Kaylee Wheeler

Louisville places first in the 200-yard freestyle relay during the 2021 ACC WomenÕs Swimming Championship in Greensboro, N.C. Thursday, Feb.18, 2021 (Photo by Sara D. Davis, the ACC)

Photo by: Sara D. Davis, the ACC

The 200 Free Relay team poses on the podium with their medals.

Class:
Junior
High School:
Louisville Collegiate School
Hometown:
Louisville, Ky.

Junior: Wheeler picked up right where she left off following the abrupt end to the 2019-20 season. At the NCAA Championships, she finished 10th in the 100 breaststroke (58.67) and also swam the 200 breaststroke (2:15.65). She split 58.15 on the Cardinals’ sixth-place 400 medley relay and 27.08 on UofL’s 200 medley relay that finished 12th. At the ACC Championships, she placed fifth in the 100 breaststroke (58.74), 17th in the 200 breaststroke (2:12.21), and 29th in the 50 freestyle (22.99). Wheeler also swam on three Cardinal relays that earned bronze, splitting 26.40 on the 200 medley relay, 22.29 on the 200 freestyle relay, and 58.93 on the 400 medley relay. She posted four top-4 finishes throughout the abbreviated dual meet season, highlighted by wins in the 100 breaststroke against Notre Dame and Kentucky. Wheeler also competed at the Toyota U.S. Open, racing to 20th in the 100m breaststroke. For her efforts in the classroom, she was named to the ACC All-Academic Team.

Sophomore: Wheeler continued to play a big role for the Cardinals during her second year, qualifying for the NCAA Championships before the meet was cancelled. At the ACC Championships, she finished sixth in the 100 breaststroke (1:00.06), 18th in the 200 breaststroke (2:12.58), and split a 58.93 on UofL’s 400 medley relay that earned bronze. At the Purdue Invitational, she placed third in the 100 breaststroke (1:00.93) and seventh in the 200 breaststroke (2:16.31) before going on to compete at the Toyota U.S. Open. Wheeler was a consistent point scorer throughout the dual meet season after posting six top-five finishes, highlighted by a victory in the 100 breaststroke (1:02.90) against Xavier. She also won the 100 breaststroke (59.04) at the Tennessee Last Chance Invitational. For her performances in both the pool and in the classroom, Wheeler was named to the All-ACC Academic Team and awarded ACC Honor Roll and CSCAA Scholar All-America honors. She was also named to the CSCAA All-American team in the 100 breaststroke and 400 medley relay.

Freshman: Wheeler played an integral role for the Cardinals in the breaststroke events as a freshman. She qualified for the NCAA Championships in both the 100 and 200 breast, finishing 23rd in the 100 (59.87) and posting a personal best time of 2:12.43 in the 200. She also earned All-American honors as a member of the Cards’ 200 medley relay, where she posted a split of 26.90 on the breaststroke leg. At the ACC Championships, Wheeler scored 31 individual points with a sixth place finish in the 100 breast (59.88) and an 18th place finish in the 200 breast (2:12.87). She also earned a silver medal as a member of the Cards’ 400 medley relay. Wheeler had a strong showing at the IU Invitational, where she finished 12th overall in the 100 breast. In the dual meet season, Wheeler scored at four different meets, highlighted by a second place finish in the 100 breast in the win over Xavier. For her efforts in the classroom, Wheeler was named to the All-ACC Academic Team. At the Phillips 66 National Championships, Wheeler placed 23rd in the 100m breast (1:11.14) and also competed in the 200m breast (2:36.84).

Prep: Wheeler joins the Cardinals from right here in Louisville, where she attended Louisville Collegiate School and swam for Cardinal Aquatics under coach Chris Lindauer. She qualified for the 2016 Olympic Trials in the 100 breast and also won the event at the Futures Championships. For Cardinal Aquatics, she is also a US Nationals qualifier, Junior Nationals finalist in the 100 breast, Junior National 200 medley relay champion and record holder and a USA Swimming Scholastic All-American. At the high school level, she is a two-time KHSAA state champion in the 100 breast and was a three-time All-State team member. At the Phillips 66 National Championships in 2018, she qualified for finals in the 50-meter breast and 100-meter breast. Wheeler holds best times of 23.43 in the 50 free, 1:00.64 in the 100 breast, 2:14.15 in the 200 breast and 2:01.89 in the 200 IM. Outside of the pool, she played field hockey for eight years and lacrosse for three years. In the classroom, Wheeler was a member of the National Honors Society, Mu Alpha Theta, National Spanish Honor Society, National Art Honors Society and graduated Cum Laude.

Personal: Daughter of Lee and Mark Wheeler. Born on Sept. 15, 2000.