UK Swim & Dive Sets Sights on 2024 Olympic Trials

by Greg Welsh

LEXINGTON, Ky. – An assemblage of current, future and former Kentucky swimmers and divers will take their shot at a 2024 Olympic bid as trials for the Paris games are set to begin both in the United States and internationally in the coming days.

The largest continent of Wildcat hopefuls will compete at the U.S. Swimming Olympic Trials, June 15-23, inside Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. There, 10 current UK swimmers, along with two incoming transfers to the program, will vie for a coveted spot on Team USA. Those 12 Kentucky swimming affiliates combine for 25 entries at the meet, led by soon-to-be senior Nick Caruso, who is qualified in four events.

Swimmers can earn their spot on Team USA by finishing in the top two in any event, assuming they have achieved the Olympic Standard time necessary to compete at the 2024 Games. Levi Sandidge is the highest-seeded Wildcat in any event, coming in with the eighth-fastest seed time in the 1500m freestyle. For the women, Caroline Benda owns the highest seed on the heat sheet, occupying the No. 23 spot in the 400m IM.

Events at distances of 200m or shorter will have three rounds: preliminaries, semifinals and a final. Swimmers must place in the top 16 in prelims to advance to the semifinals, with the top eight swimmers from there advancing to the final. Events of 400m or longer will move straight from the preliminary round to the final.

Qualifying heats will begin at 11 a.m. each day and can be seen live on Peacock. Finals will follow at 8 p.m. and air on both NBC and Peacock. More information, including heat sheets, meet schedule and tickets, is available at the meet homepage.

The full lineup of Kentucky U.S. Swimming Olympic Trial participants can be seen below.

Caroline Benda: 400m IM, 1500m Free
Torie Buerger: 100m Back, 200m Back
Nick Caruso: 200m Free, 400m Free, 800m Free, 1500m Free
Bridget Engel: 100m Breast, 200m Breast
Grace Frericks: 200m Back
^*Maddy Hartley: 200m Fly
Carson Hick: 800m Free, 1500m Free
Drew Johnson: 50m Free
Ryan Merani: 200m Fly, 200m IM, 400m IM
^*Chris Nagy: 400m Free, 800m Free, 1500m Free
Denise Phelan: 100m Breast
Levi Sandidge: 400m IM, 800m Free, 1500m Free

^*Incoming transfer

Kentucky will also have representatives at the U.S. Diving Olympic Trials, June 17-23, at the Allan Jones Aquatic Center in Knoxville, Tennessee. Rising senior Abby Devereaux, incoming freshman Avery Giese, and alumna Kyndal Knight will all compete, trying to earn their place in Paris.

The action begins with the women’s synchronized 3-meter prelims on June 17 and concludes on June 23 with the women’s platform final. Fans can watch live coverage on NBA, USA Network and Peacock, including five nights in primetime. The complete schedule, along with other meet information, is available here.

Synchronized events will consist of preliminaries and finals. The top eight teams from the preliminary round will advance to the final, where the top team will receive an Olympic bid. Individual diving events will feature preliminaries, semifinals and finals. The top 18 finishers from the prelims advance to the semifinals, before the top 12 from the semifinals move on to the finals. Following the finals, the top one or two finishers by cumulative score from the semifinals and finals will be nominated to the U.S. Olympic Team.

Kentucky’s diving competitors can be seen below.

Abby Devereaux: Platform
^*Avery Giese: (3M Synchro, Platform Synchro)
^#Kyndal Knight: (3M, 3M Synchro)

^*Incoming Freshman
^#Alumni

Outside of the United States, a pair of Kentucky swimmers will race at the French Elite Championships, which serves as France’s qualifying meet for the Olympic Games. The meet, which spans June 16-21 in Chartres, France, will feature rising Kentucky fifth-year Max Berg, along with incoming sophomore, Justin Pèresse. Berg enters the competition with the eighth-fastest seed time in the 100m freestyle. More information is available at the meet homepage.

Kentucky student-athletes at the French Elite Championships can be seen below.