Feb. 23, 1998

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – University of Kentucky swimmer Rachel Komisarz added another piece of hardware to her impressive trophy case on Saturday, winning the 200 butterfly title at the 1998 Southeastern Conference Swimming & Diving Championships.

The junior All-American posted a school-record time of 1:58.23 to win the event, more than a second faster than the second-place finisher, Georgia’s Hillary Johnson.

The win helped propel the UK women to a fourth-place finish – their highest since 1995. Komisarz finished fourth in the final individual points standings, totaling 53 during the Championships. Leigh Dalton and Annabel Kosten each added a third-place finish to the UK cause, as Dalton was third in the 1650 freestyle with a time of 16:33.53, while Kosten was third in the 100 freestyle with a time of 50.36. Melissa Olson finished fifth in the 200 backstroke, coming in with a mark of 1:58.66. Sophomore All-American Nat Lewis led the UK men, posting a third-place finish in the 1650 freestyle with a time of 15:08.88. The UK men finished seventh overall with 244.0 points.

Georgia captured the SEC Women’s Championship, while Auburn was first in the men’s competition.