Bechtel, Galyer Break Two More UK Records at OSU Invite
Nov. 23, 2014
Final OSU Invite Results | Day Three Results | Day One Recap | Day Two Recap
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Sophomore Danielle Galyer won her fourth event of the weekend and senior Christina Bechtel claimed her third win as the Kentucky swimming and diving team broke three more school records on the final day of the Ohio State Invitational Sunday in Columbus, Ohio.
In the three-day competition, the Wildcats broke a total of six school records, two on Sunday’s final day. Galyer and Bechtel’s wins both came with program-record times, while Bechtel’s victory in the 200 butterfly also marked an OSU Invite record and an NCAA `A’ qualifying time.
“Overall, I’m really pleased with how we did this weekend,” UK head coach Lars Jorgensen said. “We had six school records, highlighted by Christina and Danielle today. We’re really proud of their performances, especially what Danielle did against some really tough competition all weekend. We’re proud of how far we’ve come, but we have a lot of work ahead as we prepare for the NCAA Championships in the spring.”
The UK women finished second overall in the seven-team women’s standings with 934 points, while the men placed third with 512.5 points. The Purdue women won with 1,097 points, while Ohio State claimed the top finish in the men’s competition with 1,546.5 points.
Bechtel has not lost a butterfly event this season, and Sunday was no different. The senior touched the wall in 1:52.36, shattering her own school record, breaking the Ohio State Invitational meet record and earning an NCAA `A’ qualifying time. Her record-setting swim comes a day after breaking the UK and OSU Invite record in the 100 butterfly with an NCAA `A’ qualifying time. Also in the 200 butterfly Sunday, senior Abby Myers placed third with a 1:58.24, an NCAA `B’ qualifying time.
Galyer recorded her first win of the day, and her fourth of the weekend, in the women’s 200 backstroke. The sophomore notched her third school record in as many days with a 1:53.28. The win, with an NCAA `B’ qualifying time, came by 2.46 seconds, ahead of teammate Bridgette Alexander, who placed second in 1:55.74. The freshman also earned an NCAA `B’ qualifying time.
Sophomore Kendal Casey recorded a runner-up finish in the women’s 1,650 freestyle. With a time of 16:15.91, she posted the second-fastest time in school history and finished 2.28 seconds behind Sunday’s winner. Sophomore Kelly Berger also tallied a top-10 finish, placing seventh in 16:49.18.
In the men’s 200 butterfly, sophomore Kyle Higgins placed second in 1:45.32. The third-fastest time in program history, Higgins earned an NCAA `B’ qualifying time with the runner-up finish. Junior Matt Roman also placed in the top five, finishing fifth in 1:48.73.
Kendra Crew placed third in the women’s 200 breaststroke with an NCAA `B’ time of 2:13.33. Freshman Annie Davies finished sixth with a 2:17.02, the 10th-fastest time in program history.
In the men’s 1,650 freestyle, UK notched three top-seven finishes, all from sophomores. Drew Aviotti led the way in third with a time of 15:22.64, while Brandon Flynn was sixth with a time of 15:41.20. Jamie Stevenson came in seventh in 15:43.61.
In the diving competition, on platform, senior Lindsay Keahey led the way for the Wildcats with a 245.15 to place fourth. Sophomore Rebecca Hamperian was sixth with a 236.80, while senior Christa Cabot finished seventh with a score of 235.80. Freshman Levi Lindsey notched the best score for the UK men with a 244.45 to place 13th.
Senior Kristen Wilson posted a top-five finish in the women’s 100 freestyle. Wilson touched the wall in 50.73, a season-best time, to finish in fifth overall. In the men’s 100 freestyle, sophomore Sean Gunn’s 45.78 earned him an eighth-place finish in the finals.
Freshman Matheus Gerotto tallied UK’s best finish in the men’s 200 backstroke. Gerotto advanced to the finals and placed 10th overall with a 1:48.50.
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