March 19, 2010
WEST LAFAYETTE, IND. – Junior swimmer Chatham Penrod captured 16th place in the 100-backstroke and set a Kentucky school record in the event with a clip of 53.08 to earn her first individual All-America honor of her career to lead the Wildcats on the second night of the NCAA Championships.
Penrod broke her own school record with a 53.08 clip in the preliminary heat to earn a spot in the finals. In her 16th place tap she touched the wall in a time of 53.76 to earn her first All-America accolade as an individual. She returns to the water in the 200-backstroke, an event she also holds a school record, on the final day of competition Saturday.
The 200-medley relay also scored valuable points for the Blue and White with a 12th place tap and more All-America honors for the Wildcats’ four swimmers with a time of 1:39.35. Penrod opened the heat in the backstroke leg with a time of 24.65. Lindsey Graessle took the breaststroke leg and earned a time of 28.57. Megan Pulskamp went third and scored a time of 23.76 in the butterfly portion. Kayla Sergesketter anchored the freestyle leg and tapped in a time of 22.37 for the finish.
During qualification for the finals competition, the 200-medley relay broke the UK school record in the event with a time of 1:39.12, bettering the 2006 team’s 1:39.19 time.
Pulskamp placed 25th in the 100-butterfly with a season-best time of 53.52. She narrowly missed earning a spot in the top-16 as the 16th place finisher earned a time of 53.01.
Graessle was 43rd in the 100-breast with a clip of 1:02.99, just a hair off of her season-high time of 1:02.79. Both Pulskamp and Graessle will return to the lanes tomorrow on the final day of competition. Pulskamp is among the 100-freestyle heats, with Graessle taking part in the 200-breast.
On the boards, Lisa Faulkner placed 31st on the three-meter springboard with a score of 278.40. She will hit the boards on the platform tower during the final day of competition.
After two days of competition the Wildcats have accounted for 13 points and stand in 32nd place overall.
ESPN360.com will stream the finals live on Saturday. Additionally, ESPN2 will air a 90-minute show at 1:30 p.m. ET, Tues., April 6.
Preliminary heats will begin each day at 11:00 a.m., while the finals that night will start at 7:00 p.m.
For the most up-to-date information regarding the Kentucky swimming and diving squads please visit UKathletics.com.
