Swimming & Diving
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Lauren Poole - Swimming & Diving - University of Kentucky Athletics

LaurenPoole

  • position Im/breaststroke
  • class Junior
  • Hometown Crofton, Md.
  • Major Sociology
  • High school South River High School
BIO

Top Times (SCY):
200 IM: 1:55.12 (2023 SEC Championships, 2/15/23)
400 IM: 4:02.73 (2021 NCAA Championships, 3/19/21)
200 Breaststroke: 2:06.52 (2022 NCAA Championships, 3/19/22)
200 Backstroke: 1:55.77 (Ohio State Invitational, 11/20/21)

Top Times (LCM):
200 IM: 2:16.68 (Mizuno Atlanta Classic, 5/16/21)
400 IM: 4:42.32 (Mizuno Atlanta Classic, 5/14/21)
200 Breaststroke: 2:30.52 (Mizuno Atlanta Classic, 5/15/21)

Career Notes:

  • 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials qualifier
  • 2021, 2022, 2023 NCAA qualifier
  • 2023 Elite 90 Award Winner
  • 2023 All-America in 400 IM
  • 2023 SEC silver medalist in 400 IM
  • 2023 SEC bronze medalist in 200 IM
  • 2023 All-SEC Second Team
  • 2023 CSC Academic All-American
  • 2023 CSC Academic All-District
  • 2022 All-America in 400 IM; All-America Honorable Mention in 200 IM, 200 breast
  • 2021 All-America in 400 IM; All-America Honorable Mention in 200 IM
  • 2021 NCAA bronze medalist in 400 IM
  • 2022 SEC silver medalist in 400 IM
  • 2021 SEC champion in 400 IM
  • 2022 All-SEC Second Team
  • 2021 All-SEC First Team
  • 2021, 2022, 2023 CSCAA Scholar All-America First Team
  • 2020 CSCAA Scholar All-America Honorable Mention
  • 2021, 2022, 2023 SEC Winter Academic Honor Roll
  • 2020 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll

In the Record Book:

  • No. 1 in 400 IM (2021), 400m IM (2021)
  • No. 2 in 200 IM (2021), 200 breast (2022)
  • No. 10 in 200 butterfly (2023)

2022-23 (Senior): Qualified for the NCAA Championships where she earned the ELITE 90 Award … Finished eighth in the 400 IM (4:05.74) to earn All-America status … Also swam to 28th in the 200 IM (1:57.05) and 51st in the 200 fly (1:59.47) … Won two medals at the SEC Championships for the first time in collegiate career taking silver in the 400 IM (4:04.62) and bronze in the 200 IM (1:55.12) … Had five first-place finishes during the dual meet season including two against Indiana … Won both the 400 IM (4:07.13) and the 200 IM (1:55.33) at the Ohio State Invitational where she also placed 18th in the 200 breast (2:17.10) and 23rd in the 200 back (1:57.38) … Won Captain’s Award, Wildcat of the Year and Bob Bradley Scholarship Award at team banquet … Won Scholar-Athlete of the Year at the CATSPY’s.

2021-22 (Junior): Named to the All-SEC Second Team … Earned silver in the 400 IM (4:03.36) at the SEC Championships, also winning the B-final of the 200 breast (2:08.59) and 200 IM (1:56.20) to place ninth overall … Finished fifth in the 400 IM (4:04.17), 10th in the 200 breast (2:06.52) and 15th in the 200 IM (1:56.77) at the NCAA Championships … Placed fifth in the 200 back (1:55.77), fifth in the 400 IM (4:08.91), ninth in the 200 breast (2:11.93) and 11th in the 200 IM (1:57.84) at the midseason Ohio State Invitational … Posted 13 top-5 finishes throughout the dual meet season … Raced to second in the 200 IM (2:01.17) and third in the 400 IM (4:20.60) in a tri-meet with Auburn and NC State … Was the runner-up in the 200 IM (2:00.42) against Tennessee … Took second in the 400 IM (4:20.92) versus Cincinnati … Flew to third in the 200 fly (2:02.49) against Ohio … Had a trio of top-3 finishes in the season-opener with Indiana and Indiana State … Won the Bob Bradley Scholarship Award at the program’s annual award banquet. 

2020-21 (Sophomore): Qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials, finishing 18th in the 400m IM (4:47.25), 24th in the 200m breast (2:31.04), and 26th in the 200m IM (2:16.72) … Named to the All-SEC First Team … Won the 400 IM in 4:03.09 at the 2021 SEC Championships while also taking fifth in both the 200 IM (1:56.25) and 200 breast (2:07.33) as UK won their first-ever conference title … Earned bronze in the 400 IM with a lifetime best of 4:02.73 at the NCAA Championships en route to lowering her own school record, also placing 11th in the 200 IM (1:56.75) … Finished fourth in both the 200 IM (1:59.35) and 200 breast (2:11.01) at the Missouri Invitational … Recorded 13 top-5 finishes throughout the dual meet season … Won the 200 IM (1:57.01) against Louisville, the 400 IM (4:15.30) against Alabama, and the 100 back (55.98) against Vanderbilt … Earned the Most Improved Swimmer and the Bob Bradley Scholarship Award at the program’s annual awards banquet … Named to SEC Winter Academic Honor Roll … Named to the CSCAA Scholar All-America First Team.

2019-20 (Freshman): Contributed 14 individual points at the 2020 SEC Championships … Finished in 13th place in the 200 breaststroke in 2:11.28, a career best, at the SEC Championships … Finished in 22nd place in the 200 IM in 159.45 at the SEC Championships, before earning a career-best 1:59.22 during preliminaries … Finished in 24th place in the 400 IM in 4:16.83 at the SEC Championships … Qualified for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials in the 200 and 400 IM and the 200 breaststroke … Named a CSCAA Scholar All-America Honorable Mention … Named to the SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll.

Prior to UK: Competed for North Baltimore Aquatic Club, the same program as UK teammates Megan Drumm and Caroline Benda … 2016 Olympic Trials qualifier … Placed fourth in the 200m back at Junior Nationals in 2018 … Finaled in the 200m IM at the 2019 Summer National Championships … Nine-time Maryland Senior Championship gold medalist … USA Swimming Scholastic All-American.

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