In February, the quartet of juniors Heather and Jenny Bradford, senior Nikia Deveaux and junior Lauren Willis became the first relay team in Kentucky history to win an SEC Championship. The winning 200-free relay team set school records when they tapped first and they will enter the NCAA Championships with the second fastest time in the country. UKathletics.com is reliving the win and their NCAA goals one leg at a time. Stay tuned to this page for more feature stories.
Updates: March 7 – Jenny Bradford
March 5 – Nikia Deveaux
March 4 – Lauren Willis
March 3 – Heather Bradford
Anchor Leg of an SEC Champion Relay Team: Jenny Bradford
Junior Jenny Bradford is a staple as the anchor leg in many of Kentucky?s relay teams, but the 200-freestyle relay is where she excels the most.
Bradford?s top individual event is the 50-freestyle, which is the same distance each leg swims in the 200-free relay. Bradford owns UK?s record in the individual 50-free, which she set at 22.03 at the 2007 SEC Championships.
On the night the 200-free relay team made history, Bradford notched her second consecutive silver medal in the 50-free. To say Bradford was disappointed in not winning the individual race would be an understatement.
?(Associate Coach) Shaun (Zitani) talked to me between the races,? said Bradford. ?I didn?t want to talk to anybody else. Shaun told me that you have more in you; I know you can go faster. I know you can go 21. I just felt like I had a chip on my shoulder. I knew I could pass that girl if we were close.?
The anchor leg of a race undoubtedly endures much of the pressure as the end result of the race comes down to your tap on the wall.
?The anchor leg definitely has the pressure on your shoulders to out touch someone,? explained Bradford. ?Nobody else really has that pressure because they?re not at the end of the race. If you get out-touched it?s pretty much your fault. I like the pressure though. I think that?s why I always swim faster in relays.?
As third leg Nikia Deveaux tapped in Kentucky stood in third place, behind Georgia and Auburn. The Bulldogs? had amassed a time of 1:07.20 after 150-yards, while Kentucky?s time stood at 1:08.01.
As the final leg approached, Bradford dove in determined to avenge her earlier loss. In what became one of the most memorable sights at the 2007 SEC Championships, Bradford caught Georgia?s Anne-Marie Botek before they even hit the turn after the first 25-yards. The Wildcat would then tap in with an astounding split time of 21.26, the fastest split time of the entire race.
?I knew we were going to win,? she recalled. ?I heard everybody yelling, so right when I touched the wall I knew that we had won. I didn?t event have to look at the clock.?
With Bradford?s amazing pass Kentucky?s relay team not only made history that night, but will carry the second fastest time in the country into the NCAA Championships.
?I want to final in everything, top eight in all of my events,? explained a tenacious Bradford. ?Last year we were seeded pretty well in some of the relays and we didn?t even get top-eight. I don?t think the girls (UK) have ever had a top-eight relay.?
With the 200-free relay being the first event of the NCAA Championships, the quartet of Jenny and Heather Bradford, Nikia Deveaux and Lauren Willis will get their shot immediately at changing the waves of Kentucky swimming. With the win at the SEC Championships, all four women have admitted to having more confidence and are set to prove something to the rest of the nation?s elite swimmers. One thing is for sure this group has established themselves among the best in the country, and if a win is within reach do not ever count Jenny Bradford out of a race.
?I think we can go faster,? said Bradford. ?If we?re that close again (at NCAAs), and I need to race I?m going to race.?
GET TO KNOW AN SEC CHAMPION?
Your favorite place to shop?
Wet Seal
Your favorite movie?
Any movie with Adam Sandler or Will Ferrell
TV show you can not miss?
The Real Housewives of Orange County, I love that show!
The person you most look up to?
I always looked up to Heather. She?s older. She was always faster and getting better grades, so I always tried to out-do her.
The best thing about being a Kentucky Wildcat?
I love it because of the team. I like everybody on the team and how close everybody is.
If you had one word to describe Coach Gary Conelly it would be?
He?s silly. He?s just funny, or sarcastic I guess.
What you want to do when your swimming career is over?
I have no idea. I don?t know yet.
Third Leg of an SEC Champion Relay Team: Nikia Deveaux
Every athlete dreams of getting to go out on top. Well, senior Nikia Deveaux will forever be able to claim she lived every athlete?s dream.
?You put your blood, your sweat, your tears and everything into it,? said Deveaux. ?You want to leave knowing that you made an impression. Regardless of whether or not we had won the relay I would have gone out satisfied. But, the fact that I am leaving a SEC Champion is something I can?t even describe.?
Deveaux is the third leg of Kentucky?s 200-freestyle relay team that won the first ever SEC Championship in February.
?When we went into the Championships we knew that we were seeded first and there was a chance that we were going to win,? she said. ?So, I was extra nervous. Any of the other girls will tell you that before I swim I?m always a mess. I?m just a wreck. The whole time while the race is going on, I thought that I would calm down, but I didn?t.?
