Optimism, humility and grit are three things one can find among any of the Kentucky swim and dive members.

These are three things that, without a doubt, can lead a program to success. 

The greatest coach of all time cannot teach these qualities, yet coach Bret Lundgaard has found a way for every swimmer and diver on the team to hold and proudly embrace all three of them as they represent the blue and white.

“They’ve been upholding our values and culture and establishing a groundwork for the future,” said associate coach Jordan Lieberman. “I think the best is still yet to come.”

Looking at the numbers, they might indicate that this program is at rock bottom, beating one team during the dual meet season and ending up at the bottom of the SEC Championships leaderboard, but anyone paying attention can see that the Cats can never be counted out because they fight until the very end.

Going back, change was the last thing that Kentucky wanted to hear, especially regarding head coach Lars Jorgensen, who led the women’s team to its first-ever SEC Championships in 2021 but last June, only one week after being suspended due to an NCAA investigation, the former United States Olympian resigned as head coach, meaning the 2022-23 season marked his tenth and final year at Kentucky.

With less than two months until training started, the program was sent into a frenzy, attempting to find someone who could fill his role and pick up the pieces of the program that Jorgensen had left. 

A month later, UK announced the hiring of Princeton women’s swim and dive head coach and 2023 Ivy League Coach of the Year Lundgaard, who had had an impressive run with Princeton, taking home two of the past three Ivy League crowns with wins over power five schools.

Along with a new coaching staff were 23 freshmen on the roster, forcing the program to be very young and, inevitably, have a season with many ups and downs.

The regular season for the Cats came to an exciting end as they took a win over Cincinnati during senior night, their first and only dual-meet win of the season, but what made it more impressive is that it happened only one week after a triple-digit loss to in-state rival Louisville.

“I feel really good,” Lundgaard said. “Whether we win or lose, we’re going to learn, and I think they embraced that.”

With a newly added chip on its shoulder, Kentucky entered the championship season more confident than ever before the 2024 SEC Championships marked the beginning of the end for Lundgaard’s first season as the Wildcats’ head coach.

Following the first couple of days of action, it was apparent how hard the meet would be, but coach Lieberman didn’t see it that way. 

“It’s great to be here,” he said. “We’ve prepared all year for this and NCAAs. I think we are optimistic about some good swimming right here, and we’re getting to see a taste of it.”

The Cats never won during the six day meet, but they never gave up either with every team member’s optimism and strength on full display.

While the numbers and the team’s final placement were not impressive, the conference championship proved how good the team could be in the coming years and no day exemplified this better than the sixth and final day.

As a sophomore, Levi Sandidge has already left an impressive mark in the history books for Kentucky and doesn’t seem to be stopping any time soon. Last season, he took first place in the 1,650-meter (mile) freestyle, making him the first Wildcat ever to win the event for Kentucky’s first SEC men’s swimming title in 17 years. He also put his name on the radar nationally, becoming the fastest 18U American ever in the competition.

This year, he found himself on the podium again with his head held high as he was the first and only Wildcat to claim a podium finish during the championships.

“There were nerves going into it, but I was also confident in the year I had and the training I’ve done,” Sandidge said. “It’s a good springboard into the postseason, and I’m looking forward to NCAAs.”

Standing directly next to him was teammate and fellow long-distance swimmer Carson Hick, who’s name swim fans will soon become quite familiar with.

His freshman season has played out to be almost as good as Sandidge’s was, especially during the SEC Championship as, during the preliminary rounds of day three, Hick swam a blistering time in the 500-meter freestyle, clocking the third fastest time in Kentucky history.

However, that was just the beginning as, a few hours later, he broke his time by over a second, putting up a 14:47.84, the second fastest 500-meter free swim in the UK record books. Then, in a day he will likely remember for years, he competed in the same 1,650-meter freestyle event as Sandidge and finished only two spots below him for fifth place. His time, once again, reset the record books as he took the second-fastest mile time by any Wildcat, only behind his teammate.

One thing that became quite obvious throughout the season was that nobody was competing for themself, but for the team and, no matter how great the accomplishment was, there was no hesitation in crediting the members of the program.

“It’s been a lot of fun,” Hick said. “I’m happy with how I, and the team, did. It’s so great to be able to compete with my friends on a daily basis and then come here and compete with them at the meet.”

Being the only freshman for UK competing at the NCAA Championships, Hick was clear about his ambitions.

“Carry the momentum at least for myself – for Levi and (Ryan) Merani too – and go to NCAAs and make people proud.”

Sandidge’s goals aligned nearly perfectly with Hick’s. 

“I’m looking forward to it, but it’s not just about myself,” he said. “I hope we can use it to spring forward to the next meet and get a couple more guys up there.”

The other swimmer shouted out by Hick, Merani, currently sits on the bubble for his NCAA invite, but is expected to compete with his teammates.

One thing all these three swimmers have in common? All still have multiple years left in the program with many chances to continue making history.

“There are a lot of opportunities in the coming future for a lot more people to be up there,” Sandidge said. “It’s looking good for next year.”

Following the meet with 16 new top-ten times in the UK record book, coach Leiberman was clear in what he believes the future of Kentucky swim and dive looks like.

“To think that it’s only been six months since our new staff have been here is kind of crazy,” he said. “I think we’re starting to see glimpses of what this can turn into with a few of them (athletes) and I think a few more are hungry to get there. We knew they’d be good coming in and they’re starting to step into the role. It’s just hopefully building off of it and staying humble at the same time.”

The optimism was nothing new for the coaching staff as, no matter how seemingly impossible the challenge was, it approached every single meet with the mindset that the team would perform and that the 2023-24 season marked just the beginning of a brand-new Kentucky.

It’s still a long road ahead for the Cats to catch up to the likes of Florida and Tennessee, but with the proper training and mindset they can outperform any roster that has swam through the Kentucky swim and dive program and leave a mark that’ll be remembered forever, stemming from three simple things: Optimism, humility and grit.