TOPEKA, Kan. – The Little Rock swim team continues to make waves in Kansas, breaking another school record, posting 29 season-best times and advancing 19 Trojans to finals on day two of the three-day invitational.
Once again, the first relay of the night put the Trojans in a great spot to start the finals session. The A relay of
Caitlin Romprey,
Annya Grom,
Asmalia Redzuan, and
Jaelle Carlson was the fastest Missouri Valley Conference team in the pool in the 200 medley relay, dropping nearly three seconds from their entry time down to 1:43.68, breaking the school record by just under half a second. Little Rock placed sixth, beating out the A teams from North Texas, Northern Iowa, and Indiana State.
"Our ladies continue to bring a great atmosphere to the deck every session," said head coach
Amy Burgess. "I couldn't be more proud of the way they all push one another and keep each other positive. We're excited to keep this momentum going into day three!"
400 IM
In what many consider the toughest event there is, underclassmen
Gillian Boggs and
Lexie Shelton both swam season-bests, cutting off even more time at night in a gutsy showing. The freshman took 12th in the B final with a time of 4:31.18, while the sophomore came in 23rd, touching the wall at 4:35.92.
100 Butterfly
The Trojan picked up major points in the 100 fly, led by current school record holder Grom. The junior clocked in at 55.47 in the morning, a little over three tenths off her best mark, and held seed at night to finish 5th overall.
After a quick fly split in the 200 medley relay, Redzuan returned in the 100 to drop nearly a second from prelims and finish 10th with a new lifetime best time of 55.92. Carlson was also in the B final, rounding out the heat after posting a personal best 56.56 in the morning.
The C final featured
Lauren Gray and
Fer Moussier, where the former came in third in the heat with a time of 57.21. Moussier had the better morning swim, touching the wall at 57.19 for a new season best.
Katelyn White and
Taylor Floyd represented the Trojans in the D final, with the senior taking off approximately an entire second from her prelims swim, down to 58.98. Floyd posted a season-best time of 59.83 in the morning and rounded out the race at night.
200 Freestyle
Every single Trojan made it back in the 200 free, with
Lea Zengerling at the helm. The senior touched the wall 11th with a time of 1:53.69.
Cheryl Poulsen smashed her lifetime best by over three seconds, placing 21st in 1:55.37, while classmate
Maci McCullough also scored points after dropping nearly nine seconds from her previous mark this season, down to 1:56.46 in prelims. Meanwhile, fellow sophomore
Kasey Dunn lowered her time by an entire second at night, down to 2:03.10.
100 Breaststroke
Likewise, all three Trojans in the 100 breast also came back for another swim.
Karina Harr took 14th with a time of 1:05.23, just under a tenth off of her lifetime-best time from prelims.
Senior duo
Carolyn Godwin and White raced in the D final, both shaving off time in the evening. The former placed 26th in 1:07.33 while the latter took 31st in 1:09.46.
100 Backstroke
Romprey continues to show off her strength in the backstroke events, taking third in the B final with a new personal best time of 56.47. Fellow freshman
Olivia Henderson posted a season-best time by exactly two and a half seconds in prelims, finishing at 57.12, before collecting points in the C final at 19th place overall. Junior
Fernanda Gamez also had a lifetime best in the finals, stopping the clock at 58.41.
800 Freestyle Relay
Carlson, Zengerling, Redzuan, and Poulsen teamed up in the longest relay of the weekend, taking off nearly four seconds from their seed to post a time of 7:36.64 for 8th place.
Up Next
Tomorrow will wrap up the three-day Kansas Class invitational. The Trojans will race in the 200 back, 100 free, 200 breast, 200 fly, and 1650 free, while the 400 free relay will conclude the evening finals session.
Team Scores
1. Kansas – 823
2. Iowa State – 533
3. Indiana State – 298
4. North Texas – 255
5. Northern Iowa – 253
6. Little Rock – 238
Additional Day Two Season-Best Times
400 IM
Lara Alsader (4:41.31)
100 Butterfly
Karina Harr (58.13),
Carolyn Godwin (58.45),
Lucy Jahn (1:00.45),
Brianna Ridings (1:05.47)
100 Backstroke
Taylor Floyd (59.66),
Fer Moussier (1:00.13),
Aubry Matthews (1:00.72),
Rylie Discenza (1:01.15)
For the latest information on Little Rock Swimming and Diving, make sure to check out
LRTrojans.com. You can also find the team on social media at @LittleRockSwim on
Facebook,
Instagram and
Twitter.
#LittleRocksTeam
