RV/No. 12 UK Swimming & Diving Wraps Up Tri-Meet Against No. 23 Auburn, No. 4/3 NC State
AUBURN, Ala. – The RV/No. 12 University of Kentucky men’s and women’s swimming and diving team suffered a setback on Friday during a tri-meet with No. 23 Auburn and No. 4/3 NC State at the James E. Martin Aquatics Center hosted by the Tigers.
The men’s program fell to the Wolfpack and the Tigers, 194-101 and 200-100, respectively, while the women’s squad also dropped to NC State, 180-118, and Auburn, 157-143.
Leading the Wildcats in the pool was Riley Gaines who earned a pair of first-place finishes in the 100 free (49.28) and 200 free (1:47.35). The senior also registered a runner-up showing in the 50 free after stopping the clock in 22.86.
Gillian Davey got her hands to the wall second in the 200 breast (2:11.69) after placing fifth in the 100 breast (1:02.57). Bailey Bonnett finished third in the 100 breast (1:01.65) and fourth in the 200 breast (2:13.83). Lauren Poole (2:01.17) paved the way in the 200 IM as UK’s top finisher in second ahead of Bonnett (2:01.81) in third and Davey (2:02.30) in fifth.
Also with a pair of top-5 finishes was Izzy Gati, who placed third in the 200 fly (1:59.29) and fourth in the 100 fly (54.03). Sophie Sorenson raced to third in the 200 back (1:56.66) and fifth in the 500 free (4:55.46), while Caitlin Brooks finished fourth in the 100 back (54.28) and fifth in the 100 fly (55.01).
The Kentucky men also had several top-5 finishes, with Mason Wilby taking fourth in both the 100 fly (48.96) and 200 fly (1:47.63). Henry Miller also had a fourth-place finish in the 200 breast with a time of 2:03.30.
Max Berg sprinted to fourth in the 50 free with a time of 20.68, also taking fifth in the 200 free in 1:38.00. Kyle Barker turned in a time of 1:50.42 in the 200 IM, good enough for fifth overall.
“Riley [Gaines] was awesome today with some high-level swims, as was Gillian [Davey] and Lauren [Poole]. Our divers also performed well on the boards,” said head coach Lars Jorgenson. “We competed against two quality teams in Auburn and NC State, and we just didn’t have enough people step up today. We will build upon this and use this as a learning experience going forward with the rest of our season.”
The Wildcat divers impressed throughout the meet, with Morgan Southall having a dominant performance on both the boards for the women. She swept the 1-meter (278.00) and 3-meter (304.80) for the first collegiate victories of her career. Abby Devereaux placed fourth on the 1-meter with a score of 260.15.
On the men’s side, Danny Zhang placed second on both the 1-meter (353.35) and 3-meter (401.15). Sam Duncan followed right behind Zhang by taking third on the 1-meter (334.60) and 3-meter (354.70), achieving a personal record on the former. Rodrigo Romero, who dove to fifth on the 3-meter (328.45), also set a lifetime best on that discipline.
“We saw some good things today from our divers, especially in the areas that needed improving,” said head diving coach Ted Hautau. “Morgan [Southall] stepped up really well and she was a force, so it was good to see her confidence grow. Everyone has made good improvements, and hats off to the other competitors.”
The Wildcats will again go head-to-head with Auburn and NC State tomorrow at 10 a.m. ET for an exhibition meet. Kentucky then has a week off of competition before hosting Tennessee at the Lancaster Aquatic Center on Friday, Nov. 5 at 2 p.m. ET.
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.
