The Tennessee Girls’s swimming and diving workforce knocked off unbeaten No. 10 Kentucky Thursday on the Allan Jones Aquatic Middle, defeating the Wildcats 178.5 – 121.5.
Regardless of profitable 5 of the primary eight occasions, Kentucky trailed Tennessee after the primary diving break thanks partly to the Girl Vols’ depth.
Tennessee Girls’s Swimming & Diving Launch
“Kentucky is a superb workforce, this was a really aggressive effort from each squads,” affiliate head coach Ashley Jahn stated. “I’m actually proud of how our workforce carried out total. The second half of our meet was higher than the primary half, however that’s what our workforce does. We take what we’re studying and proceed to regulate.”
UT showcased its depth within the 1,000 yard freestyle as Kristen Stege, Amanda Nunan and Claire Nguyen led the Girl Vols to a 1-2-3 end within the occasion. Stege bought her hand on the wall first in 9:46.99, setting a brand new private greatest.
Nunan touched second with a time of 9:47.13, whereas Nguyen hit third at 9:57.64.
“That distance group is doing an exceptional job,” Jahn stated. “They’re coming off an amazing couple weeks of labor they usually have a very clear imaginative and prescient of what they need this portion of the season to seem like. Not just for their occasions, however for the workforce as a complete. Immediately, they bought to point out off these abilities and actually get the workforce energized. It’s an enormous deal to complete 1-2-3 in an occasion they usually did that actually nicely.”
Kentucky received the primary two occasions out of the diving break, however Tennessee shut the door and closed out the meet profitable the ultimate six occasions. Alongside the best way, Stege picked up her second win of the day within the 500 free. The sophomore stopped the clocked in 4:48.27 to set a brand new meet file.
Freshman Mona McSharry turned in a pair of profitable performances, taking the highest spot in each the 100 and 200 breaststroke. The Dublin, Eire native received the 100 breast in a time of 59.91, which broke the earlier meet file held by Olympian Molly Hannis.
McSharry received the 200 breast in 2:12.27.
Senior Ana Celaya Hernandez had two sturdy performances on the diving boards Thursday, profitable on 1-meter and putting second on 3-meter. Hernandez received the 1-meter springboard occasion with a rating of 291.90. Her rating of 287.48 on 3-meter earned her a second place end behind UK’s Kyndal Knight, the reigning SEC champion on the 3-meter board.
Grace Cable completed third for UT on each 1-meter and 3-meter with scores of 267.15 and 281.63, respectively.
“Immediately’s 1-meter win for Ana was an excellent win,” diving coach Dave Parrington stated. “Kentucky’s Kyndal Knight is a wonderful diver and a SEC champion. That’s a very, actually good win and Ana is extraordinarily deserving of that and we’re very happy with her.”
Kentucky Launch
“Tennessee was the higher workforce in the present day, so credit score to them,” stated head coach Lars Jorgensen. “We simply didn’t have sufficient folks step up in the present day, and in races we received, we didn’t have sufficient depth. I hope we’ll take this as a studying expertise in preparation for the convention championships.”
Kentucky got here into the twin meet proudly owning an unblemished 5-0 file, having defeated Alabama, Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee and Vanderbilt already this season, which started in mid-October. The workforce will meet yet another program, No. 14 Louisville, subsequent week at dwelling, earlier than embarking on a two-month postseason stretch in February and March.
The Wildcats earned seven triumphs within the twin meet, whereas their border foe claimed 9 triumphs. The groups cut up the 2 relay occasions and the 2 diving occasions, claiming one triumph apiece in these contests.
Riley Gaines had a powerful meet, incomes the highest time in each the 100 and 200 freestyle occasions and towards a program recognized for its dominant presence in these occasions. The junior paced a discipline of orange caps, touching the wall within the 100 freestyle in 49.74 and within the 200 freestyle in 1:46.81. Gaines additionally helped the 200 med-r workforce to the highest time within the first occasion of the meet, swimming the quickest anchor cut up in 22.35 for a gaggle time of 1:39.41.
Kyndal Knight had a close to profession efficiency on the 3-meter springboard. She completed in first place on 354.53 factors, greater than 65 factors higher than second place and fewer than two factors from her profession greatest, which she set at Alabama in mid-December (355.58). The junior has now received first place six out of 9 occasions, and first or second place eight out of 9 occasions, this season.
“Kyndal had some prime quality dives in the present day on 3m,” stated head diving coach Ted Hautau. “She is getting extra comfy together with her listing of dives the place we’ve added some extent of problem. Even when she has some slight misses she is beginning to put up some excessive scores and that could be a superb signal. Morgan Southall returned from foot surgical procedure in October and was allowed to do some restricted dives originally of this week. She did a superb job competing a decrease diploma of problem listing of dives on 1m in the present day. She was constant and I feel she is gaining energy and proprioception so we’re hopeful she will be able to make a run at getting her full competitors listing again.
“Our takeoffs as a workforce have been inconsistent in the present day and it value us lots of scoring alternatives. We weren’t good in coaching this week on the 1m board and it confirmed up within the competitors. I hope that could be a get up name for our youthful and fewer skilled athletes. They should have the next commonplace for themselves in coaching to allow them to step in and seize these third and fourth place finishes when the chance presents.”
Anna Havens Rice, a freshman, stepped up within the 200 butterfly, posting her greatest time within the occasion since changing into a Kentucky Wildcat. The freshman touched the wall in 2:00.66, lower than a tenth of second from her profession greatest, to complete in third place. Teammate and junior Izzy Gati paced the sector, ending within the prime spot on a time stamp of two:00.45, after she helped the 200 med-r workforce a dominant efficiency.
Caitlin Brooks saved her streak alive within the 100 backstroke, incomes the highest time in 53.27. Brooks, a sophomore, has received each 100 backstroke remaining she has competed on this season, together with towards Tennessee twice this season. Sophie Sorenson, a junior, got here up huge within the 200 backstroke, incomes the highest time in 1:56.91.
Tomorrow, the Kentucky males’s swimming and diving workforce will sq. off with No. 11 Tennessee at 3 p.m. ET contained in the Allan Jones Aquatic Middle. The 2 groups met in late October, because the Kentucky males dropped to a suited-up Tennessee workforce, 194.5-105.5.
