March 22, 1998

MINNEAPOLIS – Behind seven All-American performances, the University of Kentucky registered a 21st-place finish at the 1998 NCAA Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships.

It marked the fifth-straight year the Wildcats have posted a top 25 finish. UK was 24th last year and 14th in 1996. The Wildcats posted back-to-back 19th-place showings in 1994 and 1995. Junior Rachel Komisarz paced the UK swimmers, earning four All-American awards. She picked up All-America honors outright in the 100 butterfly and earned honorable mention plaudits in the 200 butterfly. Freshman phenom Melissa Olson, swimming in her first NCAA meet, picked up honorable mention All-America honors in the 400 individual medley, while senior Leigh Dalton was named All-American in the 1650 freestyle for the fourth-straight year. Senior Beth Leake picked up honorable mention All-America honors on the one-meter springboard, her third All-America award in the last three years.

Komisarz, Olson, Annabel Kosten and Ellen Strange teamed to win honorable mention All-America honors in the 800 freestyle relay, while Komisarz and Kosten teamed with Jaime Siegele and Jenny Priester to earn honorable mention All-American honors in the 200 freestyle relay.

Up next is the 1998 NCAA Men’s Swimming & Diving Championships, to be held this coming weekend at Auburn University.