March 27, 2014
AUSTIN, Texas – Freshman Brandon Flynn won his heat in the 500 freestyle as the University of Kentucky swimming and diving team competed in three events on the opening day of the NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships Thursday in Austin, Texas.
Flynn won his heat and finished 40th overall in the 500 yard freestyle and senior Eric Bruck placed sixth in his heat and 33rd overall in the 50 freestyle. In his first of three diving events this weekend, senior Greg Ferrucci finished 26th in the 1-meter competition.
“I thought Brandon Flynn’s swim was great for a freshman at his first NCAA’s, so I was happy about that,” UK head coach Lars Jorgensen said. “Tomorrow is a big day for us, I think we have a little more scoring opportunities, with our relay and Greg, I know he can bounce back and be a little better tomorrow. Overall it was a pretty good day but I think we can do better tomorrow.”
Flynn opened the day for the Wildcats with a strong swim in the 500 freestyle. The freshman won his heat and placed 40th overall with a personal-best 4:20.95. After a slow start in the first 100 yards, Flynn proceeded to continuously get faster in six of his final seven 50-yard splits. The strong second half gave Flynn the fourth-fastest time in school history.
In the 50 yard freestyle, Bruck notched a 19.68 to finish sixth in the fourth heat and 33rd overall. The senior opened with a 9.43 in the first 25 yards before a 10.25 in the final half of the race. He placed 0.08 seconds ahead of the seventh-place finisher in his heat and 0.20 behind the fifth-place finisher.
Ferrucci placed 26th overall in the 1-meter with a 306.00. His highest scoring dive came on his final dive, an Inward 2 1/2 Somersault Tuck, which scored a 74.40. Ferrucci’s fourth dive scored a 60.00, a Revers 1 1/2 Somersault 2 1/2 Twist Free. He opened with a Back 2 1/2 Somersault Tuck that scored a 52.50.
The three-day national championships continues Friday, with prelims at noon ET. The finals, which will feature the top 16 finishers in the prelims, commence at 8 p.m. Flynn will race in the 400 individual medley, while Ferrucci will compete in the 3-meter dive. UK’s relay team of senior Lucas Gerotto, junior George Greenhalgh, Bruck and senior Chris Lott will race in the 200 medley relay.
Fans can follow along with all the action from the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center with live results, a live video stream, updated schedules and more on TexasSports.com’s Championship Headquarters page. Additional updates from Austin can be found at @UKSwimDive, the official Twitter account of the UK swimming and diving program.
For complete news and updates on the Kentucky Swimming and Diving program, go to UKathletics.com/SwimmingDiving. Breaking news, behind-the-scenes updates, photos and more can be found on Twitter at @UKSwimDive and Facebook at Facebook.com/UKSwimDive.
