NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Kailia Utley will represent Vanderbilt at NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships when she swims in multiple events over a two-day span.
The junior from Huntington Beach, California, will compete on each of the final two days of the event hosted by Georgia at the Jack Bauerle Pool at the Gabrielsen Natatorium. She is scheduled to swim the 100 butterfly on Friday and the 200 butterfly the following morning.
Preliminary heats will begin at 9 a.m. CT each day, with finals scheduled to get underway at 5 p.m.
“We’re very excited for Kialia. It means a lot when you set goals of where you want to get to, put the work in, do the little extra things and then achieve those goals,” head coach Jeremy Organ said. “It’s a huge testament to Kailia and everything she has pit into this point. And the chapter’s not finished yet, we get to race two more days.
“We’re looking forward to seeing what she can do up against the best in the country.”
The first Commodore to advance to the NCAA Division I Championships since Wendy Deacon in 1989, Utley qualified for the meet at her last competition in the Jack Bauerle Pool. After first achieving NCAA B Standard times in both the 100 and 200 fly at the SEC Championships, she touched the wall in 1:55.51 in the latter event at the Bulldog NCAA Qualifying Meet the first weekend of March to be seeded 33rd at the NCAA Championships.
It will be the third time this season that Utley will swim at Georgia, as Vandy also faced the Bulldogs and Florida State in a tri-meet on Jan. 13. She advanced to finals in both the 100 and 200 fly at the SEC Championships as well as at the Gamecock Invitational in November, and she led the Dores with six individuals victories this season.
Utley also progressed to finals in the 200 fly at the SEC Championships her freshman season.
