Swimming & Diving
Kyle Barker - Swimming & Diving - University of Kentucky Athletics

KyleBarker

  • position Im/breaststroke/backstroke
  • class Freshman
  • Hometown Aldie, Va.
  • Major Kinesiology
  • High school John Champe High School

Top Times (SCY):
200 IM: 1:44.61 (2021 SEC Championships,  2/24/21)
400 IM: 3:46.52 (2021 SEC Championships, 2/25/21)
200 Backstroke: 1:44.08 (2021 SEC Championships, 2/26/21)
200 Breaststroke: 1:54.84 (2022 SEC Championships, 2/19/22)

Top Times (LCM):
200 IM: 2:03.11 (Greensboro Speedo Sectionals, 7/15/21)
400 IM: 4:22.98 (Des Moines Pro Swim Series, 3/6/20)
200 Backstroke: 2:04.00 (Greensboro Speedo Sectionals, 7/18/21)
200 Breaststroke: 2:18.33 (Iowa City Sectionals, 7/19/18)

Career Notes:

  • 2022 NCAA qualifier
  • 2022 Frank G. Ham Society of Character inductee
  • 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials qualifier
  • 2020, 2021, 2022 SEC Winter Academic Honor Roll
  • 2019 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll
  • 2019, 2020, 2021 CSCAA Scholar All-America Honorable Mention
  • 2022 CSCAA Scholar All-America First Team

In the Record Book:

  • No. 1 in 200 breast (2022), 400 IM (2022)
  • No. 3 in 200 IM (2021)
  • No. 6 in 200 back (2021)
  • No. 8 in 100 back (2020)

2021-22 (Senior): Placed 10th in the 200 breast (1:54.84) at the SEC Championships en route to breaking the school record … Also placed 22nd in the 200 IM (1:45.98) and 30th in the 400 IM (3:52.14) at SECs … Qualified for his first NCAA Championships, finishing 35th in the 400 IM (3:50.72), 47th in the 200 breast (1:57.11) and 48th in the 200 IM (1:45.34) … Broke the school record in the 400 IM (3:42.68) at the Tennessee Last Chance Meet … Raced to eighth in both the 200 IM (1:46.49) and 400 IM (3:51.39) at the midseason Ohio State Invitational … Had 14 top-5 finishes throughout the dual meet season, including wins in the 200 fly (1:48.00) against Cincinnati and 100 back (49.15) versus Miami Ohio … Was the runner-up in both the 100 back (51.33) and 200 IM (1:51.70) in the season opener at Indiana … Took second in the 200 IM (1:50.42) and fourth in the 200 breast (2:11.27) in a tri-meet with Auburn and NC State … Posted a trio of top-3 finishes in a battle with Tennessee … Swam to third in the 200 IM (1:47.59) and fourth in the 200 breast (1:59.80) at Louisville … Won the Most Improved Swimmer Award at the program’s annual award banquet. 

2020-21 (Junior): Qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials in Omaha, finishing 28th in the 400m IM (4:27.52) … Finished 12th in the 200 IM (1:44.61), 15th in the 200 back (1:44.08), and 17th in the 400 IM (3:46.52) at the 2021 SEC Championships … Led off the 400 medley relay in 48.11 that placed ninth, and led off the 200 medley relay in 21.93 and anchored the 200 free relay in 20.03 that both took 10th at SECs … Placed fourth in the 400 IM (3:51.26), seventh in the 200 back (1:46.42), and ninth in the 200 IM (1:46.36) at the Missouri Invitational … Recorded 11 top-3 finishes throughout the dual meet season … Won the 100 back (50.59), 200 back (1:51.47), and 400 IM (3:59.34) against Vanderbilt … Took first place in the 200 back (1:46.17), 200 IM (1:47.73), and 400 IM (3:54.44) at Alabama … Raced to a win in the 400 IM (3:56.99) versus Tennessee … Named to SEC Winter Academic Honor Roll … Named a CSCAA Scholar All-America Honorable Mention.

2019-20 (Sophomore): Scored 11 individual points at the SEC Championships … Finished in 22nd place in the 200 breaststroke in 1:57.76 at the SEC Championships … Finished in 22nd place in the 200 individual medley in 1:46.66, before setting a career-best 1:45.92 in preliminaries, at the SEC Championships … Finished in 20th place in the 400 individual medley in 3:49.01, before setting a career-best 3:48.95 in preliminaries, at the SEC Championships … Set a career best in the 100 backstroke in 50.08 during a home meet against South Carolina … Named a CSCAA Scholar All-America Honorable Mention … Named to the SEC Winter Academic Honor Roll.

2018-19 (Freshman): Scored points in two events at the SEC Championships … There, earned 15th place in the 200 breast on a mark of 1:58.10 and earned 24th in the 200 IM on a time stamp of 1:47.28 … Earned ink in the record book for three events, becoming the fourth fastest in program history in the 200 breast (1:57.20), fifth fastest to swim the 200 IM (1:46.33) and seventh fastest to swim the 400 IM (3:50.82) … Named CSCAA Scholar All-America Honorable Mention … Named to SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll.
 
Prior to UK: No. 97 prospect in the class of 2018 according to CollegeSwimming.com … Multi-event Junior National finalist in 2017 and 2018 … Earned a pair of podium finishes in the 200 IM and 100 breast at the 2018 VHSL Class 5 State Championship … Trained with Nation’s Capital Swim Club.

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