UK Men’s Swimming & Diving Hosts Miami Ohio for Home Opener on Friday
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Just two days after its season opener at Indiana, the University of Kentucky men’s swimming and diving program is back in action on Friday, Oct. 8 to host Miami Ohio at the Lancaster Aquatic Center for a 5 p.m. ET dual meet.
The Wildcats, who suffered a 171-115 setback against the Hoosiers, are fresh off their season debut on Oct. 6. Danny Zhang captured the sole victory for the men’s team, winning the 3-meter in a final score of 383.45 en route to finishing ahead of 2020 U.S. Olympian Andrew Capobianco.
Jakob Clark paced the men’s team in the pool at Indiana, placing second in the 1000 free (9:16.10) and third in the 500 free (4:31.38). Mason Wilby was the runner-up in the 200 fly (1:47.46) and freshman Jackson Mussler took third in the 200 back (1:49.03) during his first meet as a Wildcat.
Kentucky also posted several fourth-place finishes in Bloomington, including Kyle Barker in the 100 back (51.33), Max Berg in the 200 free (1:40.01), Nick Caruso in the 1000 free (9:20.33), Cooper Drouillard in the 200 fly (1:51.52), John Michael Gordon in the 200 back (1:51.44), and Henry Miller in the 200 breast (2:03.55).
The Wildcat men saw success at the Southeastern Conference Championships last season, finishing seventh with 759 points. Their point total surpassed the previous program record of 724 points scored the year prior and was the fifth consecutive season the men’s team had bested the school mark. Zane Rosely and Sam Duncan both landed on the All-SEC Freshman Team while Zhang earned a spot on the All-SEC Second Team.
UK is in an excellent position to continue moving up the conference rankings, as five of the eight relay swimmers, 11 of the 15 point scorers, and 330 of the 559 individual points scored last year are back in Lexington once again.
Two swimmers and three divers were invited to compete at the 2021 Men’s NCAA Championships for a combined 10 individual entries, finishing 30th with 14 points. Rosely became the first UK male freshman swimmer since 2013 to earn a bid to the national meet while Zhang earned All-American Honorable Mention honors. Wilby also claimed the first All-American Honorable Mention of his career, placing 13th in the 200 fly to break his own school record.
Friday’s dual will mark the first meet of the season for Miami Ohio, who clinched its second Mid-American Conference crown in three years last season. The RedHawks are led by sixth-year head coach Hollie Bonewit-Cron, who was named the MAC Coach of the Year in 2021.
Back again this season for Miami Ohio is sophomore Henju Duvenhage, the defending MAC Freshman Swimmer of the Year and MAC Swimmer of the Year. At the conference meet, he earned gold in the 200 fly, 200 IM, and 400 IM while leading the RedHawks to wins in both the 400 medley and 400 free relays. Owen Blazer, an All-MAC First Team selection, is the defending conference 100 back champion and returns for his second year in Oxford.
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