Third Straight Win Over UofL, No. 13 Kentucky Soars Past No. 19 Louisville
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The No. 13 University of Kentucky women’s swimming and diving team earned its third straight win over Louisville on Saturday afternoon, recording a 160.5-139.5 win against No. 19 UofL at Ralph Wright Natatorium in Louisville, Kentucky. The No. 25 Kentucky men’s team lost to No. 10 Louisville, 165-135.
The Kentucky women’s team got off to a hot start in the dual meet, winning gold in the first four straight swimming events and the 1-meter springboard diving event. Gaining valuable momentum from the start, the women’s team would end up earning a first-place finish in nine of 16 events – swimming and diving – during the meet.
Opening the meet, Kentucky’s 200-yard medley relay team won the first event by over a full second in 1:39.70. The young foursome included freshman Caitlin Brooks in 24.89, followed by junior Bailey Bonnett in 28.40, then sophomore Izzy Gati in 23.96 and anchored by sophomore Riley Gaines in 22.45.
Keeping with the young theme, a pair of freshmen earned first and second place in the 1000-yard freestyle event to follow. Beth McNeese touched the wall in 9:53.94 to secure gold by more than 10 full seconds, and Ashley Neas followed in 10:05.71.
Recording another 1-2 sweep in the next event, the women’s team took first and second in the 200-yard freestyle. Senior Ali Galyer paced the field, swimming the event in 1:47.39, while sophomore Riley Gaines followed in second place with a time stamp of 1:47.98.
Capping four straight swimming triumphs to begin the meet, three undergraduates recorded a 1-2-3 sweep in the 100-yard backstroke. It would become the first of three 1-2-3 sweeps for the UK women in the meet. Brooks led the Wildcats, winning the 100-yard backstroke in 53.91. Sophomore Sophie Sorenson took second place in 54.82, while freshman Lauren Poole took third place in 54.98.
Two events later in the meet, Galyer and Gaines recorded a 1-2 sweep in the 200-yard freestyle. Galyer touched the wall in 1:47.39 to win, while Gaines followed in 1:47.98.
Continuing its successful momentum, the women’s team notched a 1-2-3 sweep in the 200-yard butterfly. Asia Seidt, a Louisville native and All-American backstroke swimmer, took first place in the 200-yard butterfly in 1:58.39. The versatile swimmer has been swimming in untraditional events this season to help maximize the opportunity for points. Gati finished in second place in 1:58.50, while Poole touched the wall in 2:03.70 for third place.
Seidt also tied for first place in the 100-yard butterfly in 54.52.
Earning the third 1-2-3 sweep of the afternoon, three undergraduates swept the 200-yard backstroke race. The Wildcats are deep in the backstroke events, even without their All-American backstroke swimmers, Seidt and Galyer. In first place, Brooks finished in 1:56.64. In second place, Sorenson recorded a 1:57.39 time stamp, and in third place, Poole finished in 2:00.08.
Galyer, another veteran swimming in untraditional events to help the women’s team maximize its scoring opportunities, took first place in the 500-yard freestyle in 4:50.63. Freshman McNeese forced second place in 4:51.40.
Sophomore Kyndal Knight earned her ninth first-place finish of the season during the dual meet. She earned a score of 292.43 on the 1-meter springboard.
On the men’s side, sophomore Danny Zhang swept the springboard events adding valuable points the men’s team score. The All-American recorded 346.43 points on the 1-meter springboard and 383.55 points on the 3-meter springboard.
Senior Peter Wetzlar also recorded two individual first-place finishes, sweeping the 50- and 100-yard freestyle events. In the 50-yard freestyle, Wetzlar touched the wall in 20.06. In the 100-yard freestyle, the Zimbabwe native recorded a time of 43.79.
The men’s team is senior led, and it was no different in this meet. Senior Glen Brown recorded a 1:37.54 in the 200-yard freestyle, topping the field and setting the pace for a 1-2 finish. Senior Jason Head forced a second-place finish in 1:37.65.
Four seniors earned a first-place finish in the 400-yard freestyle relay, touching the wall in 2:55.21. Wetzlar set the pace in 43.87, followed by Head in 43.27, then John Mitchell in 43.39 and anchored by Brown in 44.68.
Junior Hank Siefert had a gold finish in the 500-yard freestyle, swimming the distance event in 4:26.69.
The men’s team earned six victories of 16 possible.
Next on the Schedule
The Kentucky swimming and diving program will host Cincinnati on Friday, Jan. 31 at 4 p.m. for senior day. Fifteen swimmers and divers will graduate the program at the end of the semester, including seven females and six males.
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.
