Wildcats Win Five Events on Night Two of Ohio State Invitational

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Behind five wins and 15 more NCAA B standards, the No. 13 University of Kentucky men’s and women’s swimming and diving team wrapped up a successful second day of competition at the Ohio State Invitational in Columbus.

The Wildcats took the top two spots in the women’s 400 IM, with Gillian Davey clocking in at 4:06.34 followed closely by Bailey Bonnett in 4:06.96. Lauren Poole turned in a time of 4:08.91 for fifth and Anna Havens Rice took 12th in 4:12.76 as all four swimmers earned the NCAA B standard.

Riley Gaines, the 2021 Southeastern Conference gold medalist in the women’s 200 free, won her signature event by a half-second in 1:43.81, well under the NCAA B standard. Kaitlynn Wheeler also competed in the championship final, racing to fifth in 1:46.94 for a B cut of her own.

Kyle Barker was UK’s top finisher in the men’s 400 IM, finishing eighth overall with a B standard time of 3:51.39. Max Berg also picked up a B cut in the men’s 200 free after placing fifth in 1:36.04 while Victor Martin Roig stopped the clock in 1:36.75 for eighth.

After qualifying third during prelims of the women’s 1-meter springboard, Kyndal Knight dove to the top spot with a winning score of 315.75. Morgan Southall also competed in finals, taking ninth overall in 259.45, while Danny Zhang was the runner-up on the men’s 3-meter board with a final score of 417.80. 

Kentucky saw three swimmers achieve the B standard in the women’s 100 breast, as Bonnett was UK’s top finisher with a sixth-place showing in 1:00.63. Bridget Engel won the B-final in a lifetime best of 1:01.03 to take 11th with Davey right behind in 1:01.09 for 12th. 

The Wildcats’ fourth individual victory of the night came in the women’s 100 back from Caitlin Brooks, who out-touched Ohio State’s Emily Crane by just .01. Her winning time of 51.93 was another B cut for UK, while Sophie Sorenson achieved the standard as well with a seventh-place finish in 53.31. 

Brooks also won the B-final of the women’s 100 fly, getting her hands to the wall in 52.95 for another NCAA B cut.

Izzy Gati (1:46.24), Gaines (1:44.06), Sorenson (1:46.77), and Wheeler (1:46.38) combined in 7:03.45 for yet another Wildcat win and a B cut, edging out Indiana who was second in 7:03.73. The men’s 800 free relay squad of Berg (1:36.31), Martin Roig (1:35.36), Mason Wilby (1:35.48), and Jakob Clark (1:37.60) concluded the night by taking third in 6:24.75.

The Wildcats return to the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion on Saturday, Nov. 20 for the third and final day of the midseason invitational. Prelims will begin at 8 a.m. ET and tomorrow’s events include the 1650 freestyle, platform diving, 200 back, 100 free, 200 breast, 200 fly, and 400 free relay.

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.