Trojan Sprinters Shine Against Arkansas

LITTLE ROCK – In fast fashion, the Trojans claimed both the 50 freestyle and the 100 freestyle against the Razorbacks at home this morning, their first of two duals against Arkansas this season. Cheryl Poulsen stole the victory in the short sprint by seven one hundredths of a second, posting a lifetime best time of 23.54, while Jaelle Carlson locked up first place in the 100 with a time of 52.26, a season-best. Both are top times in the league going into the weekend.

Despite falling to the Hogs 115-182, Little Rock still posted 11 personal best times and 16 season-bests halfway through what can be referred to as Rocktober, the time of the year that training gets heavy before lightening the load for midseason rest in November.

"I thought we probably had our best showing versus Arkansas in team history," noted head coach Nathan Townsend. "We just had our hardest training week yet, so to finish out the week with this performance is very encouraging. We've been talking about 'confidence' a lot this year and I think this meet proved that we can be confident we are headed in the right direction. They've earned a Saturday off and we will get back to "Rocktober" on Monday." 
 
Relays
The meet opened with the 200 medley relay, as the team of Caitlin Romprey, Lauren Pieniazkiewicz, Karina Harr and Cheryl Poulsen turned in a time of 1:47.46, a season-best for the group. Poulsen anchored with a huge 23.03, just shy of breaking the formidable 23 barrier.

The 400 freestyle relay closed the meet, while the A relay team of Olivia Elgin, Cheryl Poulsen, Lauren Pieniazkiewicz and Jaelle Carlson finished at 3:31.06, less than four tenths off of their time from last weekend in Florida. Once again, Poulsen showed up with a big split, touching at 51.80.

Freestyle Highlights
The sprinters finished on top as previously mentioned, with Poulsen in the 50 and Carlson in the 100. Poulsen also posted a season-best in the 100 free at 52.60 while out-touching a pair of Razorbacks in the process. Kasey Dunn joined her fellow senior with a personal best in the short sprint, while Aubry Matthews touched the wall in a season-best 24.48, less than two tenths off of a lifetime best. 

The distance Trojans had the 1000 and 500 to power through today. All three swimmers in the 1000 went almost right on their season best times, while in the 500 free Duru Sibik posted a personal best time despite being one of two Little Rock swimmers racing in both long events. Mid-distance senior Gabriella O'Neil competed in both the 500 and the 200 free, dropping a season-best 1:56.78 in the latter.

Breaststroke Highlights
Claiming a third place finish and a personal best time, Adara Stoddard powered to a 2:24.65 in the 200 breaststroke. She was joined by Lauren Pieniazkiewicz and a lifetime best of her own, a 2:28.66 in just her second collegiate swim in the event.

Lexie Shelton grabbed a season best in the 100 breaststroke, shaving off a handful of tenths to finish at 1:09.31. Meanwhile, Karina Harr led the Trojans with her first breaststroke sprint of the season, clocking in at 1:07.32. 

Backstroke Highlights
In the 100 backstroke, Olivia Henderson picked up a season-best, clocking a 1:00.78, while in the longer backstroke event Gillian Boggs nabbed one of her own in 2:11.40. Freshman Niamh Carroll was not far off, touching the wall at 2:11.64 for a lifetime best in what may be her tertiary event for the Trojans.

Butterfly Highlights
The 200 butterfly yielded a season-best from Fer Moussier, leading the way with a mark of 2:12.05. Boggs handed in a personal best, touching the wall at 2:15.84 for her first race in the event since 2016.

Diving Highlights
Kyra Apodaca finished third on the 1 meter board, collecting 238.50 points to out-score a Razorback by six. On the 3 meter, Apodaca scored 227.18 points to round out the group.

Up Next
The Trojans will have the next few weeks to grind through Rocktober before welcoming St.Louis and Henderson State to Little Rock for a tri-meet on Saturday, November 4. View the full schedule here.


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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