The Kentucky swimming and diving team will travel to Cincinnati, Ohio on Friday to finish up its dual season against the Bearcats. Action will begin at 2:30 for the divers, while swimming events are slated for a 5 p.m. start.
“This is going to be a really important meet for us because it’s our last dual meet and one of our last chances to prepare for the conference meet,” said head coach Lars Jorgensen. “This will be a challenging meet for us against a really good Cincinnati team. We definitely need see some of our athletes step up once more before they compete at SECs.”
Last season, the Wildcats earned a pair of victories over UC in Lexington. The women posted a 210-84 triumph, while the men won 195-100.
KENTUCKY ATHLETES IN NATIONAL RANKINGS
Between both the men’s and women’s squads, Kentucky holds 15 times that currently rank in the top 25 nationally among Division I swimmers, including six times that rank in the top 10.
Senior Kyle Higgins holds one of the highest-ranked times for Kentucky, as he owns the No. 6 spot in the 200-yard butterfly with a school-record time of 1:42.66.
Senior Drew Aviotti is the only other Wildcat on the men’s side holding times in the top 25. His school-record time of 14:58.50 in the 1650-yard freestyle ranks the No. 14 swim in the event while his 9:05.17 in the 1000 free is the No. 21 time among Division I swimmers.
On the women’s side, freshman Asia Seidt has completely dominated for the Blue and White. Seidt currently holds four individual times that sit inside the top 25. Her 1:51.18 A-cut finish in the 200-yard backstroke at the Ohio State Invite earned her the fourth-fastest time in the country. The freshman’s 1:55.33 time in the 200-yard individual medley also gained automatic entry to NCAAs and sits as the seventh-best time in the country. Seidt also holds the No. 8 time in the 100-yard backstroke and 16th-fastest time in the 400 IM. She also ranks 16th in the 400 IM.
The Wildcat women have emerged as a powerhouse in the 200 backstroke. In addition to Seidt, three Kentucky swimmers rank within the top 15 nationally in the event. Defending NCAA champion in the event, senior Danielle Galyer currently holds down the No. 7 spot in the standings. Junior Bridgette Alexander follows close behind with the 8th-fastest time after posting a first-place 1:52.38 at the AT&T Winter Nationals. Freshman Ali Galyer rounds out the event with the No. 14 spot.
Sophomore Geena Freriks is the only other Wildcat to grab an individual top-25 time for the women, as her school-record time of 4:39.34 in the 500 freestyle race at the Ohio State Invite is good for 14th in the standings.
Additionally, the women own top-25 times in the 400 freestyle relay (No. 25), 800 freestyle relay (No. 9) and 400 medley relay (No. 13).
LAST TIME OUT
Kentucky wrapped up its home slate on Saturday afternoon against No. 8/10 Louisville. Despite earning 10 top finishes in the outing, the UK men fell 176.5-123.5 and the women dropped a 167-133 decision.
For the latest on the Kentucky swimming and diving program, follow @UKSwimDive on Twitter, on Facebook at Facebook.com/UKSwimDive, and on the web at UKathletics.com.