This Day in UK Athletics History: Ignacio, Lyden Collect SEC Honors (2005)

Kentucky sophomore diver Taryn Ignacio and diving coach Mike Lyden earned the Southeastern Conference Women’s Diver of the Year and Women’s Diving Coach of the Year awards, respectively, the league announced Saturday.

Ignacio, a Florida State transfer from Richmond, Ky., excelled in her first year as a Wildcat, collecting the one-meter and platform-diving titles at the 2005 SEC Championships. Ignacio teamed up with junior Jessica Thompson, who won the SEC women’s three-meter event, to complete a sweep of the SEC women’s diving titles.

Lyden earns his seventh coach of the year award at Kentucky. He was named the SEC Diving Coach of the Year in 1995, 1996, 2002 and 2003 by the Knoxville News-Sentinel and has been designated as the league’s top diving coach in 1995, 1996 and 2005 by his peers. Under Lyden’s tutelage, Kentucky became only the second school to sweep the women’s SEC diving titles this past season. Lyden also completed the SEC women’s diving sweep at LSU before coming to Kentucky.