Kentucky swimming & diving had an impressive showing on day two of the Tennessee Invitational, earning eight NCAA B-Cuts and one new zone standard. The team currently sits in fourth place on both the men’s and women’s sides, with one day of competition remaining. The men have accumulated 357 points, while the women have 300.5 points. Tennessee leads the men’s leaderboard with 826 points, while Virginia tops the women’s leaderboard with a score of 713.5.
The morning session was highlighted by junior Caroline Benda, who achieved an Olympic Trials cut in the 400 IM with a time of 4:48.39. Benda secured her spot in the event for next summer’s trials. Several other Wildcats also had strong morning swims, earning “A-final” lanes for the night session. Ryan Merani, Madi McGlothen, Anna Havens Rice, Max Berg, Lance Johnson, Torie Buerger, and Grace Frericks all secured top spots.
In the women’s 400 IM, Kentucky had three A-finalists who placed fourth, fifth, and sixth, all with NCAA B-standard times. McGlothen led the way with a time of 4:16.33, followed by Benda and Rice. In the men’s 400 IM, Merani finished fifth with a time of 3:47.17, while Zane Rosely won the “B-final” in ninth place with a time of 3:50.06. Both Merani and Rosely achieved NCAA B-standards.
Senior Max Berg achieved a B-cut in the 200 freestyle, finishing fifth with a time of 1:35.28. Bridget Engel also achieved a B-standard in the women’s 100 breast, touching the wall in 1:00.96 for 12th place. Buerger joined the group with her B-cut in the 100 back, finishing fourth with a time of 52.79.
Kentucky ended the night with a second-place finish in the men’s 800 Freestyle relay. Merani, Victor Martin Roig, Berg, and Rosely combined for a time of 6:26.36.
On the diving side, Sam Duncan finished third in the men’s 3-meter springboard with a score of 354.05. In the women’s platform, Abby Devereaux and Claire McDaniels placed sixth and tenth, respectively. Devereaux achieved an NCAA zone cut with her score of 249.95.
The Tennessee Invitational will conclude tomorrow with several more events, including the 1650 freestyle, women’s 1-meter diving, men’s platform diving, 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 200 breaststroke, 200 butterfly, and the 400 freestyle relay.
Overall, Kentucky had a strong showing and will look to finish strong on the final day of competition. Stay tuned for more updates from UK Swim & Dive.
