The Ralph Wright Natatorium seats were filled to capacity in Louisville, but as Ryan Merani took first place in the 200-yard individual medley (IM), all fans could hear was the small section of Kentucky blue erupting in the sea of red.
The Maryland native secured a final time of 1:45.82, less than a fingertip length ahead of Louisville’s Jackson Millard, who was racing just a lane to his left and finished 0.18 seconds slower than him.
Kentucky swim and dive had traveled 79 miles east to face its long-standing rival No. 15/ No. 8 Louisville in the “Battle of the Bluegrass.