KENTUCKY HEAD SWIM COACH LARS JORGENSEN HAS BEEN OFF DECK SINCE EARLY MAY

Sources tell SwimSwam that University of Kentucky head swimming and diving coach Lars Jorgensen has been away from the pool deck since the beginning of May pending an investigation into potential NCAA compliance rules violations.8 Kentucky Wildcats in new ESPN 2024 NBA Draft rankings – A Sea Of Blue

Sources described it as a “suspension” in the general sense, but Kentucky did not respond to a request for comment on the exact nature of Jorgensen’s leave.

One source close to the program told SwimSwam that the latest violations are not Jorgensen’s first offense. According to the source, he was also suspended for the Wildcats’ SEC opener at Texas A&M last November, but did not inform the team of the reason for his absence.

The source also said that the entire Kentucky swimming coaching staff was suspended for one week at the start of May. Assistant coaches Jordan Lieberman, Geena Freriks, and Bailey Bonnett are now back on deck with Kentucky Aquatics, but associate head coach Michael Camper has apparently resigned after five seasons in Lexington.

Camper’s departure comes two years after he was promoted from assistant to associate head coach of the Wildcats. Prior to arriving at Kentucky in 2018, the Virginia native and former NC State standout served as an assistant at Pitt. Camper did not respond to SwimSwam’s requests for comment, but his LinkedIn profile indicates he recently took a new job outside of the swimming world as a territory manager for Gardner Inc., a lawn equipment distributor.NBA Draft Rankings 2024: 4 Kentucky Wildcats among top 25 prospects – A Sea Of Blue

Inconveniently, the team was not informed of the issues with their coaching staff until May 1, the day after the transfer portal closed for women’s swimmers on April 30. Swimmers also had to participate in recorded interviews with Kentucky’s compliance department that were sent to the NCAA as part of the investigation, according to the source.

Jorgensen just wrapped up his 10th season leading Kentucky’s combined swimming and diving program. In 2021, he guided the Wildcat women to their first SEC title ever. This past season, the Kentucky women placed 3rd at the 2023 SEC Championships and the men placed 8th as freshman distance specialist Levi Sandidge became the Wildcats’ first-ever conference champion in the men’s 1650-yard freestyle.

As a swimmer, Jorgensen set program records at the University of Tennessee and went on to represent the U.S. at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. He has also held the record for the Ironman World Championships for nearly two decades with a swimming split of 46:41.