Nov. 20, 2010
Day two finals results from Tennessee Invitational
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The University of Kentucky men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams completed day two of the Tennessee Invitational Friday with the women’s side achieving seven NCAA (B) qualifying times in five events.
A first-place finish in the 200 medley relay got things started for the women’s team. Chatham Penrod, Lindsey Graessle, Mandy Myers and Kayla Sergesketter teamed up to tap in at 1:39.82, good enough for an NCAA (B) qualifying time.
Sergesketter, who earned NCAA (B) qualifying times in the 200 freestyle relay as the lead swimmer, the 400 medley relay as the anchor, and the 50 freestyle on Thursday, earned NCAA (B) qualifying times Friday in the 200 freestyle in addition to the 200 medley relay where she was the anchor. Sergesketter came in second-place in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:48.60.
Graessle, a senior from Mason, Ohio, also earned an NCAA (B) qualifying time in the 100 breaststroke with a first-place finish time of 1:01.38.
Penrod and Perry also turned in NCAA (B) qualifying times in the 100 backstroke. Penrod finished in second-place with a time of 54.48, and Perry finished in third with a time of 55.17.
Junior Mandy Myers and sophomore Kelcy Perry earned NCAA (B) qualifying times in the 100 butterfly with times of 54.33 and 54.42, respectively.
Lisa Faulkner finished in second-place in the one-meter dive with a score of 272.90.
“We were very pleased with today’s swims,” head coach Gary Conelly said. “The women led the way with one of the top five times in the country in their win in the 200 medley relay. Kayla has continued to impress and Kelcy Perry surprised a lot of people with her 100 fly and 100 back times. Mandy Myers and Chatham Penrod also turned in top-10 times the 100 fly and 100 back. The highlight of the session was Lindsey Graessle’s win and top-10 time in the 100 breast.”
The men’s side earned a slew of season-best times Friday. The 200 medley relay team of Ramon Walton, Matt Russell, Jonathan Keltner and Chip Aplin tapped in at 1:29.99 to finish in third place.
Freshman diver Greg Ferrucci recorded a career-best score of 364.65 in the three-meter dive Friday to finish in second.
Russell also earned season-best times in the 100 butterfly with a 49.42, and the 100 breaststroke with a time of 56.08.
Reinhardt Strijdom, a senior from Pretoria, South Africa, finished in fifth-place with a season-best time of 1:39.08.
Will Heidler finished in fourth-place in the 400 individual medley by tapping in at 3:59.43.
“On the men’s side, Matt Russell had great swims in the 100 breast and 100 fly,” Conelly said. “Freshman Will Heidler turned in a near life-time-best time with his 400 IM time in the finals. We also got great performances from our divers with Lisa Faulkner and Greg Ferrucci leading the way. We are looking for more fast swims tomorrow.”
The women’s side finished day two of the invitational in third-place with 592 points. Virginia Tech is in first-place after day two with 731 points, Tennessee is in second with 647 points, followed by Kentucky in third and Alabama in fourth with 520 points.
On the men’s side, Kentucky finished day two in fourth-place with 389 points. Alabama leads with 829.5 points, followed by Virginia Tech with 639 points and Tennessee in third with 627.5 points.
Prelims for the Tennessee Invitational Saturday, the invitational’s final day, begin at 10 a.m. ET with finals following at 6 p.m. ET.
Day three will feature the finals of the 1650 freestyle, 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 200 breaststroke, 200 butterfly, the men’s and women’s platform dive or a 20-minute break and the 400 freestyle relay.
Stay tuned to UKathletics.com for more news on the Tennessee Invitational and the UK swimming and diving teams.
