LEXINGTON, Ky.? The University of Kentucky men?s and women?s swimming and diving teams will kick off their 2007-08 campaigns with two meets in less than 24 hours this weekend, beginning with a tri-meet in Knoxville, Tenn.

Tennessee will welcome the Wildcats and South Carolina on Friday at 3 p.m. From there Kentucky heads to the hills of Blacksburg, Va., to meet Virginia Tech for the first time under Gary Conelly?s tutelage on Saturday.

Kentucky?s women?s squad is coming off a school-best 12th place finish at the 2007 NCAA Championships and returns the bulk of their lineup in their quest to finish in the top-10 nationally this season. Catapulting the team to their goals will ride on the shoulders of an experienced and determined senior class. Blair Barrett, Heather and Jenny Bradford, Kelley Morrison, Lindsay Myhre, Beth Parsons, Kari Retrum, Jill Southerlan and Lauren Willis all look to cap off their careers in stylish fashion.

The Bradfords have combined for 22 All-America distinctions in their careers and each have scored in the top-eight nationally at the highest level in collegiate swimming. Myhre appeared in her first career NCAA Championships as a junior and will look to return to the national scene. Retrum scored at the NCAAs on both the platform and one-meter event to earn quality points for the Blue and White. Willis was an integral part of the SEC Champion 200-freestyle relay squad that won the first relay crown in school history.

On the men?s side, Kentucky is led by three seniors who have enjoyed outstanding careers. Grant Nelson, Kristian Outinen and Will Vietti have all had tremendous success and return for their senior seasons in perhaps the best condition of their careers.

Nelson is a fixture in the individual medley and distance fly events, scoring in both at the SEC Championships as a junior. Outinen is a two-time NCAA participant in the breaststroke disciplines and on relay squads. Vietti enters the season with the most upside having enjoyed a breakout junior season and then continued to climb on the national scene with a top-seven performance at the ConcoPhillips National Championships in August. Vietti placed second in the 100-breast at the SEC Championships, 16th in the NCAA Championships and then seventh at the international meet.

Complete coverage of the Wildcat swimming and diving program, and a recap of this weekend?s events can be found at www.ukathletics.com.