Kentucky adds four All-America honors on final day; Cats earn best NCAA finish in nine seasons
Kentucky junior Laura Graham became the first UK women?s swimmer to earn four All-America selections at a single NCAA meet, and sophomore Taryn Ignacio charted her first All-America honor as a Wildcat on the final day of the NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships at Purdue?s Boilermaker Aquatic Center.
Graham, a native of E. Sussex, England, placed 16th in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:14.16. Though she finished one spot behind fellow junior Shantel Commander, who clocked a personal-best time of 2:13.93, Graham earned her third honorable-mention All-America honor of the meet. Combined with her All-America finish in the 100 breaststroke and her honorable-mention All-America showings in the 200 and 400-medley relays, Graham becomes the first female swimmer at Kentucky to collect four All-America selections at a single NCAA meet.
Ignacio, a Richmond, Ky., native, missed the finals of the platform-diving event by one spot, placing ninth in the preliminary round with a score of 420.95. She earns her first honorable-mention All-America honor selection as a Wildcat after earning the same honor at the 2004 NCAA Championships while competing for Florida State. Junior Jessica Thompson earned her second honorable-mention All-America selection in as many days, placing 15th on the platform with a score of 380.80.
Kentucky added an 18th-place finish in the 400-freestyle relay, and freshman Jenny Bradford contributed a 43rd-place showing in the 100 freestyle. UK finishes in 18th place with 52 points, marking its best showing at the NCAA Women?s Swimming and Diving Championship since 1996, when Kentucky placed 14th with 97.5 points.
The UK men begin competition in the NCAA Championships beginning Mar. 24 at Minnesota.
NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships ? W. Lafayette, Ind.
Day Three Kentucky Results
200 Backstroke
Jessica Siegele ? Disqualified
100 Freestyle
43. Jenny Bradford ? 50.73
200 Breaststroke
14. Shantel Commander ? 2:13.93
16. Laura Graham ? 2:14.16
400 Freestyle Relay
18. Kentucky (Siegele, J. Bradford, H. Bradford, Commander) ? 3:26.46
Platform Diving
9. Taryn Ignacio ? 420.95
15. Jessica Thompson ? 380.80
