LEXINGTON, Ky.?Freshman Megan Pulskamp leads a quartet of Wildcat rookies into finals competition tonight. Teammate Chatham Penrod and male Wildcats Alex Forbes and Eric McGinnis round out the first-year finalists competing tonight at the Lancaster Aquatic Center, host of the 2007 SEC Championships.
Pulskamp touched the wall in the 200-butterfly with a personal best time of 2:02.55 placing her eighth all-time in the UK record books. Penrod swam a personal best time of 2:02.50 in the 200-backstroke to qualify as the 14th seed this evening in the consolation heat. Penrod?s clip is the best of the year for Kentucky.
Appearing in their first career SEC Championships, Alex Forbes and Eric McGinnis qualified for the 100-freestyle consolation finals as the 14th and 16th seeds respectively. McGinnis? time was a personal best clocking in at 45.17. Forbes? mark of 44.90 was also a personal best and places him 10th all-time in the UK record books.
UK junior Warren Grobbelaar joins the two freshmen tonight in the 100-free finals as the ninth seed. Grobbelaar?s time of 44.56 claims the number seven position in the UK all-time annals and is also a personal best.
Junior Will Vietti continued his stellar performance from last night with a fifth-place showing in the 200-breaststroke prelims. Vietti tapped the wall at 1:58.53 for a second all-time showing at Kentucky and a personal best. Fellow classmate Kristian Outinen will join Vietti in tonight as the 13th seed in the consolation final.
Two other Wildcat men topped their previous best times this morning. Sophomore Shane Eliason swam a 1:48.22 in the 200-back prelims placing him fifth all-time at UK. Eliason is the 12th seed in the consolation heat. In the 200-fly prelims with a time of 1:48.07, junior Grant Nelson earned a seven seed tonight and a fifth place standing in the Wildcat record books. Nelson?s clip is also the best of the year for the ?Cats.
Sophomore Joe Retrum joins Nelson as the 10th seed in the 200-fly consolation final with a mark of 1:49.70.
On the women?s side, UK sophomore Kelly Rames joins Pulskamp in the 200-fly finals. Rames clocked in at 2:03.53 for a personal best and a tenth seeding in tonight?s consolation heat. Junior Lindsay Myhre will compete tonight in the 200-breast consolation final as the twelve seed after touching the wall at 2:19.95.
Junior Heather Bradford continued to shine with a personal best time of 50.15 in the 100-free prelims. Bradford?s time earns her the 11th seed in the consolation heat tonight and is good for fourth all-time in the UK record books. Bradford?s sister Jenny placed fifth this morning with a clip of 49.24.
Action resumes at the Lancaster Aquatic Center tonight at 6 p.m. EST.
Complete coverage of the 2007 SEC Swimming and Diving Championships can be found at www.ukathletics.com.
