Wildcats Post 16 Top-10 Finishes on Night One of Ohio State Invitational
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 13 University of Kentucky men’s and women’s swimming and diving team concluded the first night of the Ohio State Invitational at the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion, earning 16 top-10 finishes and achieving 15 NCAA B standards.
Four Wildcats competed in the championship heat of the women’s 500 free, led by Beth McNeese who finished fifth in 4:44.02 followed closely by Kaylee Williams (4:44.90). Izzy Gati (4:45.18) and Megan Drumm (4:46.97) took eighth and 10th, respectively, while all four swimmers achieved the NCAA B standard in the event.
Kaitlynn Wheeler dominated the C-final of the 500 free by five seconds. She bested her prelims time by over six seconds to earn the B standard in a final time of 4:45.97.
Jakob Clark paved the way in the men’s 500 free, taking 11th in 4:22.10 while Adam Rosipal was 13th in 4:23.44. Also competing in the consolation heat was Zane Rosely who posted a time of 4:25.17 for 17th.
Swimming in the D-final of the 500 free, Nick Caruso threw down a lifetime best by five seconds of 4:22.52 to claim the heat. His time was fast enough to achieve the NCAA B standard along with Clark.
The Wildcats were well-represented in the A-final of the women’s 200 IM, as Bailey Bonnett swam to third place in 1:57.19. Gillian Davey was close behind in 1:57.31 for fourth, followed by Sophie Sorenson (1:58.10) who tied for fifth and Gati (2:00.86) in ninth.
Lauren Poole clocked in at 1:57.84 to win the B-final as Jodi Ogle claimed the C-final in 1:59.85. Both swimmers, as well as Bonnett, Davey, and Sorenson, picked up the NCAA B standard.
Mason Wilby was UK’s top finisher in the men’s 200 IM after stopping the clock in 1:45.70 for fifth ahead of Kyle Barker (1:46.69) in eighth as both earned the B cut. Max Berg also swam in the A-final, taking 10th in 1:48.91.
After notching the B standard in prelims of the women’s 50 free with a time of 22.69, Riley Gaines placed 10th in finals in 22.77. On the men’s side, Berg had his second top-20 finish of the night, racing to 19th in 20.56.
On the boards, Sam Duncan improved upon his eighth-place qualifying seed to finish fifth on the 1-meter with a final score of 350.45.
The Wildcats return to the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion on Friday, Nov. 19 for day two of the midseason invitational. Prelims will begin at 9:30 a.m. ET and tomorrow’s events include the 200 medley relay, 400 IM, 100 fly, 200 free, 100 breast, 100 back, 800 free relay, women’s 1-meter, and men’s 3-meter.
For the latest on the Kentucky swimming and diving program, follow @UKSwimDive on Twitter and on Instagram, on Facebook and on the web at UKathletics.com.
