Kentucky Swimming and Diving Beats Penn State and Drops Auburn Meet
Kentucky swimming and diving opened The Dual Meet Tournament at the McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta with a 548.5-213.5 victory over Penn State before dropping a 473.5-314.5 decision to No. 17/19 Auburn.
Morning Dominance Against Penn State
The opening session on Friday showcased a sweep of both men’s and women’s competitions by the Wildcats. The women secured a 282-88 win, while the No. 20 men’s team took a 266.5-125.5 victory to build the combined score.
Relay squads set the tone immediately. Arianna Wertheim, Karrington Hansen, Lauren West and Valeria Tarin won the women’s 400-yard freestyle relay in 3:22.05. On the men’s side, Siim Keskula, Falemana Tuufui, Justin Peresse and AJ Terry claimed first in 2:54.15.
Individual wins piled up across the pool. Kelsey Stuck took the women’s 100 backstroke, and Lysander Osman won the men’s event. Billie Sherratt claimed the women’s 200 butterfly. Sarah Anne Shaffer and Adomas Gatulis swept the 200 breaststroke. Margherita Balli and Carson Hick won the men’s 500 freestyle, while Valeria Tarin and Falemana Tuufui secured the 50 free. Marie Belli and Madi McGlothen tied for first in the 200 IM.
Diving proved equally decisive. Avery Giese swept the women’s 1-meter and 3-meter events, with Kristy Pfaff finishing second in both. Tyler Bobadilla won the men’s 3-meter competition, and Gabriel Vieira Perdigao took the 1-meter event ahead of a second-place finish on the 3-meter board.
Afternoon Challenge Against Auburn
The afternoon session presented a challenge against No. 17/19 Auburn. Falemana Tuufui highlighted the meet by setting a Kentucky program record in the 50 freestyle with a time of 18.89 seconds, edging past the record he set as a freshman last season by .01 seconds.
Additional event winners kept Kentucky competitive. Libby Grether and Devin Naoroz claimed 200 backstroke victories. Filippo Bertoni won the men’s 500 freestyle, and Katy Jost captured the women’s 200 freestyle. Hayden Penny took the 200 IM, Gabrielle Idle-Beavers won the women’s 100 breaststroke, and the men’s team secured the 200 medley relay in 1:23.95.
Several athletes posted top program marks during the second meet. Zea Wetzlaugk recorded a 22.51 in the 50 freestyle for the fifth-fastest time in school history. Bertoni swam the fifth-fastest 500 freestyle in 4:18.05. Jost posted the seventh-fastest 200 freestyle in 1:46.15. Idle-Beavers notched the fifth-fastest 100 breaststroke in 59.61, and Osman swam a 46.66 in the 100 butterfly to rank fourth all-time at Kentucky.
Auburn countered by winning both women’s relay events and sweeping all four diving boards. Avery Giese secured second-place finishes on both the 1-meter and 3-meter events for Kentucky’s top diving results.
The Wildcats conclude tournament competition on Saturday at 9 a.m. ET in the third-place meet against South Carolina. Results are posted on the MeetMobile app, with live streaming available on YouTube.
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