Although the statistics from Kentucky swim and dive’s trip to McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion in Columbus fell in favor of Ohio State, many Wildcats stood out and had a promising start to the season.

During a tri-meet versus Ohio State and Akron, OSU took the wins against the Kentucky men’s and women’s teams 191-107 and 218-80 respectively. Despite this, the women picked up their first win to start the season, beating Akron 172.5-127.5.

Standout swimmers Carson Hick and Ryan Merani earned the top spots in two of the Wildcats’ six wins, which included the men’s 100-yard freestyle (free), 200-yard butterfly (fly), 500-yard free, 400-yard individual medley (IM) and 400-yard free.

The women also claimed the 400-yard IM.

During the 1,000-yard free, Hick brought home Kentucky’s first win of the day with an impressive time of 9:02.15, followed by junior Levi Sandidge with a time of 9:03.85. Hick’s other win came from the 500-yard free with a time of 4:24.87.

Hick’s value to the team is undeniable, as the sophomore is picking right up where he left off his first year with the Wildcats. He also ranked eighth all-time in program history in the meet’s 1,000-yard free.

Merani’s two wins came from the 200-yard fly with a time of 1:45.62 and as a part of the 400-yard free relay alongside Adomas Gatulis, Jack Haywood and Bradley Boyd with a time of 3:06.16.

With a notably young team, the freshmen Wildcats also started making names for themselves, with Hayden Penny taking the 400-yard IM with a time of 4:20.26. Penny came to Kentucky after being ranked first in South Carolina prior to the start of her collegiate career.

With the program, in many ways, being forced to start anew in the last two seasons, the power and potential of the Wildcats on display were far more notable than the standard box score times recorded.

Kentucky swim and dive will face-off against West Virginia at home on Friday, Oct. 25, at 2 p.m. ET for its “Alumni” and “Pink” meet.