March 25, 2012
FEDERAL WAY, Wash. – University of Kentucky senior Tyler Reed swam a UK-record time of 42.60 in the finals of the men’s 100-freestyle, to finish in fifth place of the event at the final day of the 2012 NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center, Saturday night.
“Great night for Tyler,” UK head coach Gary Conelly said. “Tyler swam a near-perfect race. I’m really pleased that his last meet as a UK Wildcat was so outstanding. It was a great job overall by our guys all around.”
UK finished 21st in the NCAA Championships, recording a total of 35 points over the coarse of the three-day event. The 35 points was the most a UK men’s team has scored at the NCAA Championships since the 2009-10 season, when the Wildcats tallied 69 points in a 16th-place finish in 2009-10.
Reed qualified for the 100-free finals as the number eight overall seed, with a morning swim of 42.94. Reed was able to shed over three-tenths of a second in the finals to achieve the fifth-place finish in the night session.
The Morgantown, Ky., native becomes the newest record holder in UK history in the 100-free, topping a record that stood since 2009 of 42.67 by Eric McGinnis.
Kentucky diver Greg Ferrucci finished off a spectacular NCAA Championship by recording a 298.10 on platform in the consolation finals, giving the sophomore a 15th-place finish in the event. Ferrucci earned another two points for the Wildcats, as he was responsible for 15 of the Wildcats 35 NCAA points. Ferrucci finished 10th nationally on the three-meter springboard, to compliment an 11th-place finish on the one-meter springboard, giving the four-time SEC Diver of the Week at least a top-15 finish or better in all three diving events in the NCAA Championships.
“Greg was really this solid this morning on platform, with the exception of his armstand dive which kept him out of the finals.” UK head diving coach Ted Hautau said. “He had a fantastic meet and gained some great experience.”
With this being the last event of the 2011-12 season, Ferrucci puts closure to one of the most impressive individual diving seasons in school history. Ferrucci now actively holds the school record in two of the three major diving events, including both the one, and three-meter springboard.
The third member of the UK traveling party to the Evergreen State, Lucas Gerotto, capped off his season with a 31st-place finish in the 200-fly swimming a 1:46.88. The sophomore from Sao Paulo, Brazil was one of two sophomores to qualify for the NCAA Championships on UK’s roster.
The 2012 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships will be re-aired for those fans that could not watch the action live on Sunday, April 1, 2012 on ESPNU. Coverage will begin on a tape-delay basis at 12:30 p.m. ET.
For live scores, schedules, broadcast information, recaps and results of the championships, log on to
http://www.ncaa.com/championships/swimming-men/d1
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For continuing coverage of the 2012 NCAA swimming and diving championships as well as the 2011-12 UK swimming and diving season, log on to UKathletics.com
