Nov. 20, 2014

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Kentucky swimming and diving team competes in its final fall meet of the season at the Ohio State Invitational, Nov. 21-23.

Swimming competition commences at the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion Friday at 11 a.m. ET, while diving begins at 2 p.m. Swimming and diving finals will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday, prelims begin at 8:30 a.m., diving at 2 p.m. and finals at 6:30 p.m. Sunday’s events begin at 9 a.m., while diving will be at 11 a.m. and finals at 3 p.m.

In addition to UK and Ohio State, competition at the three-day event includes Purdue, Wisconsin and Kenyon. The divers will also face Virginia and Miami.

The UK women enter the weekend ranked 26th nationally in the CollegeSwimming.com rankings, while the Wildcat men are 37th. In four meets to open the season, Kentucky has faced four top-15 men’s teams and four top-20 women’s teams in 2014-15.

Fans can follow along with live results from the Ohio State Invite on OhioStateBuckeyes.com. Additional updates and behind-the-scenes news and notes can be found on Twitter at @UKSwimDive.

WILDCATS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS

Three UK swimmers have posted times that rank among the top 10 nationally. Senior Christina Bechtel’s 53.03 in the 100 butterfly is second in the Southeastern Conference and the third-fastest in the NCAA this season. Bechtel’s 1:57.37 in the 200 butterfly is also second in the SEC and fourth nationally. Sophomore Drew Aviotti posted a 15:32.35 in the 1,650 freestyle, the fourth-fastest time in the conference and seventh in Division I.

CABOT NAMED SEC DIVER OF THE WEEK

Kentucky senior diver Christa Cabot was named the Southeastern Conference Women’s Diver of the Week on Oct. 21 after winning both diving events with season-best scores vs. Florida.

The SEC Diver of the Week award is the first of Cabot’s career. A native of The Woodlands, Texas, Cabot claimed her first victory of the season with a 327.83 in the 3-meter event. The senior bested Florida’s Kahlia Warner by just over four points. In the 1-meter event, Cabot tallied a 327.45, also a season-best to win by over 20 points over Warner.

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION

Ohio State is No. 14 in the CollegeSwimming.com men’s rankings and No. 22 in the women’s. Wisconsin enters the weekend No. 25 in the men’s rankings, while the women are No. 32. The Purdue women are 25th nationally, while the men are ranked 32nd. Kenyon, who is not ranked, is competing in its second meet of the season after a winning the Kenyon College Relays on Oct. 18.

LAST TIME OUT: WOMEN BEAT NORTHWESTERN, SIU, MEN BEAT SIU

The UK women beat Northwestern and Southern Illinois as the UK men beat SIU in a two-day quad meet Nov. 7-8. The UK women beat Southern Illinois, 273-80 and Northwestern 206-147, while the men beat Southern Illinois, 273-80. The women lost to Missouri, 199-154, and the men lost 208-145 to Northwestern and 228-120 to Missouri.

On the weekend, seniors Christina Bechtel posted two wins, while senior Abby Myers and sophomores Kendal Casey and Kyle Higgins each recorded one win apiece. Bechtel continued her perfect season in butterfly events with a 53.06 in the 100 butterfly and a season-best 1:57.37 to win the 200 butterfly. The Wildcats tallied a one-two finish in the women’s 200 freestyle. Myers touched the wall first in 1:50.83, followed closely by fellow senior Kristen Wilson, who posted a season-best 1:51.35.

Casey posted Kentucky’s first win of the day Friday, and her first of the season, with a victory in the 500 freestyle with a time of 4:51.18, a season-best time to win by over two seconds. Higgins also recorded his first win of the season, thanks to a 1:48.07 in the 200 butterfly. A season-best time for the sophomore, Higgins won by 1.34 seconds over Missouri’s Daniel Graviss.

UP NEXT: USA WINTER NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

Select Wildcats will compete at the USA Swimming National Championships, Dec. 4-6 in Greensboro, N.C., while the UK divers will compete at the USA Diving National Championships in Columbus, Ohio, Dec. 17-20.

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.