shift him more to sprints from the middle distance events.”

Kentucky also had many other successful swims at Stanford, including junior Maclin Simpson. Simpson, a Louisville, Ky., native, swam the 100 and 200 butterfly, posting a 58.01 and 2:02.18, respectively.

Chatham Penrod also had a nice meet, posting a time of 1:04.78 in the 100 backstroke. Penrod also swam a 2:18.61 in the 200 back.

Kristen Wilson, a sophomore from Lexington, Ky., posted a time of 26.93 in the women’s 50 freestyle, and 58.32 in the 100 free.

Simpson, Reed, Penrod and Wilson have all qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials that will be held in Omaha, Neb., in June 2012.

Alex Forbes, William Heidler, Travis Green, Reinhardt Strijdom, Ramon Walton, Mandy Myers, Megan Eppler, and incoming freshman Christina Bechtel also competed at nationals.

UK swimmers will have one final chance to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Trials in a meet held at the Georgia Tech Aquatic Center in December.

A complete result booklet can be downloaded from usaswimming.org under the `events’ tab.

For all Kentucky swimming and diving news, go to UKathletics.com.