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Just months after hiring Matt Martinez, Cauli Bedran, and Karissa Kruszewski, the University of Kentucky is already reaping the rewards of its new coaching staff. The program has secured a major recruiting victory in the form of Dziugas Miskinis, a Lithuanian national record holder.
Miskinis set his personal bests at the Lithuanian Open Short Course Championships this past December, where he earned a silver medal in the 400 freestyle (3:47.06) and captured gold in both the 800 (7:47.88) and 1500 free (14:42.94) — both of which stand as national records.
He continued his upward trajectory this spring, turning heads at the Lithuanian Swimming Championships (LCM) in April, clocking a 8:07.77 in the 800 free and lowering his national record in the 1500 free to 15:23.91. Both times earned him the win, although Miskinis has been faster in the former event; at the 2024 European Championships, he swam an 8:04.06 for 10th.
Most recently, Miskinis headed to the U23 European Championships in June, swimming the 1500 free in a time of 15:45.54. Although off his personal best, he still placed 7th overall.
Miskinis appears poised to take the torch from Danas Rapsys, the legendary Lithuanian record holder and former world and European champion. In the 800 free, Miskinis sits less than five seconds shy of Rapšys’s long-standing national record of 7:59.34, set in 2019. Meanwhile, Miskinis has already broken Rapsys’ national records in the 800/1500 frees (SCM) and 1500 free (LCM).
Best Times
| Event | SCM | SCY Conversion |
| 400/500 Free | 3:47.06 | 4:19.49 |
| 800/1000 Free | 7:47.88 | 8:54.72 |
| 1500/1650 Free | 14:42.94 | 14:37.67 |
The University of Kentucky finished 9th at the SEC Championships this past season, with Levi Sandidge earning the team’s highest individual finish: 2nd in the 1650 freestyle with a time of 14:30.61. Meanwhile, at NCAAs, Sandidge and Carson Hicks, both distance freestylers, scored the Wildcats’ sole individual points. Sandidge is a rising senior, and Hicks is a rising junior.
Miskinis’ converted times would have made an immediate impact on Kentucky’s roster last season: he would have ranked 3rd in both the 1000 and 1650 freestyle, and 4th in the 500. Notably, a converted 14:37 in the 1650 would have earned 4th place at the 2025 SEC Championships and scored at the NCAA Championships, where it took a 14:43.50 to make the top 16.
The aforementioned Matt Martinez, who joined the Wildcats as the new recruiting coordinator after the dissolution of the Wisconsin staff, has wasted no time in making waves. In mid-June, he secured a commitment from Italian distance standout Filippo Bertoni, a bronze medalist at the 2023 World Junior Championships. Bertoni enters as part of Kentucky’s class of 2030 with personal bests of 1:48.42, 3:48.73, 7:56.78, and 15:10.31 in the 200, 400, 800, and 1500 freestyle, respectively. Should both Bertoni and Miskinis transition well to short course racing, the duo is well-positioned to carry the torch once Hicks and Sandidge graduate.
This fall, Kentucky welcomes a small but mighty group of international recruits. Among them are French sprinters Falemana Lopez Tuufui, a freestyle specialist, and Lysander Osman, a backstroker. The two announced their verbal commitments just days apart last December. Rounding out the class is Rock Sweet, a diver from Houston, Texas.
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UK swim team recruit a single American challenge (IMPOSSIBLE)
I’m from Kiiintuckee and ye can’t hardly tell it! Congrats to Dziugas.
“In mid-June, he secured a commitment from Italian distance standout Filippo Bertoni, a bronze medalist at the 2023 World Junior Championships.”
This website said Bertoni verbally committed June 1st, not mid-June. And This website posted the Martinez hire on May 27th. So did he really get that commitment? Highly doubtful.
I wonder how the rest of the staff feels being in such an inferior position to him.
Guess the distance coach isn’t a good recruiter since they need Martinez to come in. The only points UK scored on the men’s side was distance so for them to need someone like that to close the deals, sheesh.
Michael Scott recruited Danny Cordray because he was a better recruiter than him. “This morning, Danny Cordray stole a sale from me. So what do I do? I go out and I steal Danny Cordray. The sale that mattered, I made.”