March 28, 2014
AUSTIN, Texas – Kentucky finished 16th in the 200 medley relay and freshman Brandon Flynn broke the school record in the 400 individual medley as the UK swimming and diving team advanced to the finals for the first time at the NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships Friday in Austin, Texas.
Kentucky’s 200 medley relay team of senior Lucas Gerotto, junior George Greenhalgh and seniors Eric Bruck and Chris Lott came in 16th overall and 8th in the consolation final with a time of 1:26.25. All six Wildcats competed Friday, including Flynn’s UK record in the 400 individual medley and senior diver Greg Ferrucci on 3-meter.
“We are happy to get on the scoreboard today,” UK head coach Lars Jorgensen said. “I’m glad that Lucas, George, Eric and Chris earned All-America honors, it’s a well-deserved honor. We’re excited for the final day tomorrow, with Greg Ferrucci on platform and Brandon Flynn in the 1,650 to close out the weekend for us.”
With the top-16 finish, Gerotto, Greenhalgh, Bruck and Lott all earned Honorable Mention All-America honors. It is the first time each swimmer has been named All-American.
In the finals, Gerotto opened with a 21.88 backstroke. Greenhalgh, swimming breaststroke, posted a 23.91, while Bruck was UK’s third leg, with a 21.04 butterfly. Lott anchored the relay with a 19.42 freestyle.
The medley relay team opened Friday’s competition with a 1:26.10 in the prelims, which put them 16th overall and into the finals by just 0.01 seconds. Their time was the sixth-fastest in the second of four heats.
In the second event of the morning prelims, Flynn broke the school record in the 400 individual medley with a time of 3:46.98. Flynn finished second in the opening heat and 23rd overall. For the second consecutive day, Flynn used a strong second half of the race to come back and finish 0.05 seconds ahead of the third-place finisher.
Ferrucci placed 34th overall in the 3-meter competition with a score of 286.00. The senior’s top score came on his third dive, with a back 2 1/2 somersault pike that gave him a 63.00. Ferrucci opened with a 60.00 thanks to an inward 2 1/2 somersault pike.
Through the first two days of competition, the Wildcats sit in 39th place with two points after they recorded their first points of the championships Friday.
The three-day national championships concludes Saturday, with prelims at noon ET. The finals, which will feature the top 16 finishers in the prelims, commence at 8 p.m. Flynn will race in the 1,650 freestyle, while Ferrucci will conclude his collegiate career on platform.
Fans can follow along with all the action from the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center with live results, a live video stream, updated schedules and more on TexasSports.com’s Championship Headquarters page. Additional updates from Austin 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.
