Men's Swimming & Diving
Connor Blandford - Men's Swimming & Diving - University of Kentucky Athletics

ConnorBlandford

  • height 6-1
  • class Senior
  • Hometown Clayton, N.C.
  • Major Computer Science
  • High school Corinth Holders High School

Top Times (SCY):
200 IM: 1:44.75 (2020 SEC Championships, 02/19/20)
400 IM: 3:42.73 (2020 TN Last Chance Meet, 02/29/20)
200 Backstroke: 1:44.74 (2020 SEC Championships, 02/22/20)
200 Freestyle: 1:37.77 (2018 SEC Time Trials, 02/14/18)
 
Top Times (LCM):

100 Backstroke: 56.13 (2018 Phillips 66 National Championships, 07/28/18)
200 Backstroke: 2:01.46 (2018 Phillips 66 National Championships, 07/26/18)
200 IM: 2:04.36 (2019 Time Trials Phillips 66 National Championships, 08/03/19)
400 IM: 4:22.97 (2019 Phillips 66 National Championships, 08/02/19)

Career Notes:

  • *2020 NCAA qualifier
  • ^2020 All-America in 400 Individual Medley
  • 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials qualifier
  • 2019 CSCAA Scholar All-America Honorable Mention
  • 2018, 2019, 2020 SEC Winter Academic Honor Roll

2019-20 (Senior): Contributed 34 individual points at the SEC Championships … Finished in 11th place in the 200 IM in 1:44.75, a personal best, at the SEC Championships … Finished in 13th place in the 400 IM in 3:47.59 at the SEC Championships … Finished in 21st place in the 200 backstroke in 1:45.13, before earning a personal-best 1:44.74 in the preliminaries, at the SEC Championships … Set a personal best in the 400 IM at the Tennessee Last Chance Meet in 3:42.73 … Earned a ticket to compete at the NCAA Championships in the 400 IM before it was canceled due to the COVID-19 public-health threat … Named the Most Improved Swimmer at the program’s annual awards banquet … Named to the CSCAA Scholar All-America First Team … Named to the SEC Winter Academic Honor Roll.

2018-19 (Junior): Swam in three events and scored points in two events at the SEC Championships … There, he finished 14th in the 400 IM (3:46.24), 20th in the 200 IM (1:46.08) and 32nd in the 200 back (1:45.81) … He  set a career-best time in the 400 IM at the SEC Championships (3:46.24) … Named CSCAA Scholar All-America Honorable Mention … Named to SEC Winter Academic Honor Roll.
 
2017-18 (Sophomore): Set personal bests in four separate events at the SEC Championships … Highest finish at the conference meet came in the 200 IM, winning the “C” final with a personal-best time of 1:45.29 … His time of 1:45.29 in the 200 IM ranks second all-time among UK performers … Scored in the 400 IM at the SEC Championships, placing 21st with a lifetime-best 3:46.81 … Set personal bests in the 200 back (1:45.14) and 200 free (1:37.77) at the SEC meet … Named to SEC Winter Academic Honor Roll.

2016-17 (Freshman): Posted personal-best times in all three of his individual races at the SEC Championships … Swam the second-fastest 200 IM in school history, going 1:47.05 to finish 22nd … Turned in the fourth-best 400 IM in program laurels with a 23rd-place time of 3:51.25 … Cracked UK’s top 10 in the 200 back as well, going 1:46.33 to place 34th.
 
Prior to UK: 
Two-time North Carolina State Champion … State record holder in 200 IM … 2016 Futures High Point Winner … Competed for Marlins of Raleigh … Played baseball … Member of the Chess Club and STEM Club … Both parents, Maureen and Todd, swam at Ohio University.

*The NCAA Championships were canceled because of the COVID-19 public-health threat.
^The CSCAA board adjusted the All-America selection criteria to recognize a group of individuals who would have had the opportunity to compete for All-America status at the canceled 2020 NCAA Championships.

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