Swim & Dive Dominates Penn State, Drops Second Meet of the Day to Auburn

ATLANTA — It was a busy day for the Wildcats on the pool deck and boards, as Kentucky swimming and diving opened The Dual Meet Tournament day one with a 548.5-213.5 victory over Penn State in the morning and a loss to No. 17/19 Auburn, 473.5-314.5, at the McAuley Aquatic Center. The bracket style tournament leads them to tomorrow’s meet where they will take on South Carolina at 9 a.m. ET.

In the morning against Penn State, the Wildcats won both the men’s and women’s competitions, with the women claiming a 282-88 victory and the No. 20 men’s side winning 266.5-125.5. The Dual Meet Tournament combines both scores for a 548.5-213.5 win in convincing fashion.

The Penn State dual started on the right foot with both 400-yard freestyle relays. The women’s team of Arianna Wertheim, Karrington Hansen, Lauren West and Valeria Tarin won in 3:22.05 seconds, while the men’s team of Siim Keskula, Falemana Tuufui, Justin Peresse and AJ Terry finished in 2:54.15.

Other individual winners included Kelsey Stuck in the women’s 100 backstroke, Lysander Osman in the men’s 100 backstroke, Billie Sherratt in the women’s 200 butterfly, Sarah Anne Shaffer and Adomas Gatulis in the 200 breast, Margherita Balli and Carson Hick in the men’s 500 freestyle, Valeria Tarin and Falemana Tuufui in the 50 free, and a first place tie for Marie Belli and Madi McGlothen in the 200 IM.

Kentucky swept all four diving events. Avery Giese won the women’s 1-meter and 3-meter events, while Tyler Bobadilla won the men’s 3-meter competition and Gabriel Vieira Perdigao took the 1-meter event. Kristy Pfaff finished second in both women’s events, and Vieira Perdigao placed second on the men’s 3-meter board to win things for the Wildcats.

Now, moving on in the winners bracket, No. 17/19 Auburn gave the Wildcats a tougher challenge, ultimately falling to the Tigers.

The second meet of the day was highlighted by no other than Falemana Tuufui, who set a Kentucky program record in the 50 freestyle, winning in 18.89 seconds. This was .01 second faster than his previous record that he set last season as a freshman.

Libby Grether and Devin Naoroz saw 200 backstroke wins, Filippo Bertoni won the men’s 500 freestyle, and Katy Jost captured the women’s 200 freestyle. Hayden Penny took the 200 IM event win, Gabrielle Idle-Beavers won the women’s 100 breaststroke, and Kentucky claimed the men’s 200 medley relay in 1:23.95.

Other notable Top 10 performances included Zea Wetzlaugk’s 22.51 in the 50 freestyle for the fifth-fastest time in program history, Bertoni’s fifth-fastest 500 freestyle (4:18.05), and Jost’s (1:46.15) seventh-fastest 200 freestyle time. Idle-Beavers recorded the fifth-fastest 100 breaststroke time in school history in 59.61, while Osman’s 46.66 in the 100 butterfly ranked fourth in Kentucky history.

Auburn won both women’s relay events and swept the four diving competitions. Kentucky’s top diving finishes included second-place performances by Avery Giese in both the women’s 1-meter and 3-meter events.

The Wildcats will continue The Dual Meet Tournament competition by rounding out the weekend against South Carolina in the third-place meet at 9 a.m. on Saturday. Results will be available on the MeetMobile app and fans can watch on YouTube.