Swimming & Diving
Kyndal Knight - Swimming & Diving - University of Kentucky Athletics

KyndalKnight

  • position Diver
  • class Senior
  • Hometown Stanley, N.C.
  • Major Marketing and Management
  • High school East Gaston High School

Top Scores:
1-meter: 339.20 (Ohio State Invitational, 11/18/22)
3-meter: 382.30 (Ohio State Invitational, 11/17/22)
Platform: 334.15 (Ohio State Invitational, 11/19/22)
 
Career Notes:

  • 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials qualifier
  • 2020 USA Diving High Performance Squad
  • 2019, 2020*, 2021, 2022, 2023 NCAA Qualifier
  • 2023 All-America on 1-meter
  • 2023 All-American Honorable Mention on 3-meter
  • 2022 All-America Honorable Mention on 1-meter, 3-meter, 10-meter platform
  • 2021 All-America Honorable Mention on 1-meter
  • ^2020 All-America on 1-meter, 3-meter, 10-meter platform
  • 2019 All-America Honorable Mention on 3-meter
  • 2023 SEC silver medalist on platform
  • 2022 SEC bronze medalist on 1-meter, 10-meter platform
  • 2021 SEC bronze medalist on 10-meter platform
  • 2020 SEC champion on 3-meter
  • 2021, 2022, 2023 All-SEC Second Team
  • 2020 All-SEC First Team
  • 2019 SEC Female Freshman Co-Diver of the Year
  • 2019 SEC All-Freshman Team
  • 2021, 2023 CSCAA Scholar All-America First Team
  • 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 SEC Winter Academic Honor Roll
  • 2019 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll

In the Record Book:

  • No. 1 on 3-meter (2022)
  • No. 2 on 1-meter (2022), platform (2022)

2022-23 (Fifth-Year): Was named First-Team All-America after placing seventh (304.55) at NCAAs in the 1-meter competition … Also received All-America Honorable Mention for a 11th place finish (324.15) in the 3-meter at the NCAA Championships … Named to the All-SEC Second Team after qualifying for the “A-final” on all three boards … Won silver at the SEC Championships in platform (285.45), placed fourth on 3-meter (301.65) and seventh on 1-meter (293.35) … Qualified for the NCAA Championships by finishing in the top-seven on all three boards at the Zone C Diving Championships … Named SEC Diver of the Week three times during the season (Oct. 25, Nov. 22, Jan. 31) …  Swept the diving events at four different dual meets this season, totaling nine dual meet victories overall … Had memorable performance at Ohio State Invitational, setting new personal bests in all three events while winning gold in both the 1-meter (329.25) and 3-meter (382.30). Also finished second in platform (314.45). Her 3-meter score set a new program record … Also competed at the 2022 USA Diving Winter Nationals where she was the top score in the preliminary round in the 3-meter competition (294.30)… Won Mike Lyden MVP Award and Captain’s Award at team banquet.

2021-22 (Senior): Named SEC Co-Diver of the Year … Also tabbed to the All-SEC Second Team … One of just two female divers at the SEC Championships to final on all three boards …  Highest female point scorer at the conference meet … Earned bronze on both 1-meter (309.25) and platform (289.95) at SECs, also taking sixth on 3-meter (332.50) … One of only six divers at the NCAA Championships who finaled on all three disciplines, and the only one from the SEC … Dove to 13th on platform (265.85), 13th on 3-meter (339.70) and 16th on 1-meter (278.75) at NCAAs … Punched her ticket to the big dance by posting three top-12 finishes at the Zone C Diving Championships … Had nine top-3 finishes during the dual meet season, including seven wins … Set a personal best on 3-meter (361.50) against Ohio, winning that event and 1-meter (299.10) … Swept both boards in two separate dual meets versus Cincinnati and Tennessee … Won the 1-meter (290.48) at Louisville … Placed second on 1-meter (275.80) and third on 3-meter (292.10) in the season opener against Indiana … Named the SEC Female Co-Diver of the Week on Oct. 19 … Selected to participate in the 2022 World University Games … Won the Captain’s Award and the Mike Lyden MVP Award at the program’s annual award banquet.

2020-21 (Junior): Named to the All-SEC Second Team … Advanced to the 3-meter springboard semifinals at the 2021 U.S. Olympic Diving Trials, finishing 14th with a score of 497.75 … Earned bronze on the 10-meter platform with a score of 275.65 at the SEC Championships, while also taking sixth on the 3-meter springboard (333.50), as UK won their first-ever conference title … Qualified for all three boards at the NCAA Championships, diving to 11th on the 1-meter springboard with a score of 297.55 … Dove to fifth on the 1-meter springboard (552.80), sixth on the 3-meter springboard (583.55), and sixth on the 10-meter platform (515.85) at the NCAA Zone C Championships … Won the 1-meter (292.70) and the 10-meter (285.40) at the Missouri Invitational … Swept both the 1-meter and 3-meter against Alabama, Tennessee, and Louisville … Earned the Captain’s Award and the Mike Lyden MVP Award at the program’s annual awards banquet … Named SEC Diver of the Week on November 3 and December 22 … Named to SEC Winter Academic Honor Roll … Named to the CSCAA Scholar All-America First Team.

2019-20 (Sophomore): 2020 All-SEC First Team … 2020 SEC Champion on the 3-meter springboard with a career-best score of 353.75 points, after finishing in eighth place in the preliminary round with 292.20 points … Finished in sixth place on the 1-meter springboard with a score of 301.25 points, after finishing in first place in the preliminary round with a career-best score of 313.60 points at the SEC Championships … Invited to the Zone C Diving Championships to compete on all three disciplines … Finished in sixth place through eight dives on the 1-meter springboard with a score of 375.40 points before the Zone C Diving Championships were abruptly cancelled due to the COVID-19 public health threat … Earned the Mike Lyden MVP Award at the program’s annual awards banquet … Named to the SEC Winter Academic Honor Roll.

2018-19 (Freshman): Named SEC Co-Female Freshman Diver of the Year and selected to the SEC All-Freshman Team … Reached the final round (top eight) on 1-meter and on platform at the SEC Championships, scoring 50 points total … Finished sixth overall on 1-meter (305.20) and fourth overall on platform (253.80) at the SEC Championships … Qualified for the NCAA Championships on all three disciplines … In her best finish at the NCAA Championships, Knight became a NCAA All-America Honorable Mention, finishing 13th overall on 3-meter (322.55), also finishing 25th on 1-meter (271.60) and 34th on platform (220.45) … Moved into the program’s top-10 all-time performance list on 1-meter and platform … Received Mike Lyden Diving MVP Award at the end of year banquet … Named SEC Female Freshman Diver of the Week on Nov. 11, 2018 … Named to SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll.
 

Prior to UK: State champion on 1-meter her senior season with a 1A/2A state-record score of 490.60 … Runner-up finishes on 1-meter at the North Carolina State Championships in 2016 and 2017 … Level 10 gymnast prior to diving … USA Diving Nationals qualifier in both 2017 and 2018 … Named high school MVP last three years … Also competed in soccer and cross country in high school.

Personal: Parents are Eric and Bonnie Knight … Has two siblings, Delanie, and a twin brother O’Brien.

^The CSCAA board adjusted the All-America selection criteria to recognize a group of individuals who would have had the opportunity to compete for All-America status at the canceled 2020 NCAA Championships.

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