Rosely, Wilby Invited to 2021 NCAA Championships
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Two swimmers will represent the University of Kentucky at the 2021 NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships, it was announced by the selection committee on Wednesday afternoon. The meet will be held March 24-27, hosted at the Greensboro Aquatic Center in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Zane Rosely, a freshman, earned an invitation to compete in the 400 IM as the 25th seed. He is UK’s first freshman male swimmer to reach the big dance since Brandon Flynn in 2013.
Mason Wilby, a junior, qualified in the 200 butterfly as the 15th seed, the 200 IM as the 22nd seed and the 200 freestyle as the 28th seed. Like Rosely, it will mark his first trip to the NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships.
Rosely is coming off a career presentation at the 2021 Southeastern Conference Championships in late February, collecting 55 individual points at the league meet. There, he finished in eighth place in the 1,650 freestyle in 15:06.07, a time that ranks sixth in the program’s all-time records and 39th in the nation. He also rallied ninth place, topping the “B” final, in the 400 IM in 3:44.84, which is the second-best time in the program’s all-time records and 29th in the nation.
Wilby also shattered some personal records at the league meet, in addition to two school records.
He owns the 18th-fastest time in the nation in the 200 butterfly in 1:42.28, breaking the school record while also earning fourth place at the 2021 SEC Championships. There, he collected 70 individual points, also earning sixth place in the 200 IM in 1:43.72, the 23rd-fastest time in the nation, and earning ninth place in 200 freestyle in 1:33.87, the 33rd-fastest time in the nation and a school record.
With the announcement, UK’s NCAA team is complete with five swimmers and divers competing in a combined 10 events:
Mason Wilby
200 butterfly
200 freestyle
200 IM
Danny Zhang
1-meter springboard
3-meter springboard
Platform
Chase Lane
1-meter springboard
Platform
Sam Duncan
1-meter springboard
Zane Rosely
400 IM
Since the 2020 NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championship was canceled because of the COVID-19 public-health threat, the Kentucky men’s program last competed at the big dance in 2019, earning 25th place with 26 points. It marked the best team finish and most points earned at the national meet since earning 22nd with 45 points in 2013.
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.
