Kentucky swim and dive freshmen Esteban Núñez del Prado and Falemana Tuufui stood out for the Wildcats during a road matchup against LSU, despite both the men’s and women’s teams falling short of victory.

On Friday, Oct. 24, the No. 21 Kentucky men’s team fell to the No. 14 Tigers 159-141, while the women’s team was defeated by No. 14 LSU 203-97.

Despite the losses, Núñez del Prado and Tuufui both cracked the most recent men’s program top-10 times.

Núñez del Prado earned a victory in the 100-meter butterfly with a time of 46.78, while Tuufui finished second in the 50-meter freestyle with a time of 19.55, trailing only LSU’s Jere Hribar, who set a pool record in the event.

Núñez del Prado’s time ranks as the fourth-fastest in program history, while Tuufui’s time ranks seventh-best in his respective event.

Both freshmen have impressed early in their Kentucky careers. Núñez del Prado set four Bolivian national records at the World Aquatics World Cup in October, while Tuufui claimed wins in the 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle events in Kentucky’s previous meet against Indiana.

Tuufui improved his 50-meter freestyle time by 0.29 seconds in just one meet, showing steady progress and the potential to become one of Kentucky’s top sprinters.

Senior captains Ryan Merani and Levi Sandidge also earned event wins in Baton Rouge. Merani took the 200-meter individual medley and the 200-meter butterfly, earning 19 points for the Wildcats. Sandidge won the 800-meter freestyle in 8:57.98.

For the Kentucky divers, all four women swept the 1-meter dive, with Avery Giese taking first with a score of 292.58 and Devynn Bishop placing second with 273.08. Bishop also finished second in the 3-meter dive.

Kentucky swimming and diving will return to action in the Ohio State Invite, which will take place from Nov. 18 to Nov. 24 in Columbus.