Kyle Barker, Mason Wilby Punch Tickets to 2022 NCAA Championships

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky men’s swimmers Kyle Barker and Mason Wilby have officially been invited to the 2022 NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships, as announced by the committee on Wednesday. The national meet will be held March 23-26 at the McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta, Georgia.

This is the second year in a row Wilby has punched his ticket with Barker set to compete in the big dance for the first time in his career.

To earn an invitation to the NCAA Championships, swimmers had to meet established time standards throughout the season. Wilby will compete in the 200 IM, 200 fly and 200 back while Barker will race the 200 breast, 200 IM and 400 IM.

Both senior standouts have rewritten the Kentucky record book several times the past few weeks. At the Southeastern Conference Championships, Wilby lowered the school record in the 200 IM with a time of 1:43.05 during prelims. His morning swim of 1:41.90 in the 200 back also set a new program mark. 

Wilby’s most notable performance from the conference meet came in the 200 fly, his signature event in which he earned bronze. Kentucky’s co-captain crushed his own school record of 1:42.26 during prelims with an impressive 1:41.08 before obliterating that time once again in 1:40.15 in finals. 

In his last race at the SEC Championships, Barker threw down a 1:54.84 in the 200 breast to finish 10th overall and break the school record. His time was a personal best by well over two seconds and crushed the old mark of 1:55.52. 

The following weekend at the UT Last Chance Meet, Barker dropped a 3:42.68 in the 400 IM to eclipse the previous program standard of 3:42.73 and knock off four seconds from his lifetime best. 

Last year, Wilby finished 13th in the 200 fly at the NCAA Championships to earn All-America Honorable Mention honors. The Gainesville, Florida native will arrive in Atlanta as the seventh seed in the 200 fly, which would earn All-America First Team status. 

Diver Sam Duncan also secured his spot in Atlanta and will compete on the national stage for the second straight season. Currently at the Zone C Diving Championships in Michigan, the sophomore earned a bid on the 1-meter. The Wildcats will look to add even more divers to their travel roster as Zones concludes Wednesday.

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.