As I mentioned on my post about Kentucky Aquatics, while in Lexington I was lucky enough to get to observe two programs, one of the them being the University of Kentucky Swimming and Diving. This was my first time tagging along a major D1 program, so I was really looking forward to it, and it did not disappoint one bit!
The Wildcats have been on a steady upwards trajectory, both at SECs and nationally, since Head Coach Lars Jorgensen took over the program. He’s put together a great, cohesive staff, which now helps him lead a culture of support and accountability, which is also driven by the swimmers themselves. Lars and his staff were incredibly gracious with their time while I was in Lexington, even though that was a very busy week for them with recruits coming in and out, some compliance meetings, and their first meet only a few days away.
Due to some previous connections, I spent most of my time on deck with UK watching the Women’s team, and asking (probably too many) questions to Associate Head Coach Allison Reed. She pointed out that after a 3rd place finish at SECs last year they are all hungry for more, and have a few team rules they have instituted and enforce themselves, all while reminding and supporting each other towards their end of season goals.
As you can imagine, this being a large D1 program, they frequently split into a few groups, and so there were always many different workouts going on at the same time. I was impressed on how good the staff was splitting those (even on days they were short a few coaches for various reasons). Not only were the workouts managed, but they were always calling and recording times for fast swims, continually encouraging swimmers to keep pushing, and also providing them with specific feedback.
I also got to see how the staff goes the extra mile when needed, as they offered some alternative practices for swimmers who had to either take tests or attend some revision sessions on times that would conflict with regular practice. Even with goals of excelling at the highest levels, the student portion of Student-Athletes came first!
I should also include a shout-out to their team managers – and how the staff knows how to make great use of them. They seemed to have something to do at all times during every workout I’ve observed – moving equipment, setting up video and power stations, refueling water bottles, etc. It would be hard to imagine all practices running as smoothly as they did without them.
On the training side, there were a lot of moving pieces, and would be hard to summarize it all in a short article. One item that was constant was that every workout had a fast component to it – even when doing their higher volume workouts, speed is still valued. It was also interesting to learn that, even during the college season, they train LCM on nearly every morning workouts, which means 3-4x/week.
When I asked the staff about it, they told me that while their goal is to be very successful at the Collegiate scene, their main target is still to put athletes on the National team. So, this is a feature of their program they highlight during the recruiting process, and make sure everyone that comes in is ready to buy in to that kind of training and culture – and of course, once you’re vying for spots on the Olympic team, there’s a good chance you’ll also be successful at NCAAs!
Once again during this trip, I learned a lot and got plenty of new ideas in just a few days watching a top program go about their business. While it’s hard to express it in words, while on deck it becomes clear why the University of Kentucky Wildcats have ascended to be one of the top D1 programs in the past few years, and it seems they are poised to continue to get even better!
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