LEXINGTON, Ky.?The men?s and women?s swimming and diving teams will embark on a Southeastern Conference road-trip this weekend with match-ups against three conference foes. The Wildcats will tangle with South Carolina and Tennessee in a tri-meet held in Columbia, S.C., on Friday. UK will then meet with Georgia in Athens on Saturday.
Kentucky returns to the pool after close opening matches against Indiana on Saturday. The No. 18 ranked men fell to the Hoosiers? No. 12 team 171-127. Kentucky?s No. 23 ranked women dropped a 173-125 decision to the No. 17 Hoosiers.
Divers junior Kari Retrum and sophomore Justin Smith opened the 2006-07 campaign with fast starts. Retrum broke into the UK all-time top-10 list at No. 2 on the three-meter board with a score of 317.55, edging teammate Taryn Ignacio?s 316.60 mark. Retrum led the Wildcats, placing second in both diving events.
Smith registered his first career multiple win in a dual meet, claiming first on the one- and three-meter boards. His 326.25 score on the three-meter also broke into the UK all-time top-10 list, at No. 10.
The storyline for this season?s men?s squad is youth. In the team?s debut meet against Indiana, many of the team?s rookies had stellar outings. Eric McGinnis placed second in both the 50- and 100-freestyle to lead Kentucky. Kyle Greene and Alex Forbes all contributed quality performances in their collegiate debuts as well. Greene placed second in the 200-free and fourth in the 200-back, while Forbes tapped in third in the 50-free and fourth in the 100-free.
Sophomore Mickey Malul and junior Grant Nelson each earned their first wins of the season, taking the 100-breaststroke and the 200-butterfly respectively.
On the women?s side, the Lady Cats earned a 1-2-3 finish in two events led by junior Jenny Bradford. Bradford touched first in both the 50-free and 100-fly to get the team started. In the 50-free Bradford was followed by junior newcomer Lauren Willis and classmate Heather Bradford. Senior Nikia Deveaux took the fourth spot to add to dominance of the event.
In the 100-fly Jenny Bradford clocked in first with freshman Megan Pulskamp and Heather Bradford taking second and third. Pulskamp also placed second in the 200-fly in her collegiate debut.
Kentucky faces a steep test this weekend, facing some of the top teams in their conference and in the nation. The South Carolina women have three matches under their belt and sport a 2-1 record. Tennessee?s Lady Vols are ranked No. 15 and have an unblemished season record. Georgia, last season?s national runner-up, is currently ranked fifth nationally.
The men face an equally stiff challenge. The No. 12 ranked Wildcats will meet No. 14 Tennessee and No. 9 Georgia who both are undefeated. South Carolina is 1-1, with home pool advantage.
Friday?s tri-meet featuring Tennessee, Kentucky and South Carolina is slated to being at 3 p.m. The tilt with Georgia will begin Saturday at 11 a.m.
A compete recap of each of the team?s meets this weekend can be found at www.ukathletics.com.
