Kentucky Swimming and Diving Announces 2022-23 Schedule
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Following a successful 2021-22 campaign that produced 18 All-America selections and 15 Southeastern Conference medalists, the Kentucky men’s and women’s swimming and diving program has released a competitive schedule for 2022-23.
The upcoming season will feature four home meets as well as several matchups with many of the nation’s premier programs. The Wildcats will face four teams that all finished in the top 14 of the final College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America poll last year, with all of those squads also posting top-12 finishes at their respective NCAA Championships in 2022.
“We intentionally create a highly-competitive schedule each year, and this season is certainly no exception,” said head coach Lars Jorgensen. “We want to prepare our team during the season for the high-level competition we’ll face at the SEC and NCAA Championships. We’re ready to get to work and have another exceptional season.”
The Wildcats will open the 2022-23 slate with the annual blue/white meet on Sept. 23 at the Lancaster Aquatic Center. During the spirited intrasquad meet, the coaching staff splits the program into men’s and women’s blue and white squads for a friendly — but fast — racing environment.
Dual meet season is set to officially begin at home on Oct. 5 when Indiana pays a visit to the Lancaster Aquatic Center for a mid-week contest. The Hoosier men concluded last year in fourth in the CSCAA poll with the women’s team taking 14th, finishing fifth and 11th, respectively, at the NCAA Championships.
The Wildcats then hit the road on Oct. 21, traveling to Raleigh to take on NC State before facing Texas A&M on Nov. 3 in College Station — the first conference test of the year and the site of the 2023 SEC Championships. The Wolfpack men ended last season ranked second after a fourth-place finish at NCAAs while the women were ranked fourth and finished fifth. The Aggies landed at 18th and 22nd in the final CSCAA standings.
UK will then prepare for the Ohio State Invitational from Nov. 17-19 in Columbus, Ohio. The mid-season taper meet typically features several teams from across the country, which will be announced later this fall. The Wildcats will partake in winter training throughout December, and although there are no dual meets during that month, qualified student-athletes will participate in the Toyota U.S. Open and USA Diving National Championships.
Returning home for the first time in nearly two months, Kentucky is set to host conference rival Georgia at the Lancaster Aquatic Center on Dec. 19 before the holidays. Back with home pool advantage, Kentucky will ring in the new year with the annual Battle of the Bluegrass against Louisville on Jan. 21 in Lexington. Last season, the Bulldog men and women earned final CSCAA ranks of 11th and 13th after placing eighth and 15th at NCAAs. The Cardinals’ men’s and women’s teams both finished 10th in the rankings while posting respective 12th- and sixth-place finishes on the national stage.
The final test before postseason competition will be in Cincinnati against the Bearcats on Jan. 27. Following the conclusion of dual meet action, select UK swimmers will have the opportunity to race at the Ohio State First Chance Meet in Columbus from Feb. 9-11.
Championship season commences at the Rec Center Natatorium in College Station, Texas, for the SEC Championships from Feb. 14-18 with the men’s and women’s meet once again being held simultaneously. The following week, UK divers will make the trek to Bloomington, Indiana, for the Zone C Diving Championships.
Qualified swimmers and divers will then compete at the NCAA Championships. The women’s meet will be held March 15-18 in Knoxville, Tennessee, at the Allan Jones Aquatic Center before the men’s competition from March 22-25 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center.
The UK women, who were 12th in the final CSCAA poll, finished as the team runner-up at the 2022 SEC Championships with 1043 points, their second-highest finish and second-most point total ever at the conference meet. They also placed 12th at NCAAs with 115.5 points to match their second-best team finish and mark the second-most points scored in school history. The men’s team finished eighth at SECs a season ago.
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.
