ELKHART, Ind. - The Little Rock swimming team broke one more relay record in their final championship meet of postseason, with the team of
Jaelle Carlson,
Lauren Gray,
Cheryl Poulsen and
Annya Grom lowering the 400 freestyle relay record by nearly half a second down to the new time of 3.23.24 at the CSCAA National Invitational Championships.
"What a way to finish out the 2021-22 season," said head coach
Amy Burgess. "This group is raising the bar for others to follow, and it will be worth following! So proud of how these student athletes stepped up all week with some impressive competition."
The relay squad finished 13th out of 31 top Division I teams from across the country, notably beating 14th place finishers and conference opponents Illinois State by over a second. At the end of the three-day meet, Little Rock finished 29th as a team out of 43 schools represented at the championship.
It was the second time the 400 free relay mark has been re-set this year, as the previous record headed into the 2021-22 season of 3:25.24 was initially broken at the Kansas Classic in November. Remarkably, that former record no longer sits within the top three times, as the Trojans have now gone faster in three separate meets this season (Kansas Classic, Missouri Valley Championships, CSCAA National Invitational Championships).
The season was a year for smashing records, as Little Rock set new school records nine separate occasions this season. The Trojans lowered the marks twice each in the 400 free, 200 free and 200 medley relays. Meanwhile, Grom broke her own mark twice in the 100 free and once in the 50 free.
Aside from the 400 free relay at the National Invitational Championships, Little Rock was also represented in the 200 freestyle relay and 200 medley relay along with several individual events. The team of Grom, Poulsen,
Asmalia Redzuan and Carlson placed 24th in the 200 free relay with a time of 1:34.86 whille the squad of Gray,
Carolyn Godwin, Grom and Carlson took 27th in the 200 medley relay in 1:44.80.
Junior star Grom headlined the Trojans at the meet, qualifying for finals in both the 100 freestyle and 50 butterfly. The Eilat, Israel native took home fourth place overall in the 100 free with a time of 49.85. She rounded out the B final in the 50 fly, posting a time of 25.13 after her quick 24.87 to qualify in prelims.
Godwin hung up her cap and goggles this weekend after a few time drops as well. The senior raced in the 50 fly and 100 IM, shaving off time in both events. She stopped the clock at 26.01 in the sprint butterfly race before touching the wall 32nd in the 100 IM with a time of 58.17, the fastest mark by any Little Rock swimmer in program history.
Carlson ended her stellar freshman season competing in the 50 fly, 50 free and 100 free at the championship meet. She turned in times of 25.37, 23.97, and 51.99, respectively.
Butterfliers Gray and Redzuan rounded out the group's individual events, as the former turned in a time of 26.37 in the 50 fly while the latter touched the wall at 56.34 in the 100 fly. This was also Redzuan's last meet as a Trojan, as the junior is graduating this spring.
The Trojans will return this fall, kicking off the 2022-23 season with a group of strong returners ready to capitalize on their successes from the past year.
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.
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