LEXINGTON, Ky.?Junior Will Vietti set a Kentucky record and career-best clip in the 100-breaststroke preliminary heat with a time of 53.73 this morning at the Lancaster Aquatic Center host of the 2007 SEC Championships.
Junior Heather Bradford clocked in with a Kentucky record and career best time of 53.53 in the 100-butterfly. Bradford?s time was also good for an NCAA ?A? standard cut. Bradford will be the second seed in tonight?s final, her sister Jenny Bradford holds the third seed with a time of 53.78.
Freshman Megan Pulskamp appearing in her first career SEC Championships, qualified for the 100-fly consolation heat tonight with a time of 55.50. Pulskamp?s time was also a personal best and moves her into seventh in UK varsity record books.
Fellow Wildcat freshman Chatham Penrod qualified for the consolation heat in the 100-backstroke with a career best time of 56.69. Joining her in the 100-back is junior Jill Southerlan, a two-time top-16 SEC finisher in the event.
Two other Wildcat veterans will compete in tonight?s consolation round. Juniors Lyndsay Myhre and Lauren Willis qualified in the 100-breast and the 200-freestyle respectively. Myhre, a two-time scorer in the event, will enter tonight?s race as the 10th seed. Willis will compete in her second freestyle night-time competition after placing 14th in yesterday?s 50-free. With a time of 1:50.56, Willis set a personal best in the 200-free preliminary round.
On the men?s side, joining Vietti in the 100-breast top-16 are UK sophomore Mickey Malul and junior Kristian Outinen. All three competitors have previously earned points in the event during their careers.
Sophomore Warren Grobbelaar clocked in with a career best time of 47.95 to place as the seventh seed in tonight?s 100-fly final. Grobbelaar notched a career-best mark in the 50-free last evening. Freshman Alex Forbes joins Grobbelaar in the 100-fly competition tonight in the consolation heat besting his previous top time this season with a 49.17, good for seventh place in the UK record books.
The final Wildcat to make the top 16 is sophomore Shane Eliason who qualified in the 100-back with a time of 50.17, a new career best.
Action resumes at the Lancaster Aquatic Center tonight at 6 p.m. EST. Less than 100 tickets are available for the four day swimming sessions. Deck and bleacher tickets will be available for each day and will cost $20 for two sessions (one day of competition). Saturday preliminary events begin at 10 a.m., with the finals taking place at 6.
Complete coverage of the 2007 SEC Swimming and Diving Championships can be found at www.ukathletics.com.
