Sept. 25, 2013
ATHENS, Ga. –Divers Greg Ferrucci and Christa Cabot claimed three of the four diving titles and swimmer Maclin Simpson won the men’s 150-butterfly as the University of Kentucky Swimming and Diving team opened its season Wednesday with a 327-208 loss at Georgia, the defending women’s national champion.
The Kentucky men, who finished 22nd at the NCAA Championships in 2013, fell to Georgia 162-110 in the season-opener. The Bulldogs posted a 10th-place finish at the 2013 national championships.
The UK women, competing against the SEC and NCAA champions from 2013, fell by a final score of 165-98.
“Maclin, Greg and Christa really were the highlights for us today,” UK head coach Lars Jorgensen said. “We have a long way to go as a team, but it was a great experience swimming against an outstanding Georgia team. They’re really good, and it was a fun meet for us. I was happy with how some of our freshman performed, and we look forward to coming back to Athens later in the season.”
Ferrucci and fellow senior John Fox finished first and second, respectively, on the one and three meter springboard to sweep the diving events. Ferrucci used a score of 324.07 on the 1-meter and a 320.62 on the 3-meter to win the competition, while Fox scored a 316.87 on the 3-meter and a 303.15 on the 1-meter to earn second place.
Cabot, a junior, won the women’s 1-meter event with a 298.79 and finished second in the 3-meter diving competition with a 270.75. Fellow junior Lindsay Keahey notched a third-place finish with a 269.02 on the 1-meter board and finished fourth in the 3-meter event with a 265.49.
In the men’s 150 yard butterfly, Simpson finished in 1:21.51, just 0.80 seconds ahead of Georgia’s Will Freeman. The senior placed nearly two seconds ahead of UK freshman Christopher Grimmett-Norris, who placed third overall in the event.
In Jorgensen’s debut as Kentucky head coach, the Wildcats posted second-place finishes in two other events, in addition to the four wins and Cabot’s runner-up mark on the 3-meter board.
Freshman Kendal Casey posted UK’s first second-place finish of the competition in the women’s 300-yard freestyle event. In her collegiate debut, the Port Orange, Fla., native finished in 2:53.82, over three seconds faster than the third place finisher from Georgia.
The 10th event of the day saw junior George Greenhalgh finish second in the men’s 150 yard breaststroke. The Lexington, Ky., native’s time of 1:34.22 was just 0.16 seconds ahead of UGA’s third place swimmer.
UK returns home to host Ohio State on Oct. 11 at 5 p.m. in the Lancaster Aquatics Center. The OSU men finished 12th in the country last season, while the women claimed a 28th-place finish at the NCAA Championships.
Oct. 11 will be one of two home meets for the Wildcats, who also host Cincinnati on Feb. 1 at 12 p.m. Admission is free for all Kentucky home swimming and diving meets.
For complete news and updates on the Kentucky Swimming and Diving program, go to UKathletics.com/SwimmingDiving. Breaking news, behind-the-scenes updates, photos and more can be found on Twitter at @UKSwimDive and Facebook at Facebook.com/UKSwimDive.
