March 20, 2014
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Junior diver Christa Cabot finished 19th in the 1-meter dive while junior swimmer Christina Bechtel finished tied for 43rd in the 50 freestyle for the University of Kentucky on the first day of the NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championship Thursday in Minneapolis, Minn.
Cabot and Bechtel, both making their second career NCAA appearance, are two of four Wildcats representing UK at the three-day national championship event.
Cabot recorded a 276.00 in the 1-meter diving prelims to place 19th overall, just shy of making the top 16 and a spot in the finals. The junior was just 6.30 points away from making the finals in a field that saw six divers finish within 7.40 points of the final three spots.
In the 50 yard freestyle, the fourth event of the three-day competition, Bechtel touched the wall in 22.69 to tie for 43rd overall. She completed the first 25 yards in 11.01, followed by a 11.68 in the second half. The junior was just 0.01 seconds shy of her season-high mark and seed time of 22.68.
The three-day competition continues Friday. Prelims will begin at noon ET, while the finals, which will feature the top 16 finishers in the prelims, commence at 8 p.m. Cabot will compete in the 3-meter on Friday and the platform Saturday. Bechtel will join junior Abby Myers in the 200 butterfly on Friday. Freshman Danielle Galyer will conclude UK’s weekend Saturday in the 200 backstroke.
Fans can follow along with all the action from the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center with live results and video, all available at GopherSports.com. Additional updates can be found at @UKSwimDive, the official Twitter account of the UK swimming and diving program.
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.
