Oct. 9, 2014

LEXINGTON, Ky. – In its first of four home competitions in 2014-15, the Kentucky swimming and diving team opens the season Friday vs. South Carolina at the Lancaster Aquatics Center on the UK campus. The diving competition begins at 4 p.m. ET, while swimming commences at 5 p.m.

Kentucky opens the season against a Southeastern Conference opponent, looking to build off eight Wildcats earning All-America honors and a 23rd-place finish at the Women’s NCAA Championships, both the highest totals since 2008.

“It’s great to get underway,” second-year head coach Lars Jorgensen said. “Getting the season started is a fun time for the student-athletes and the coaches. Where we are with training right now, we’re looking for consistent progression throughout the season, so we’re looking forward to see how the first meet goes. Any time you can compete against an SEC team, it’s going to be a tough matchup.”

The 2014-15 Wildcats include six of the 10 UK swimmers and divers that competed at the NCAA Championships in 2014, four of them All-Americans. In total, 20 members of the 2013-14 women’s team and 22 men return from last year’s squads.

Admission to all UK home meets is free to the public.

Parking is available in Structure #7, located at 721 Sports Center Drive, at the corner of Sports Center Drive and Complex Drive. The parking structure is located just a short walk from the Lancaster Aquatics Center. More information about parking can be found at http://www.uky.edu/pts/.

SCOUTING SOUTH CAROLINA

The South Carolina men placed 11th at the 2014 SEC Championships, while the women placed 10th. At the NCAA Championships, the USC men finished 33rd overall, while the women did not score any points. The Gamecocks went 6-2 in men’s dual meets last season, while the women went 4-4 in 2013-14.

SERIES HISTORY VS. THE GAMECOCKS

Both UK’s men’s and women’s teams are 12-7 all-time vs. South Carolina in dual meet competition. The teams last met in 2011 in Columbia, S.C., when the women claimed a 144-137. The Wildcat men suffered a 189.5-110.5 loss.

NEXT TIME UP: VS. FLORIDA

Kentucky is back in action Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. ET vs. Florida at the Lancaster Aquatics Center. The UF men are the defending SEC champions and placed third at the NCAA championships, while the Gator women were third at the league championships and sixth nationally.

BECHTEL, GALYER EARN SPOT ON TEAM USA IN 2014-15

Senior Christina Bechtel was named to the 2014-15 USA Swimming National Team, while sophomore Danielle Galyer earned a spot on the 2014-15 Junior National Team. Bechtel and Galyer were named to Team USA after competing alongside 12 other UK swimmers at the USA Swimming National Championships, Aug. 6-10.

Bechtel was selected to Team USA as one of six swimmers in the 100 and 200 butterfly after a 59.05 in the 100 fly and a 2:09.67 in the 200 at the national championships. Galyer’s first competition with USA Swimming was at the 2014 Junior Pan Pacific Championships, August 27-30. One of 23 female competitors to represent the United State at the international event, Galyer notched a fourth-place finish, the highest of any U.S. athlete in the women’s 200 LC Meter Backstroke in 2:13.77.

NATIONAL ACADEMIC HONORS
Highlighted by earning the nation’s best grade-point average among Division I men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams, the 2013-14 season was capped by several national academic honors for the UK women’s swimming and diving team. The team earned a 3.728 GPA, best among all University of Kentucky teams and tops in the country, as recognized by the College Swimming Coaches Association of America.

The CSCAA also named seven UK swimmers and divers Scholar All-Americans. Christina Bechtel, Christa Cabot, Danielle Galyer and Abby Myers earned First Team Scholar All-America honors, while Kelly Berger, Kendal Casey and Kendra Crew each were named to the Honorable Mention team.

Additionally, Abby Myers was named to the 2014 Capital One Academic All-District At-Large team, one of 10 honorees on the Division I team in District 2 and one of six women’s swimmers from the Southeastern Conference.

LOOKING BACK AT 2013-14

In Lars Jorgensen’s first season as head coach in 2013-14, the Kentucky women placed 23rd at the NCAA Championships, their highest national finish since 2008. UK earned four All-America honors, with two top-eight finishes. The men finished 37th as five Wildcats earned Honorable Mention All-America honors. A combined nine All-Americans by both teams was the most for a UK team since 2010, while the eight Wildcats to earn the honor were the most since 2008.

Kentucky was one of eight SEC teams to place either a men’s or women’s team in the top 25 nationally.

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.