LEXINGTON, Ky.?The Bluegrass state and the University of Kentucky will welcome the elite swimmers and divers to the Lancaster Aquatic Center Feb. 2-4, and 7-10 to determine the 2007 Southeastern Conference Championship.
Eighteen teams, 109 All-Americans, 39 Academic All-Americans, 12 National Champions and 11 Olympians headline the field. The Auburn Tigers men?s and women?s teams are the reining National Champions. Auburn?s men?s team and Georgia?s Lady Bulldogs are the reining SEC Champions.
The diving session of the Championship begins on Fri., Feb. 2 and lasts three days. Last season Kentucky?s Coach Mike Lyden and then junior Taryn Ignacio were named SEC Coach of the Year and SEC Female Diver of the year for the second consecutive season. Lyden?s women swept the platform event a season ago, and are eager to compete off of their home boards.
Lyden?s trio of female divers has to be considered favorites at this year?s event. Ignacio and junior Kari Retrum have each already captured an SEC title at least once in their careers. Ignacio took the platform each of the past two seasons, and also captured the one-meter event in her sophomore season. Retrum was tabbed SEC Freshman Diver of the Year in 2004 after she won the platform event.
Senior Joey Brown was the only diver last season to place in the top three in all three events, placing third in each. Earlier this month the senior was named the SEC Female Diver of the Week after she posted a career-high score on the one-meter board while setting a Lancaster Aquatic Center record in the process. Retrum would then go on just a week later and break the Aquatic Center record.
All three divers have a score in both the one- and three-meter events with a score among the top-five scores all season in the conference. The tower dive, a Lyden staple, is considered their marquee event and they have yet to compete for a score in the event all season.
Lyden?s men squad is a duo of sophomores looking to overachieve at this year?s meet hosted in their home waters. Dan Cuilla and Justin Smith have each competed at a conference championship. At last year?s event Cuilla notched a 10th place finish on the one-meter while Smith finished 18th.
This season, both divers have earned at least one career-high mark, with Smith earning a career-high clip in both the one-meter and three-meter events.
Smith has notched a placed in Kentucky?s varsity top-10 records in both events, placing 10th in the three-meter with an opening day score of 326.25 and fifth place in the one-meter with a 321.23 score he achieved just two weeks ago.
All general admission tickets for the three-day diving session are available. The cost for a full day (two sessions) for the event is $15. Preliminary competition on Friday and Saturday begins at 11 a.m., while the finals events begin at 6 p.m. On Sunday, preliminary rounds will kick off at 11 a.m., with the finals set to begin at 2:30.
Approximately less than 100 tickets are available for the four day swimming sessions that begins on Wednesday, Feb. 7. Deck and bleacher tickets will be available for each day and will cost $20 for two sessions (one day of competition). Wed., Feb 7, preliminary heats will begin at noon with finals set to begin at 6 that night. Thursday-Saturday preliminary events begin at 10 a.m., with the finals taking place at 6.
