Federal Way, Wash. — Seven members of the University of Kentucky men?s swimming and diving team will represent the team at the 2008 NCAA Championships, Thurs.-Sat., hosted by the University of Washington.
The men are coming off a fifth-place finish at the SEC Championships and will field five first-time NCAA participants when they head west for this year?s national event. Freshmen Stephen Andrews and Tyler Reed, sophomores Alex Forbes and Eric McGinnis and junior Shane Eliason will all participate in their first career NCAA Championships. Senior Will Vietti and junior Warren Grobbelaar will make their second career appearances on the national stage. Andrews, Grobbelaar and Reed will participate in three individual events to lead the way for the Wildcats.
Andrews is the lone UK diver to travel to Federal Way after qualifying for his first NCAA Championships in his first season. Andrews will compete on all three boards, including platform where he took bronze at the SEC Championships earlier this season.
Reed enjoyed an outstanding 2008 SEC Championships, as he etched his name in the UK record books among the top-three in all three of his freestyle events: 100-free, 200-free and 500-free. The native Kentuckian will enter the national field in each of those same three events. Reed is seeded 13th in the 200-free (1:35.28), 29th in the 500-free (4:21.26) and 31st in the 100-free (43.71). The first-year swimmer will also take part in the 400-medley relay and the 400-free relay.
Grobbelaar is a returning NCAA participant as he made the championships in his inaugural season as well. He will take to the pool in the 50-free, 100-free, 100-fly as an individual and in the 400-medley relay, 400-free relay, and the 200-medley relay. Grobbelaar is seeded 21st in the 100-fly (47.09), 31st in the 50-free (19.90) and 62nd in the 100-free (44.38).
Vietti returns as the lone scorer from the 2007 NCAA Championship team when he placed 16th in the 100-breaststroke. The senior returns this season in both the 100-breast and 200-breast as an individual, and he will also take the breaststroke leg in the medley relays. Vietti enters as the 18th seed in the 100-breast (53.76) and 24th in the 200-breast (1:58.49).
Eliason will join the medley relays taking the backstroke leg, and he is among the competitors in the 200-back as an individual. McGinnis will see action in the 50-free and 100-free individual events, as well as the 200-medley relay and the 400-free relay. Forbes will take a leg in the 400-free relay and is among the participants in the 50-free in his first appearance at the NCAA Championships.
The NCAA Championships are spread over a three day period. The first event of the meet is the 200-freestyle relay. Auburn University is the nation?s reining national champions and also the 2008 SEC Champions.
Complete coverage and results of the UK men?s swimming and diving team will be available at www.ukathletics.com.
