Sept. 20, 2013
LEXINGTON, Ky. — With the 2013-14 season looming, the University of Kentucky swimming and diving program held a highly competitive meet Friday afternoon at the Lancaster Aquatic Center.
The event was the annual Blue/White Intrasquad Scrimmage, but as the white team mounted a comeback to win the event 293-288, the energy and excitement was as close to midseason form as can be five days before the season even starts.
“It was really an exciting meet,” UK head coach Lars Jorgensen said. “It came down to the last relay; I don’t remember an intrasquad meet being that exciting before. Generally they aren’t as competitive, but this was fun.”
The white team, down by as many as 38 points, mounted a comeback that saw them cut a 28-point deficit to six points in just three events. Wins in the final two races, combined with each team winning one of the two final diving events, gave the white squad the win.
“The two teams really competed hard and it was a great experience for them,” Jorgensen said. “We had a couple of individuals that actually swam faster today than at the SEC Championships last year, which was fun to see. Overall it was a really great day.”
It was the blue team that got off to an early advantage, and by the ninth event they had a 96-69 lead, which was extended to 120-82 after 11 events. That was the largest lead of the afternoon for the blue team, coached by Derek Perkins and Mason Norman.
The blue squad still maintained a 28 point advantage after 18 events, but as the women’s 200 yard breaststroke finished three races later, the lead had nearly vanished. The white team, coached by Chip Kline and Sarah Dunleavy, had cut the deficit to just six points at 179-173.
It took three more races, but with a first and second place finish in the women’s 500 yard freestyle, the white squad knotted the score at 195-195. The men followed with a one-two finish in the 500 yard freestyle to give the white team its first lead of the meet at 222-219.
The blue team would not go away, and as the diving results began to come in, the blue squad held a 262-255 edge with just two swimming events and two diving events left. In the pool, the white team won both the men’s and women’s 400 yard freestyle relay, and a win for each team in the diving events gave the white squad the victory.
The 2013-14 campaign begins Wednesday at Georgia, when the Wildcats go up against the defending national champion women’s team and No. 10 men’s team. UK hosts Ohio State on Oct. 11 at 5 p.m. and Cincinnati on Feb. 1 at noon. Both events will be held at the Lancaster Aquatics Center on the UK campus.
The complete 2013-14 schedule can be found here.
For complete news and updates on the Kentucky Swimming and Diving program, go to UKathletics.com/SwimmingDiving. For breaking news, behind-the-scenes updates and more, follow @UKSwimDive on Twitter and at Facebook.com/UKSwimDive.