Whether or not Deveaux is just being modest about her nerves, the senior touched in a 22.76 split. Her time gave Kentucky a total time of 1:08.01 after 150-yards leaving the final leg to junior Jenny Bradford.
?If the other girls for some reason didn?t get a lead, or the lead was lost I needed to make sure that we had a secure spot for Jenny,? explained Deveaux about her role as the third leg. ?If there is anyone ahead of me I have to catch up. If there is anyone coming up close, I need to leave them behind and make sure that she is in a comfortable position.?
Deveaux managed to give Kentucky a perfect position for Bradford, as the anchor leg brought home the championship touching in a total team time of 1:29.27.
?We?re all standing there quietly saying ?we?re going to win, we?re going to win,? Deveaux recalled. ?Then it hit us that we?re going to win and we start jumping up and down. I?ve never been so excited. I think I may have shed a tear or two.?
The quartet will enter the 2007 NCAA Championships this week as the team with the second-best time in the country behind only Arizona. All four members of the relay have participated in the national event at least once in their careers. Each member of the team has also earned at least one All-America honorable mention distinction. This year though, they are hoping to make even bigger mark on the national stage.
?I want us to at least keep our position or to make it a little higher and be the fastest in the country,? said Deveaux. ?I think that is what all of us really want to do. We just need to be safe; our exchanges are a big deal. I think we have the confidence now. We used to think that maybe we could win, or we might win, but now it?s like look we?re the second fastest in the country and the fastest in the conference. We just need to bring it to the pool at NCAAs.?
GET TO KNOW AN SEC CHAMPION..
Your favorite movie?
The Little Mermaid is my all-time favorite movie. I love movies and I go to watch them all of the time. I have too many to actually pick, but that?s my favorite animated movie. I also love Robin Hood Men in Tights.
TV show you can not miss?
Desperate Housewives it?s the only one. I don?t have a whole lot of time to watch TV with homework and practice and stuff, but I make sure that I make time for Desperate Housewives.
The best thing about being a Kentucky Wildcat?
The team, the other girls and the guys. The fans because regardless of the sport, there are always people out even at swim meets. It doesn?t draw a huge crowd but, we have a lot of people who come. When you walk around the campus people are excited to see and meet you. I take so much pride in being a Wildcat.
The person you most look up to?
My mom or my mummy which is what we say back at home. She is a very strong woman. She?s a single parent. She worked and took me to practice and everything. There were times when I needed help with homework and stuff, and she did everything. To me she is the ultimate woman. I always want to be like her.
If you had one word to describe Coach Gary Conelly it would be?
Funny
When your swimming career is over, what do you want to do?
I want to take some time off to travel. I want to travel a little bit, but then I have to settle down and do the work thing. I want to do something with public relations, anything communication related.
Second Leg of an SEC Champion Relay Team: Lauren Willis
Lexington native Lauren Willis returned to her roots as a junior after two seasons as a Purdue Boilermaker. One of the drawing points in her move back to her hometown was getting a chance to be a part of the 200-freestyle relay team.
?I knew that they had high hopes for it,? said Willis. ?(Associate Coach) Shaun (Zitani) just kept saying that the girls are really excited about you coming here, because when we think about that relay next year with you on it we know it can be a scoring relay.?
With Willis here the relay team took off, as if the missing piece to the puzzle was finally aligned. Expectations grew among the team and the quartet of swimmers as they prepared for the SEC Championships.
?The first leg is definitely important because it sets the tone for the relay,? Willis said. ?If the first person has a really great swim, it helps you get excited for it.?
In February, Heather Bradford took the first leg and touched in a time of 22.77 positioning Kentucky in third place after the first 50-yards. With the first exchange, Willis took over in the team?s quest for a championship.
?I think for the second leg, my job is not to lose any ground and to try to gain as much as I can,? she described. ?I have to set up the back half of the relay. I have to get those girls in position so that if it does come down to a touch-out, I?ve helped give them a better opportunity to touch those other girls out.?
Willis tapped in a 22.48 split, giving Kentucky a total time of 45.25 after 100-yards. Willis? finish kept Kentucky in third place, within reach of the leader Georgia. The Bulldogs? had emerged as the frontrunner after the first two legs in a time of 44.75.
?Once I got out and saw that Nikia (Deveaux) had kept us in a good position, I knew it was within reach for Jenny (Bradford) to touch them out,? recalled Willis about the win. ?We all started to get really excited once we saw where Nikia was. Once Jenny went in and Nikia got out, we were all like ?oh my gosh,? we knew right off of the flip that she was going to win.?
The excitement brewed on the sidelines and in the Lancaster Aquatic Center as the home crowd watched the group of four women win the school?s first ever relay SEC Championship. The team?s final time of 1:29.27 advanced them to the NCAA Championships.
In her first season at Purdue, Willis earned the third spot on the Boliermakers? 200-freestyle relay.
?As a freshman I didn?t really know what to expect, it (NCAA Championships) was at Purdue, so it was my home pool,? said Willis. ?So, that really helped with the nerves and helped me get a level of comfort. This year I feel like I deserve to be there.
