Trojans To Compete In Dual-Meet Action For First Time

LITTLE ROCK – Coming off a second-place finish at last weekend's Little Rock Invitational, Little Rock swimming and diving will compete in dual-meet action for the first time this season beginning on Friday in St. Louis. Little Rock will face Saint Louis and Western Illinois on Friday at 5:30 p.m., before facing Saint Louis, Marshall and McKendree on Saturday at 9 a.m., at the Simon Recreation Center.
 
Of this weekend's opponents, Saint Louis will be the only familiar team Little Rock has faced. The Bilikens won by only one point last season at the Donaghey Aquatic Center— a loss that still resonates with the Trojans. 
 
"Saint Louis has kind of become a little rivalry these last few years," head coach Amy Burgess said. "They got us last year by one point, so we have some extra motivation going up there this year."
 
The Trojans' freshman class is stepping up early this season as Isabelle Finzen was named the Missouri Valley Conference's Swimmer of the Week after winning the 100- and 200-yard fly while Jessie Baldwin set a new personal best in the 200 IM last weekend.
 
"The season is going very well," Burgess said. "We've been impressed with how good we're doing early on, especially with a large freshman class. We're building up every week in practice, and everybody is stepping up for the challenges. Everybody is handling it well and encouraging each other in practice."
 
After this weekend, the Trojans will have their first break of the season as they'll return to the Donaghey Aquatic Center to face Evansville on Nov. 5.

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