Oct. 17, 2008
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The University of Kentucky men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams will kick off their 2008-09 seasons on Saturday when they travel to take on Indiana. The Wildcats and Hoosiers will square off for both schools’ first dual meet of the season at 11 a.m. at the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatics Center.
A year ago the two squads met in Lexington, with the UK women’s team positing a historic victory over the visitors. Kentucky claimed a 186-114 win which marked the first dual meet win over their border state rivals in eight years. Indiana’s men however, claimed a 186-114 win over the Wildcats.
This season, both Indiana squads are ranked in the top-15 in the country as selected by Collegeswimming.com. The women coming off a top-10 NCAA finish in 2008 are currently rated as the No. 8 team in the country, while the Indiana men are ranked at No. 14.
Returning All-Americans
Kentucky has six returning All-Americans on their team this year. Sophomore Tyler Reed and senior Warren Grobbelaar are the top returners having claimed All-America status in both an individual and relay events. Reed was the top finisher for the Cats placing 14th in the 200-free and Grobbelaar placed 16th overall in the 100-butterfly at the 2008 national meet.
Senior Shane Eliason and juniors Alex Forbes, Eric McGinnis and Megan Pulskamp were all first time All-Americans a year ago. Each earned a spot on one of the top-16 finishing relay events for the Wildcats. Both squads posted top-20 finishes as the NCAA Championships, with the women earning 18th and the men 19th overall.
Dual Meets Under Conelly
Kentucky has an overall combined 187-138 dual meet record in 17 seasons under Head Coach Gary Conelly. The women have compiled a 105-64 record in his tenure, with the men holding an 82-74 clip.
The Wildcats once again face stiff competition in dual meet action under Conelly’s helm. Kentucky will meet SEC opponents Tennessee, Alabama and Arkansas. Additionally, Kentucky will also face off with national powers Indiana, Virginia and Missouri this season as they prepare for the ever-grueling SEC Championships.
Newcomers Ready to Make Immediate Impact
Kentucky will go into the 2008-09 season with the addition of 19 freshmen to the teams. Nine women have been added to the roster, while the men add 10 newcomers. Conelly is excited about the addition of his first year swimmers, and hopes they will each be able to contribute in a variety of events for the Blue and White.
Morne’ Boshoff on the men’s side and Claire Archibald on the women’s side are expected to be huge contributors in multiple events for the Cats. Additionally, Grant Cooksey will be asked to take the breaststroke leg of the relay events for the Blue and White.
A complete recap of the Wildcats and Hoosiers meet will be available online at UKathletics.com.
