LEXINGTON, Ky.?The University of Kentucky women?s swimming and diving team used a nine-win performance to earn a 30-point dual meet victory over border-state rival Indiana for the first time since the 1999-00 season, Friday, at the Lancaster Aquatic Center.
The Lady Wildcats took the final home meet of the fall semester with a score of 164-134. The UK men fell to the Hoosiers 186-114.
Kentucky?s women?s squad used a two-win performance out of both Heather and Jenny Bradford, while also riding the wave of a sweep on the boards to defeat the Hoosiers handedly.
The diving portion of the meet was held on Thursday afternoon, as the female divers each took an event. Senior Kari Retrum claimed first place on the one-meter board with a season-high score of 293.03. Freshman Jessie Snowden placed second in the event with a mark of 285.30. The ladies traded places on the three-meter, with Snowden eclipsing her teammate with a score of 314.55. Retrum scored 306.98 to give the Wildcats the edge going into Friday?s swimming portion of the meet.
Kentucky?s 200-medley relay team began the night off with a bang. UK claimed first in the relay event behind the incredible anchor leg swim from Jenny Bradford. The race was close headed into the final leg, but the senior used a 21.84 unofficial split time to pull the home squad ahead with a time of 1:43.13. Joining her were seniors Jill Southerlan, Lindsay Myhre and Heather Bradford.
Bradford then led the way in the individual races as well, topping the field in two events and then earning a second place finish in the 200-individual medley with a career-best time. Bradford took the 100- and 200-free in times of 51.29 and 1:51.60, respectively. She then placed second in the 200-IM to lead all Wildcat scorers in a career-best, and UK sixth best time of 2:05.62.
Heather Bradford also notched two wins in the individual races, claiming the 50-free and 100-butterfly. Bradford used season high times in winning both events. Her first place swim in the 50-free clocked in at 23.18, while the 100-fly timed out at 55.15.
Kentucky proved their dominance in the sprints, as UK went 1-2-3 in both the 50- and 100-free. Led by Heather Bradford in the 50-free, seniors Lauren Willis and Beth Parsons claimed second and third, respectively in times of 23.77 and 24.17. Jenny Bradford took first in the 100-free, followed by freshman Kayla Sergesketter (52.63) and sophomore Sydney Witzky (52.91).
Rounding out the winners on the evening, was sophomore Megan Pulskamp who took the top spot in the 200-fly. Pulskamp clocked in at 2:02.56 for her third consecutive win in the event.
Junior Leah Harms achieved a career-best time in the 1000-free. Her time of 10:10.06, was good for third in the race, but it enters her into the UK all-time record book at No. 10 in the event.
Harms also placed third in the 500-free in a season-best time of 5:01.68. Her classmates Haleigh Kerns took second in the event with a time of 4:59.94, while Kristina Sledge placed fifth with a career-best mark of 5:05.92.
Kentucky concluded the night with a dominating victory in the 400-free relay. Freshman Jenna Newsome, Sergesketter, Willis and Heather Bradford combined for a 3:28.61 time to take the event.
On the men?s side, the Blue and White were led by freshman diver Stephen Andrews who achieved career best scores on his way to winning both the one-meter and three-meter events and a double-dip victory in the relay events.
Andrews began the scoring for the Wildcats on Thursday, taking both of the boards. He notched a score of 358.27 on the one-meter and 352.95 on the three-meter. Both scores are career-bests, but keep in third and sixth in the UK record books, respectively.
UK began with a victory in the 200-medley relay behind junior Shane Eliason, senior Will Vietti, junior Warren Grobbelaar, and sophomore Eric McGinnis. The quartet eclipsed the field with a time of 1:29.81, the best of the season for the men.
Eliason easily enjoyed the best individual night earning three second place finishes. He placed second in both backstroke events and the 200-individal medley. Eliason clocked in at 49.49 in the 100-back, 1:49.70 in the 200-back, and 1:52.18 in the 200-IM.
Grobbelaar also achieved two second places finishes as he tapped in 20.43, a season-high, in the 50-free, and 48.67 in the 100-fly. Sophomore Alex Forbes and McGinnis finished third and fourth in the 50-free in times of 20.54 and 20.64, respectively. Forbes also placed second in the 100-free to lead all UK scorers in that event. He touched in 45.47. Senior Grant Nelson took second in the 200-fly with a time of 1:49.48, while freshman Tyler Reed took second in the 200-free (1:39.45).
The men concluded the night strong, with a win in the 400-free relay. Forbes, McGinnis, Grobbelaar and Reed scored a 3:00.24 time to take the event.
The meet this evening closes out the fall semester slate for the Wildcats. They return to the pool in Jan. of 2008. The men will hit the road and travel to Columbus, Ohio, for a date with Ohio State on Jan. 12. The women are next in action on the road in Tuscaloosa, Ala., the site of the 2008 SEC Championships, with a showdown against SEC-for Alabama on Jan. 19.
