Kentucky Set to Host Louisville on Senior Day
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky swimming and diving team will
wrap up its home schedule on Saturday afternoon as in-state foe Louisville visits
Lancaster Aquatic Center for the Battle of the Bluegrass.
The meet will serve as Kentucky’s senior day, honoring
the program’s 14 graduating student-athletes: Tanner
Anderson, Drew Aviotti, Kelly Berger, Kendal Casey, Kendra Crew, Allyson Dupay,
Brandon Flynn, Danielle Galyer, Sean Gunn, Rebecca Hamperian, Kyle Higgins,
Kate Kelly, Noah Richter and James Stevenson.
“This is a great group of
seniors,” said head coach Lars Jorgensen. “It’s our rivalry meet along with
senior day, so there are going to be a lot of emotions. I think the key is
going to be keeping our emotions intact. We’re racing against a really good
Louisville team. It’s going to be a challenge, but I think it’s going to be a great
meet for our seniors. We really want to thank them and honor them for all
the hard work they’ve put in these past four years.”
Louisville enters the meet
ranked No. 8 on the men’s side while the women come in ranked 10th. The
Cardinals will be coming off a home meet against No. 22/10 ranked Notre Dame on
Friday before making the trip east on Saturday.
Diving will begin at 11:30 a.m., following by the senior day
presentations. Swimming events are slated for a 1 p.m. start.
KENTUCKY ATHLETES IN NATIONAL RANKINGS
Between both the men’s and women’s squads, Kentucky holds 15
times that currently rank in the top 25 nationally among Division I swimmers,
including six times that rank in the top 10.
Senior Kyle Higgins holds one of the highest-ranked times
for Kentucky, as he owns the No. 6 spot in the 200-yard butterfly with a
school-record time of 1:42.66.
Senior Drew Aviotti is the only other Wildcat on the men’s
side holding times in the top 25. His school-record time of 14:58.50 in the
1650-yard freestyle ranks the No. 14 swim in the event while his 9:05.17 in the
1000 free is the No. 21 time among Division I swimmers.
On the women’s side, freshman Asia Seidt has completely
dominated for the Blue and White. Seidt currently holds four individual times
that sit inside the top 25. Her 1:51.18 A-cut finish in the 200-yard backstroke
at the Ohio State Invite earned her the fourth-fastest time in the country. The
freshman’s 1:55.33 time in the 200-yard individual medley also gained automatic
entry to NCAAs and sits as the seventh-best time in the country. Seidt also
holds the No. 8 time in the 100-yard backstroke and 16th-fastest time in the
400 IM.
The Wildcat women have emerged as a powerhouse in the 200
backstroke. In addition to Seidt, three Kentucky swimmers rank within the top
15 nationally in the event. Defending NCAA champion in the event, senior
Danielle Galyer currently holds down the No. 7 spot in the event. Junior
Bridgette Alexander follows close behind with the 8th-fastest time after
posting a first-place 1:52.38 at the AT&T Winter Nationals. Freshman Ali
Galyer rounds out the event with the No. 14 spot.
Sophomore Geena Freriks is the only other Wildcat to grab an
individual top-25 time for the women, as her school-record time of 4:39.34 in
the 500 freestyle race at the Ohio State Invite is good for 14th in the
standings.
Additionally, the women own top-25 times in the 400
freestyle relay (No. 25), 800 freestyle relay (No. 9) and 400 medley relay (No.
13).
LAST TIME OUT
The Wildcats are coming off a successful trip to
Blacksburg, Virginia where the competed against Virginia Tech and Georgia
Tech. Although the meet was cut short
due to snow and poor road conditions, the Wildcats finished the lone day with
six first-place finishes and hefty leads over both opponents.
For the latest on the Kentucky swimming and diving
program, follow @UKSwimDive on
Twitter, on Facebook at Facebook.com/UKSwimDive,
and on the web at UKathletics.com.
