Oct. 15, 2013

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Junior swimmer Christina Bechtel and senior diver Greg Ferrucci were honored by the Southeastern Conference with the season’s first Athlete the Week awards, the league announced Tuesday.

Ferrucci, who has won all four diving events to open the year, was named the SEC’s Male Diver of the Week for the eighth time in his career. Bechtel earned her first career SEC Female Swimmer of the Week honor after a two-win performance Oct. 11 against Ohio State.

“This is a great honor for both Christina and Greg, especially at this early junction of the season,” UK head coach Lars Jorgensen said. “We know they will continue to work hard and improve as we move forward.”

Ferrucci recorded wins in all four competitions to start the season. At Georgia on Sept. 25, he notched victories in the 1- and 3-meter dives, with scores of 376.28 and 347.48, respectively. Ferrucci’s two wins resulted in half of UK’s four victories at UGA. The senior swept the diving events again at home against Ohio State on Oct. 11. The UK men and women have claimed 13 victories this season, four from Ferrucci.

On the strengths of two wins in the butterfly, Bechtel is ranked second nationally in the 100-yard butterfly. Against Ohio State in UK’s home opener, she finished first in the 100-yard fly with a time of 54.34. Bechtel, an NCAA qualifier last year, also posted a win in the 200-yard butterfly with a time of 2:00.75 against the Buckeyes. In her other two races, both relays, she helped her relay to a 2nd and 3rd place finish.

UK returns to the road Oct. 24 and 25 when it travels to Carbondale, Ill., to face Southern Illinois and fellow SEC foe Missouri. The competition will get underway at 5 p.m. ET on Oct. 24 and resume at 10 a.m. on the 25th.

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.