Sophie Sorenson Tabbed SEC Female Swimmer of the Week

LEXINGTON, Ky. – After two wins and one pool record against in-state rival Louisville on Jan. 22, University of Kentucky swimmer Sophie Sorenson has been named the Southeastern Conference Female Swimmer of the Week. This is the first weekly honor of her career.

Sorenson had a stellar performance last weekend in the annual Battle of the Bluegrass despite the No. 14 Wildcat women falling to the 11th-ranked Cardinals. Competing at the Ralph Wright Natatorium in Louisville, she won the 200 back (1:52.11) and 200 IM (1:57.77) while taking second in the 100 back (52.58).

Not only did she win the 200 back by over a full second, but her time demolished Louisville’s pool record of 1:53.61 set in 2016 by UofL All-American Alina Kendzior. Sorenson also took the top spot in the 200 IM by a half-second.

A native of Ames, Iowa, she currently ranks ninth in the NCAA in the 200 back and her season-best 1:52.11 is the fastest time swum at a dual meet this season. 

Sorenson has won the 200 back five out of the six times she has raced it throughout the 2021-22 season thus far, including besting the field in her signature event at the Ohio State Invitational in November. She has also finished in the top-three in the 100 back throughout dual meet action this year on four different occasions.  

The senior co-captain finds herself ranked fourth in both backstroke events in program history, also sitting in fifth in the 200 IM. She claimed silver in the longer of the two backstroke distances at the 2021 SEC Championships before going on to earn All-America honors in that event with an eighth-place finish at the NCAA Championships.

This marks the Wildcats’ third SEC honor of the year as Kyndal Knight was named the league’s co-diver of the week on Oct. 19 and Riley Gaines was tabbed the co-swimmer of the week on Jan. 18. 

This is also the first time Kentucky has picked up back-to-back SEC weekly honors since Caitlin Brooks was named the freshman of the week on Oct. 15 and Oct. 22 during the 2019-20 season.

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