Little Rock Swimming and Diving Ready to Make a Splash at 2023 MVC Championships

LITTLE ROCK - The Little Rock swimming and diving team has been preparing all year for the biggest meet of the season. That meet, the four-day 2023 Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Swimming and Diving Championships, starts tomorrow, and the Trojans are set to make a splash thanks to several high seeded swimmers, returning school record holders and All-MVC honorable mention honorees, and a squad that has been putting itself to the test all season long.
 
MVC Championship Central
 
For Trojan fans tuning in from home, the meet will be streamed through YouTube and live results can be found on the MeetMobile app. 
 
Keep an eye out for daily recaps of the event right here, plus get additional behind-the-scenes action by following Little Rock swimming and diving on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. The full schedule of events can be viewed below.
 
"We are ready to turn some heads!" said head coach Amy Burgess. "The determination and drive this team has will be on full display this week. Day after day they have not only pushed themselves but each other, from day one. This is going to be a week to remember and another step up for Little Rock swimming and diving."

High-Seeded Swimmers
 
Little Rock has four swimmers that are seeded in the top 16 of various events going into the championship meet: Gillian Boggs, Jaelle Carlson, Lauren Gray and Caitlin Romprey.
 
Returning All-MVC honorable mention honoree Gillian Boggs has posted the 12^th-fastest time in the conference in the 400 IM ahead of the conference meet. Last year as a freshman, Boggs placed 6^th in the event overall, and this year she has already been faster than that mark after collecting a personal best time at the Kansas Classic in November. The multitalented Boggs also is seeded within the top 24 in the 200 backstroke and 200 IM, which sets her up for a good chance to score points with a time drop.
 
Arguably the most valuable swimmer on the Trojan roster, Jaelle Carlson has earned top-eight seeds in each of her three events. She is seeded an impressive 3^rd in the 100 freestyle, 5^th in the 100 butterfly and 6^th in the 50 freestyle while in the midst of a strong sophomore season. Last season, Carlson also received All-MVC honorable mentions thanks to her contributions to the Little Rock relays and her sixth-place finish in the 50 free. However, this year, the strong sprinter has already posted new personal bests in both the 50 free and 100 fly.
 
Lauren Gray and Caitlin Romprey each claim one top-16 seed in the 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke, respectively. Both also have secured top-24 times in their secondary events: the 100 backstroke for Gray and the 200 backstroke for Romprey. Both will also make appearances in various Little Rock relays this year, as Gray was also an All-MVC honorable mention winner with the 400 freestyle relay.
 
This will be Gray's last hurrah as a graduate student in her final year, but with a personal best time in the 100 fly just a few weeks ago, she's set herself up well to go out with a bang. Romprey has been quietly building a solid sophomore campaign of her own, including a personal best time in the 100 backstroke and a handful of strong swims in the 200 backstroke through the season. With her help, the team also has a highly likely chance to break the 400 medley relay record after just being tenths away at the Kansas Classic this year. 

Next Trojan Up
 
The loss of All-MVC award winner Annya Grom midway through this season will hurt the Trojans in terms of points scored, but several other members of the team are in a good position for a successful championship meet.
 
Some of those team members include Gabriella O'Neil, a junior and former All-MVC honorable mention honoree in 2021 returning to the squad after a year out due to injury, freshman Avery Spencer, who has paced the distance races for Little Rock all year and is ready for a full taper, 200 butterfly school record holder Fer Moussier, and Lauren Pieniazkiewicz, who has pieced together a breakout sophomore season and will appear in several Trojan relays and has the ability to surprise her opponents in her individual events as well.
 
The Trojans are picked to finish 8th going into the MVC Championships, ahead of Evansville and Valparaiso. The squad finished seventh last year, outperforming Valparaiso but coming up just behind Evansville. However, the addition of both Marshall and UIC to the conference this year will make the ten-team meet a much deeper championship. Get ready for some exciting races and results from the Little Rock swimming and diving team. 


SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Wednesday, February 15
Finals | 6 p.m. CT  

• 200 Medley Relay
• 45-minute break
• 800 Freestyle Relay

 
Thursday, February 16
Prelims | 10:30 a.m. CT
Finals | 6 p.m. CT

• 500 Freestyle
• 200 IM
• 50 Freestyle
• 1-Meter Diving (Prelims and Consolation rounds in the morning)
• 200 Freestyle Relay (Finals session only)

 
Friday, February 17
Prelims | 10:30 a.m. CT 
Finals | 6 p.m. CT 

• 100 Butterfly
• 400 IM
• 200 Freestyle
• 100 Breaststroke
• 100 Backstroke
• 3-Meter Diving (Prelims in the morning, Consolation round at Finals)
• 400 Medley Relay (Finals only) 

 
Saturday, February 18 
Prelims | 10:30 a.m. CT 
Finals | 6 p.m. CT 

• 1650 Freestyle (Last event of Prelims, first event of Finals)
• 200 Backstroke
• 100 Freestyle
• 200 Breaststroke
• 200 Butterfly
• 3-Meter Diving Finals
• 400 Freestyle Relay (Finals only) 

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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