Kentucky Primed for Final Dual of the Regular Season
LEXINGTON, Ky. – One week removed from a program victory over ranked Louisville, the Kentucky swimming and diving teams will meet Cincinnati on Friday to compete in each of the squads’ final dual of the season.
Kentucky swim and dive will follow suit with last season, concluding its schedule with Cincinnati. Fans will have an opportunity to spectate the diving portion of the dual at the Lancaster Aquatic Center at 3 p.m., while the swim meet will commence at 4 p.m. at the Keating Aquatic Center in Cincinnati.
“This is the last chance for the team to prepare for the SEC Championship,” said head coach Lars Jorgensen. “It is a really important meet for everyone, we want to stay sharp as we approach our postseason. Plus, it’ll be the last dual meet for our seniors, which is pretty special. We’re looking forward to a good meet in Cincinnati.”
Fans can watch the meet live at https://gobearcats.com/watch/?Live=1196.
Both Kentucky teams are coming off winning finishes over Louisville on Saturday at home. The No. 10 women defeated Louisville for the second-straight year, topping the Cardinals 175-125. Kentucky led for nearly the entire meet with the help of freshman Kyndal Knight who swept the springboard events, senior Asia Sedit who was unbeaten in her individual events, and the four Wildcats who rallied for gold in the 400 free relay to cap the meet.
The Wildcat men kept fans on their feet the entire show, capping the dual with a 157.5-142.5 finish. It was their first win over UofL in at least eight years. Several playmakers highlighted the long-time victory, including junior Peter Wetzlar who won each of his individual events and helped the final relay to gold. Freshman Danny Zhang scored over 400 points on the 3M while junior Glen Brown forced a win in the 200 IM ahead of the final relay.
Seidt is having a phenomenal year in dual meets. The five-time NCAA First Team All-American has earned gold in 16 of her 20 individual events this season. Additionally, all 20 of her swims have earned podium finishes. Among her specialty at backstroke, Seidt is a versatile swimmer that can help Kentucky in many situations. She has won first in six separate events, tabbing a remarkable four wins each in the 100 back, 100 fly and 200 IM.
Comparable to her success on the men’s side is Wetzlar. A Zimbabwe native, Wetzlar has improved immensely from his sophomore season to now. He inputted valuable performances against Louisville, winning both the 50 free and 100 free events. He also added tremendous depth to the 400 free relay, swimming the lead leg with a 44.06 split. It set the pace for UK, who clocked a 2:57.27 to take the race and win the dual.
In the Wildcats’ next appearance, select Kentucky swimmers will attend the Ohio State First Chance Meet Feb. 16-17 in Columbus, Ohio. The meet is designed to give swimmers an additional opportunity to earn NCAA Championship qualifying marks.
For the latest on the Kentucky swimming and diving program, follow @UKSwimDive on Twitter and on Instagram, on Facebook and on the web at UKathletics.com.
