CHAPEL HILL, N.C.? Junior Jenny Bradford made another splash on day two at the Nike Cup Invitational, winning the 100-butterfly on her way to setting a Kentucky record and her second win in two nights. Sophomore Mickey Malul also earned a win for the Wildcats in the 100-breast and he set a second-best record on the UK all-time top-10 list to lead the way for the blue and white.
The Florida State Seminoles are atop the leaderboard in both the men?s and women?s competition. Kentucky?s men are in second place having earned 463 points while the ACC squad tops all scoring with 770. The UK women are in fourth place with 373.50 points and trail Florida State, North Carolina and Clemson.
Bradford earned an automatic qualification to the NCAA Championships after achieving an ?A? cut with a time of 53.74 in the 100-fly and earning first place in the event. Bradford?s time puts her atop the UK all-time top-10 list, the second event in as many days she has set a new Wildcat record.
Heather Bradford placed third in the same event, earning a NCAA ?B? cut in a time of 54.97. Freshman Megan Pulskamp set a personal-best time in the event as she tapped in 12th place in a time of 57.63.
The women began the evening with a second place finish in the 200-medley relay clocking in a time of 1:42.27 and earning a ?B? cut in the event. The Wildcats finished just behind Florida State.
Junior Lindsay Myhre was the lone scorer in the 100-breaststroke and earned a third place finish in a time of 1:03.43. The time was also good enough for a ?B? NCAA cut. Sophomore Kelly Rames was the only Lady Cat to place in the 400-individual medley as she claimed 18th in a time of 4:35.35.
Kentucky earned three spots in the top-20 in the 200-free, as junior Lauren Willis and sophomores Kristina Sledge and Haleigh Kerns placed seventh, 15th and 19th respectively. Willis touched in a personal best time of 1:51.39, while the two classmates tapped in times of 1:51.41 and 1:52.36.
Freshman Chatham Penrod led the way for UK in the 100-backstroke as the rookie topped her personal-best time en route to placing seventh on the school?s all-time top-10 list as she clocked in 56.89. Junior Jill Southerlan placed 20th in a time of 59.84.
Rounding out the evening for the Lady Cats, the women took first in the 800-free relay and also earned a ?B? cut. The quartet of Jenny Bradford, Willis, Kerns and Heather Bradford took the top spot.
On the men?s side, the night was highlighted by Malul?s win in the 100-breast. His time of 54.05 is good enough for a ?B? cut, and is also a personal best. The time moves him up in Kentucky?s all-time top-10 list to No. 2. Junior Will Vietti tapped in fourth place in the event, clocking in a time of 55.71. Classmate Kristian Outinen earned sixth in a time of 57.18.
Senior Eric Weber was the lone scorer for the Wildcats in the 400-IM as he took the eighth spot in a time of 4:04.39.
The men?s 200-medley relay team began the evening by tapping in second place just behind Florida State. Outinen, Malul, and sophomores Warren Grobbelaar and Shane Eliason earned a 1:30.31 time.
Grobbelaar led the way in the 100-fly as he touched in third place with a time of 49.01. Sophomore Joe Retrum, freshman Alex Forbes and junior Grant Nelson took seventh, 12th and 17th respectively. Retrum tapped in 50.05, while Forbes earned a personal best time when he registered a 50.72 time. Nelson clocked in a time of 51.20.
In the 200-free, freshman Kyle Greene continued his strong rookie campaign when he took fourth in the event and earned a new personal best time when he touched in 1:40.11. Sophomore James Batley grabbed fifth in a time of 1:40.79, and freshman Eric McGinnis placed 14th touching in 1:42.20 while earning a new personal best time.
Eliason topped the Cats scoring in the 100-back as he earned an 11th place finish and classmate Sean Smith tapped in 15th. The duo earned times of 51.36 and 51.82, respectively.
Greene, Batley, Nelson and McGinnis teamed to take second in the 800-free relay in the evening?s last event. The Wildcats placed second behind Virginia Tech in a time of 6:43.19.
Kentucky resumes action in the Nike Cup Invitational tomorrow morning beginning at 9 a.m. for the meet?s final day of action. Preliminary events take place in the morning with final events set to being at 6 p.m. Complete results can be found at www.ukathletics.com.
