Feb. 22, 2009
AUBURN, Ala. –
The University of Kentucky men’s and women’s swimming and diving team finished the 2009 SEC Championships posting another two school records and 10 athletes scored individually on the final night.
Kentucky’s men’s 400-freestyle relay shattered a four-year old school record en route to a bronze medal in the event. Juniors Eric McGinnis, Alex Forbes, Kyle Greene and sophomore Tyler Reed tallied a time of 2:51.72 for their third place finish and first NCAA ‘A’ standard time of the weekend. The record eclipses the 2005 time set at 2:53.70.
McGinnis was also spectacular individually breaking the school record in his fifth-place finish in the 100-free. In qualifying for the event, McGinnis tallied a 42.67 time. In his fifth place swim he notched a time of 43.00. Joining him in the top eight was Greene who also had a personal record-setting day. Greene earned eighth overall in the finals, but posted a career-best time of 43.16 to earn his way among the league’s top-eight swimmers.
Forbes finished 11th and Reed 13th in the event. Forbes posted a career-best time of 43.82 when he qualified in the preliminary heat this morning.
Diver Justin Smith scored the other top-eight individual performance tonight with an eighth place finish on the platform. It was the best finish in the event in his career at the conference meet. Smith scored a 272.40 tally to earn very valuable points for the Cats.
Seniors Shane Eliason, Leah Harms and Joe Retrum all went out with outstanding final performances at their final conference meet. Eliason scored a 13th place finish with a career-best time in the 200-backstroke. Eliason touched in a time of 1:40.20 to place in his third individual event of these Championships. Harms tapped in 16th in the grueling 1650-free with a time of 16:55.37—and also a career-best clip. Retrum meanwhile earned 15th in the 200-butterfly clocking in with a career-best mark of 1:47.49. Freshman Morne’ Boshoff scored points for the Cats in the 1650-free on the men’s side. Boshoff placed 15th in the event behind a time o
f 15:34.40. Junior Megan Pulskamp capped her stellar Championships by placing in the top-15 in the third event in as many days with a 15th place finish in the 100-free. Pulskamp notched a time of 49.47 to qualify for the event in the morning. The time is the second-best in school allure and an NCAA ‘B’ qualifying time standard.
The women concluded the meet with a seventh place finish with a time of 3:20.81 in the 400-free relay. Freshmen Chelsea Peterson and Mandy Myers, junior Casey Miller and Pulskamp comprised the squad that earned an NCAA ‘B’ time standard.
Kentucky wraps up the 2009 SEC Championships with the women finishing in ninth overall and the men seventh. Florida’s women captured the crown with Auburn’s men taking the title.
Stay tuned to UKathletics.com for all of the news and notes about the UK swimming and diving teams.
Event 30 Men’s 1650-Freestyle (Saturday)
Morne’ Boshoff
15th (finals) 15:34.40
Event 31 Women’s 1650-Freestyle (Saturday)
Leah Harms
16th (finals) 16:55.37 career-best time, 9th all-time at UK
Event 32 Men’s 200-Backstroke (Saturday)
Shane Eliason
13th (finals) 1:40.20 career-best time
13th (prelims) 1:45.25
Adam Twer
23rd (prelims) 1:48.76 career-best time; 6th all-time at UK
Event 33 Women’s 200-Backstroke (Saturday)
Chatham Penrod
19th (prelims) 1:58.96
Claire Archibald
22nd (prelims) 2:01.61
Event 34 Men’s 100-Freestyle (Saturday)
Eric McGinnis
5th (finals) 43.00 NCAA ‘B’ cut
3rd (prelims) 42.67 NCAA ‘B’ cut, career-best time, UK school record
Kyle Greene
8th (finals) 43.47 NCAA ‘B’ cut
5th (prelims) 43.16 NCAA ‘B’ cut, career-best time, 2nd all-time at UK
Alex Forbes
11th (finals) 43.89
13th (prelims) 43.82 career-best time, 4th all-time at UK
Tyler Reed
13th (finals) 44.16
11th (prelims) 43.70 NCAA ‘B’ cut, season-best time
Colin Faris
17th (prelims) 44.26 career-best time, 8th all-time at UK
Elvis Burrows
20th (prelims) 44.65 career-best time, 10th all-time at UK
Reinhardt Strijdom
25th (prelims) 44.99 career-best time
Chris Richard
29th (prelims) 45.21
Matt Russell
35th (prelims) 45.97 career-best time
Event 35 Women’s 100-Freestyle (Saturday)
Megan Pulskamp
15th (finals) 49.77
15th (prelims) 49.47 NCAA ‘B’ cut, career-best time, 2nd all-time at UK
Chelsea Peterson
22nd (prelims) 49.96 career-best time, 5th all-time at UK
Casey Miller
26th (prelims) 50.50 career-best time, 6th all-time at UK
Mandy Myers
28th (prelims) 50.63 career-best time, 8th all-time at UK
Kayla Sergesketter
29th (prelims) 50.68 career-best time, 9th all-time at UK
Kelsi Hall
32nd (prelims) 50.88 career-best time
Jenna Newsome
33rd (prelims) 51.08
Haleigh Kerns
43rd (prelims) 51.76 career-best time
Kristina Sledge
45th (prelims) 51.83
Event 36 Men’s 200-Breaststroke (Saturday)
Grant Cooksey
19th (prelims) 2:03.35
Julio Vallette
21st (prelims) 2:04.16 career-best time, 10th all-time at UK
Event 37 Women’s 200-Breaststroke (Saturday)
Lindsey Graessle
20th (prelims) 2:19.36
Jenna Willis
25th (prelims) 2:22.17
Event 39 Men’s 200-Butterfly (Saturday)
Joe Retrum
15th (finals) 1:47.49 career-best time, 5th all-time at UK
15th (prelims) 1:48.41
Travis Muzzillo
18th (prelims) 1:49.56 career-best time, 10th all-time at UK
James Batley
19th (prelims) 1:49.60
Ben Russell
(1:50.56 career-best time)
Event 40 Women’s 200-Butterfly (Saturday)
Anna Sirmon
20th (prelims) 2:01.36
Kelly Rames
25th (prelims) 2:03.87
Anna Mattox
(2:09.71)
Event 41 Men’s Platform Diving (Saturday)
Justin Smith
8th (finals) 272.40
8th (prelims) 294.65
Tom Gimm
18th (prelims) 202.95 career-best score
Event 42 Men’s 400-Freestyle Relay (Saturday)
McGinnis, Forbes, Reed, Greene
3rd (finals) 2:51.72 (43.02, 43.09, 42.94, 42.67) NCAA ‘A’ cut, UK school record
Event 43 Women’s 400-Freestyle Relay (Saturday)
Peterson, Myers, Miller, Pulskamp
7th (finals) 3:20.81 (50.49, 50.54, 50.65, 49.13) NCAA ‘B’ cut
