The University of Kentucky swimming and diving squads begin competition in the SEC Swimming and Diving Championships Wednesday at the Gabrielsen Natatorium in Athens, Ga. The UK men look to build upon a sixth-place finish at the 2003 SEC Championships, while an improved UK women?s squad looks for better things after a ninth-place showing a season ago.

The Cats come to Georgia with SEC individual-event titles on their minds. Junior Daniel Cruz clocked the fastest 100 and 200-yard butterfly times in the conference during dual-match season, making him a leading contender to capture each event this week. Sophomore Steven Manley?s NCAA ?A? cut time in the 200-yard freestyle puts him near the top of the field in that event. Junior Jessica Siegele broke Emily Grass? six-year-old Kentucky 100-yard backstroke record in the fall and figures to place high in the event this week.

Sophomore Laura Graham has the Kentucky 200-yard breaststroke record to herself after a sterling performance earlier this month against Cincinnati and figures to land a top-five finish. Sophomore Jessica Thompson leads the UK diving contingent after placing in two events at the 2003 SEC Championships.

The four-day event begins Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. ET with the 50-yard freestyle, 400-yard IM and 100-yard backstroke preliminary rounds. The women?s one-meter diving preliminaries begin at 12:30 p.m. with the men?s three-meter diving preliminaries to follow. The individual-event champions will be crowned Wednesday night with the finals competition beginning at 6:30, where the 800-yard freestyle relay champion also will be crowned.