Freshman year I feel like I just happened to train really hard and have a few lucky swims. It feels good to know that I am a contributing member to the University of Kentucky team as a transfer. I played a part in that relay; it wasn?t like my freshman year where I happened to have a really good swim and got put on the relay.?
Willis finally feels like she has earned a spot on the relay and is ready to help take Kentucky swimming to new heights on the 2007 national stage.
?We?re four 50-freestylers and we?re going to need to have perfect swims and fast exchanges,? she said. ?We?re going to go there and make our mark on the nation. We want to prove that Kentucky is a swimming school.?
GET TO KNOW AN SEC CHAMPION?
Your favorite place to shop?
I love Victoria?s Secret and I really like shoes a lot too. Well, just everything I like to shop a lot.
Your favorite movie?
I?ve never been able to narrow it down to one. It?s anything except scary movies. I hate gory, bloody movies. I like chick flicks a lot and comedies. Just not scary movies, that?s my only guideline.
TV Show you can not miss?
It was Alias, but it?s not on anymore. I own seasons 1-5 on DVD. That was the show that I would turn my cell phone off and tell my parents not to come to my room. It was serious business.
The best thing about being a Kentucky Wildcat?
Gosh, there are a lot of things. I love being home. I love being back with my family and friends. I feel comfortable in the city of Lexington. The team is great. There are just so many great things about it.
The person you most look up to?
My parents have had the greatest impact. They taught me that once you commit yourself to doing something you finish it even if you don?t want to do it. You don?t quit half-way through.
If you had one word to describe Coach Gary Conelly it would be?
Funny. He always has something funny or witty to say.
When your swimming career is over, what do you want to do?
I want to be a pharmacist. I think I want to do retail, and work in a place like Walgreens or Kroger. That way I can have some interaction with people. I know it sounds boring to some people, but I really like filling prescriptions.
First Leg of an SEC Champion Relay Team: Heather Bradford
Heather Bradford welcomes the pressure of being the first in the water. She enjoys setting the tone of the relay and guiding her team to a fast start.
?I know that the second and third swimmers are going to be looking up there to see my split,? Bradford said. ?If it?s not fast their excitement level is going to drop, from like a 10 to a five. If I have a really good split, I know that the rest of the team is going to get really pumped up.?
On February 8, Bradford glided to a 22.77 split time with the first leg of the 200-freestyle relay. When she hit the wall Kentucky was a few hundredths of a second behind Georgia and Auburn. It was a good enough time to get her teammates pumped up, considering the squad had high expectations for this relay.
?It?s kind of weird, because going in I kind of just expected that we would win,? said Bradford. ?If you look at the times, there?s no way that we shouldn?t have won. I think it would have been more of a disappointment if we didn?t win.?
Well, they did not disappoint. After swimming the first leg, Bradford watched as junior Lauren Willis, senior Nikia Deveaux and her twin sister Jenny inched Kentucky to victory.
Despite the Blue and White touching first that night in front of their home crowd at the Lancaster Aquatic Center, the excitement became overwhelming and realization did not quite set in for Bradford.
?A couple of days later it hit me, like ?oh my gosh, we?re the first relay to ever do that.? That was really cool,? she described.
The 200-freestyle relay team became the first team in school history to win a SEC Championship. Their time of 1:29.27 also earned them a spot among the NCAA Championship finalists in the event.
?We?ve never gone in with something to prove, and now we have to prove ourselves all over again,? said Bradford about the NCAA Championships.
Kentucky?s 200-free relay team will enter the national event with the second-best clip in the nation behind only Arizona.
The 200-free relay is slated as one of the events on the first night of competition on March 8, at the University of Minnesota.
?If we do well in the event I think it will get the ball rolling for us,? she said. ?I know in years past if you start off on a bad note, it kind of affects everyone. But, if you start out well it can get everybody ready to go.?
Bradford wants the 200-free relay to place in the top eight in the country. She holds the same high standards for the 200-medley team, which took bronze at the SEC Championships.
Additionally, Bradford who won a silver medal in the 100-butterfly at the SECs wants to individually place in the top-eight in her best event.
?I think I?m more relaxed each year I go to the NCAAs,? said Bradford. ?Freshman year you?re kind of like star-gazed looking at all of the American record holders and all of the fastest swimmers in the country. I think this year we?ll go in a little more confident, because all four of us on the relay have been there before. Hopefully, we can just relax and swim fast.?
GET TO KNOW AN SEC CHAMPION?
Your favorite place to shop?
We don?t have it here, but it?s Forever 21
Your favorite movie?
Billy Madison
TV Show you can not miss?
I watch a lot of reality shows, and I love Grey?s Anatomy
The best thing about being a Kentucky Wildcat?
I love being on the swim team, because we have to be one of the most fun teams. We?re never too serious about anything.
The person you most look up to?
I would have to say my sister (Jenny).
If you had one word to describe Coach Gary Conelly it would be?
Silly
When your swimming career is over, what do you want to do?
I want to be a kindergarten teacher. I love kids and I think I would be excited to go to work everyday.
