ATHENS, Ga. – A trio of Kentucky swimmers scored top-five finishes Friday evening in the SEC Swimming and Diving Championships at Georgia?s Gabrielsen Natatorium.
Junior Daniel Cruz led the 200-yard butterfly going into the final split but fell just shy in the end, taking a second-place finish with an NCAA ?A? cut time of 1:43.53. Auburn senior Jeremy Knowles rallied to defeat Cruz by a miniscule three one hundredths of a second, marking the nation?s fastest two times in the event this season. Cruz?s time breaks his own school record he first established at last November?s Nike Cup in Chapel Hill, N.C. by 1.26 seconds and was shy of the NCAA record by less than two seconds. Cruz first modified his 200-yard butterfly record by clocking a 1:44.63 in the preliminary round Friday morning. The Palm Coast, Fla., native joins junior Steven Manley, the second-place finisher in Thursday?s 500-yard freestyle, as 2004 SEC Runners-Up.
Manley followed his 500-yard freestyle school-record performance from two days ago by claiming the Kentucky 200-yard freestyle record, completing the event in 1:35.72 to place fourth. Manley?s record-breaking time also is the fourth-fastest 200-yard freestyle time in the NCAA this season and qualified him to compete for the national title at next month?s NCAA Championships in East Meadow, N.Y. The Irishman breaks the Kentucky record time of 1:36.04 swam at the 2001 SEC Championships by Macon White.
Sophomore Laura Graham, like Cruz, modified one of her own school records, completing the 200-yard breaststroke in 2:13.56 to place fifth. The time scored an NCAA ?A? cut, allowing her to compete for the national title at next month?s NCAA Championships at Texas A&M. Graham swam a 2:14.25 in the preliminary round to eclipse the 2:14.66 Kentucky record time she established three weeks ago against Cincinnati.
Junior diver Mario Rodriguez placed seventh in the platform diving event after turning in an eighth-place showing in Wednesday?s three-meter diving event. The native of Mexico City has made quite a comeback after a knee injury cut short his sophomore season, keeping him out of the 2003 SEC Championships.
?Mario has worked hard everyday this season, and I couldn?t be happier for him,? UK Diving Coach Mike Lyden said. ?To break into this tremendous group of SEC divers after returning from a serious injury is a tremendous feat.?
Several other Wildcats put points on the board in the consolation rounds. Junior Jerram Chudleigh and senior Eddie Clement took first and second in the 200-yard butterfly consolation final to place eight and ninth overall. Chudleigh?s time of 1:45.74 was good for an NCAA ?B? cut.
Sophomore Shantel Commander won the 200-yard breaststroke consolation final, clocking a 2:16.16 for a personal best time and NCAA ?B? cut. Sophomore Brennan Moore became the third Wildcat to capture a consolation final as she completed the 200-yard backstroke in 2:01.54, establishing a Kentucky season high.
Senior Kendra Trahan scored for the Cats with a 13th-place showing in the 200-yard breaststroke, and Chudleigh, freshman Alejandro Bravo and junior Dave Roberts placed 14th, 15th and 16th in the 200-yard backstroke, also putting points on the board.
The Kentucky women move up two spots to seventh place overall, while the Kentucky men remain in fifth place overall. The 2004 SEC Swimming and Diving Championships conclude Saturday.
AGATE:
Women?s 200-Yard Medley Relay 7. Kentucky (Siegele, Graham, Gibson, Deveaux) ? 1:44.92 Men?s 200-Yard Medley Relay 7. Kentucky (Barros, Manley, Patrick, Gasparovich) ? 1:30.66 Men?s 200-Yard Butterfly 2. Daniel Cruz ? 1:43.53 (New Kentucky Record) 9. Jerram Chudleigh ? 1:45.74 10. Eddie Clement ? 1:48.33 Men?s 200-Yard Freestyle 4. Steven Manley ? 1:35.72 Women?s 200-Yard Breaststroke 5. Laura Graham ? 2:13.56 9. Shantel Commander ? 2:16.16 13. Kendra Trahan ? 2:17.99 Women?s 200-Yard Backstroke 9. Brennan Moore ? 2:01.54 Men?s 200-Yard Backstroke 14. Jerram Chudleigh ? 1:48.78 15. Alejandro Bravo ? 1:51.54 16. Dave Roberts ? 1:51.89 Men?s Platform Diving 7. Mario Rodriguez ? 458.05 Women?s 200-Yard Freestyle Relay 9. Kentucky (Siegele, Deveaux, Vrooman, McLean) ? 1:35.15 Men?s 200-Yard Freestyle Relay 4. Kentucky (Farnham, Barros, Patrick, Gasparovich) ? 1:19.57
