UK Women’s Swimming, Diving Makes History, Finishes 11th in Nation
LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 24, 2021) — The University of Kentucky women’s swimming and diving team concluded its season Saturday night, earning 11th place on 152 points at the 2021 NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championship. The historic performance marks Kentucky’s best team finish in school history and the most points scored in school history.
“I am super proud of this team,” said head coach Lars Jorgensen. “It’s been such a tough season and the team has had to sacrifice so much, but they won the Southeastern Conference Championship for the first time ever and then backed that up with a historic performance at the NCAA Championship. Definitely the highlights were the silver finish in the 800 freestyle relay and Lauren Poole’s bronze finish in the 400 IM, but every person played a part at the meet, and I couldn’t be more proud of this group.”
The Wildcats earned 15 finals appearances throughout the meet, not including the silver finish 800 freestyle relay and the 10th place 200 medley relay. In addition, UK collected 22 All-America honors — eight First Team and 15 Honorable Mention — a school record.
Six swimmers reached finals Saturday night, creating six scoring opportunities down the stretch.
Competing in the first NCAA Championship in her career, Beth McNeese kicked off the final night in the 1650 freestyle. The sophomore touched the wall in 16:11.73 in the event, earning 13th place to become an All-America Honorable Mention.
Two Wildcats posted solid seed times to earn a lane in the “A” final in their respective events to become All-America First Team selections. Sophie Sorenson rallied for eighth place in the 200 backstroke in 1:52.63, while Izzy Gati earned eighth place in the 200 butterfly in 1:54.35. The All-America First Team honors marked Sorenson’s and Gati’s second of the week, as both juniors were part of the 800 freestyle relay that earned a silver finish on the opening night of the meet.
In the 200 backstroke, sophomore Caitlin Brooks finished in 12th place in 1:52.01 to earn her second All-America Honorable Mention of the meet. In the 200 breaststroke, sophomore Gillian Davey finished in 12th place in 2:07.38, while senior Bailey Bonnett rallied for 16th place in 2:09.92.
Kentucky’s NCAA team included two seniors, five juniors, six sophomores and two freshmen. Meanwhile, 11 of the 15 Cats that made up the NCAA team scored points and earned an All-America selection at the meet.
Senior Jaclyn Hill concluded the meet with a pair of the strongest performances in her career, earning two top-25 finishes including breaking one minute in the 100 breaststroke on a personal record 59.96 for 25th place. Senior Bonnett earned two top-16 finishes at the meet, including earning 11th place in the 400 IM on the third-fastest time in her career in 4:06.41. Bonnett, the 2017 SEC Freshman Swimmer of the Year, is a seven-time SEC Medalist and 10-time All-America.
The Wildcats next best finish in school history was 12th place in 2007, earning 92 points. Their next-best point performance was 106 points for 14th place in 2017.
How It Works
In swimming and diving, the top eight from the preliminary round move on to the “A” final and the next eight move on to the “B” final. Those who finish 1st-8th and are touted as First Team All-America, while those that finish 9th-16th are named Honorable Mention All-America.
All-America First Team Count (8)
Izzy Gati, 800 free-r (2nd)
Izzy Gati, 200 butterfly (8th)
Riley Gaines, 800 free-r (2nd)
Riley Gaines, 200 freestyle (7th)
Sophie Sorenson, 800 free-r (2nd)
Sophie Sorenson, 200 backstroke (8th)
Kaitlynn Wheeler, 800 free-r (2nd)
Lauren Poole, 400 IM (3rd)
All-America Honorable Mention Count (15)
Kyndal Knight, 1-meter (11th)
Lauren Poole, 200 IM (11th)
Sophie Sorenson, 200 IM (12th)
Caitlin Brooks, 400 med-r (10th)
Caitlin Brooks, 200 backstroke (12th)
Gillian Davey, 400 med-r (10th)
Gillian Davey, 400 IM (13th)
Izzy Gati, 400 med-r (10th)
Izzy Gati, 100 butterfly (9th)
Riley Gaines, 400 med-r (10th)
Bailey Bonnett, 400 IM (11th)
Bailey Bonnett, 200 breaststroke (16th)
Beth McNeese, 1650 freestyle (13th)
Anna Havens Rice, 400 IM (16th)
Kaitlynn Wheeler, 200 freestyle (16th)
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