Feb. 22, 2002

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – University of Kentucky junior Clayton Moss was named the 2002 Southeastern Conference Championship Diver of the Meet and diving coach Mike Lyden was named and 2002 SEC Conference Championship Coach of the Meet it was announced during the championships which are being held on the University of Arkansas campus.

Moss, a junior from Doerun, Ga., and the defending SEC Champion on the one-meter springboard, was selected as the Diver of the Meet following his dominating performance in the 2002 championships. After placing third in the three-meter diving competition on the first day of the competition, Moss returned to the pool on day two to claim his second consecutive SEC title on the one-meter. With the accomplishment on the one-meter, Moss became the first UK swimmer or diver to claim back-to-back SEC titles. Moss closed out the meet with a second-place finish in the platform competition.

Lyden, who has been at Kentucky for nine years, was named the SEC Men’s Diving Coach of the Meet for his tutelage of Moss, senior Aaron Kirkpatrick and freshmen John Collier and Mario Rodriguez. Along with Moss, Kirkpatrick competed in the finals in all three of the events. Kirkpatrick opened the meet with a second-place finish on the three-meter and followed that by placing second to Moss on the one-meter. Kirkpatrick closed out the meet by placing seventh on the platform.

Lyden had previously been named the 1992 SEC Men’s Diving Coach of the Year and the 1996 SEC and NCAA Women’s Diving Coach of the Year.

The pair was selected for the honors through a vote conducted by the SEC coaches.

-UK-