LITTLE ROCK – The Little Rock swimming and diving team wrapped up their final home meet and final dual of the regular season this afternoon at home against Vanderbilt, honoring the Class of 2022 and picking up a shootout win and pool record in the process.
"This team continues to impress, and today they raced their hearts out for our amazing seniors," said head coach
Amy Burgess. "We hope they felt the love and know what an impact they have had in their time with us. Get ready for the show in Iowa City because the Trojans are on the war path."
The meet was full of highs for the Trojans:
Khadijah Brown,
Rylie Discenza,
Carolyn Godwin,
Asmalia Redzuan,
Katelyn White, and
Lea Zengerling were celebrated with a ceremony before the racing began, while junior
Annya Grom turned in a pool record in the 100 free and freshman
Jaelle Carlson collected a win in the 50 free.
Each of the 50s were raced in a shootout style today, meaning that after the full event, the top two from each team advanced for another race. Finally, the top swimmer from each team would compete one last time to determine the event winner.
Freestyle Highlights
Grom raced to a blistering 50.10 this morning in the 100 freestyle, setting a new school record in the process of winning the event. She was less than a tenth away from establishing a new personal best and school record. She was supported by
Cheryl Poulsen and
Asmalia Redzuan, who finishing third and fourth, respectively. Poulsen touched the wall at 53.06 while Redzuan was not far off in 53.49.
In the 50 freestyle, Carlson and Poulsen advanced to the second round of the shootout, with the former touching at 24.41 and the latter coming in at 24.07. The second time through, Carlson popped a 23.95 while Poulsen was third in 24.58. In the final race, Carlson touched out Vanderbilt by three tenths, touching the wall at 24.07.
The longest freestyle competition of the day was the 300 free, which is not an official swimming event. Nevertheless, It was a great training swim for Zengerling's 200 free and 500 free, as the senior turned in a time of 2:57.87 for runner-up, splitting a 1:57.33 at the 200 mark.
Butterfly Highlights
In the 100 butterfly, junior
Fer Moussier led the Trojans with a fourth-place finish. She stopped the clock at 58.11, only a second off her season best time from Kansas.
The 50 fly shootout saw Carlson and Redzuan advance to the next round, posting times of 25.57 and 25.60, respectively. Their second time on the blocks led to Carlson moving on with her 25.41, as Redzuan turned in a time of 25.69. This time in the final, Carlson came in second, touching the wall at 25.49 to Vanderbilt's 25.03.
Backstroke Highlights
The 100 saw
Lauren Gray drop a 57.33 in her first 100 back of the season, coming in second overall. Her time moves her into third on the team this year. Zengerling also got to race this for the first time this season, coming in fourth with a 59.33.
Freshman
Caitlin Romprey's 27.46 and sophomore
Taylor Floyd's 27.69 let the pair move forward in the 50 back shootout. In the semifinals, Romprey out-touched Floyd by just one one-hundredth to advance in 27.51, finishing her trio of races second at 27.73 in the final.
Breaststroke Highlights
Freshman
Lauren Pieniazkiewicz was Little Rock's top finisher in the 100 breast, turning in a time of 1:10.31 for fourth.
However, it was a pair of seniors that represented the Trojans in the 50, as Godwin's 31.14 and White's 32.17 was good for the semifinals. Godwin moved on with a time of 30.94 to White's 32.32, wrapping up her shootout advancement with a 30.60 in the final, her fastest mark of the three races.
IM Highlights
The 300 IM and 100 IM, both nonsanctioned events in the NCAA, were the individual medley races of the day. The longer of the two saw sophomore
Lexie Shelton lead the way, coming in at 3:27.42 for fourth. Meanwhile, Godwin earned a quick 58.59 in the 100 IM, just hundredths behind second place.
Relays
To wrap up the meet, the teams raced in a fun 100 free relay, yet another event not regularly seen in the collegiate lineup. Little Rock's A squad of Carlson, Redzuan, Poulsen, and Grom turned in a time of 43.43 for silver, just tenths behind Vanderbilt.
Up Next
With the regular season over, Little Rock will spend the next few weeks tapering and getting prepped for the Missouri Valley Championships, which take place in Iowa City from February 16 through 19.
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
