Little Rock Swimming and Diving Closes 2023 MVC Championships

IOWA CITY, Iowa. – The Little Rock swimming and diving team concluded the 2023 Missouri Valley Conference Championships today with a lot of grit, earning themselves an All-MVC Honorable Mention honoree in the process.
 
Jaelle Carlson received an All-MVC Honorable Mention for the second straight year to top off her sophomore conference meet, collecting top-8 finishes in two of her individual events along with a school record for a cherry on top. Gillian Boggs also joined Carlson on the school record board in an individual event after her 200 IM performance earlier this week.

The championship meet was also significant as five Little Rock senior swimmers bid their final farewell to the program: Fernanda Gamez, Lauren Gray, Ashleigh Green, Annya Grom, and Brianna Ridings.

"I could not be more proud of this group of student-athletes and the way they pushed for every race," said head coach Amy Burgess. "Jaelle and Gillian well deserved to move their names to the top of the record book, as well as all those that added their names to the top times list." View the updated Trojan Top Times list here.

Day One Recap | Day Two Recap | Day Three Recap
 
Day Four Photos | Full Results
 
200 Backstroke
Olivia Henderson and Gillian Boggs finished as alternates in the 200 backstroke, finishing 25^th and 26^th with times of 2:06.61 and 2:06.67, respectively.
 
100 Freestyle 
Jaelle Carlson tied for 8^th place in prelims with a time of 51.06. Despite falling in a swim-off for 8^th place, she dipped under the 51 mark to post a 50.98 going into the B final, and topped off the evening by winning the heat.
 
Eight other Trojans posted season-best times, led by Lauren Gray, who finished 26^th as the second alternate at 52.22. Both Lauren Pieniazkiewicz and Nikki Sterchele claimed lifetime best times of 52.55 and 54.33, respectively.

200 Breaststroke
Karina Harr successfully made finals in all three of her individual events, qualifying for the C final with a season-best 2:24.17. She lowered her mark down to 2:23.98 at night to move up a place, taking 21^st overall.
 
Freshman Duru Sibik also put up a lifetime best in the morning, stopping the clock at 2:27.51.

200 Butterfly
Fer Moussier and Avery Spencer both made it back for a second swim in the 200 fly, making it into the C final. Moussier, a senior who will be returning for another season next year, cut off three seconds in the evening to drop down to 2:05.95 and win the heat. Spencer held seed, grabbing team points despite an incredibly tough slate.
 
1650 Freestyle
All three Trojans in the mile notched season-best times. Avery Spencer led the way, fresh off the 200 fly yet still dropping 15 seconds down to a 17:54.61. Lara Alsader was only two tenths behind, touching at 17:54.83, and Clare Sprinkle rounded out the group at 18:09.28. Alsader's 1000 split was just two tenths of a second away from making the top times list.
 
400 Freestyle Relay
The A team of Lauren Gray, Lauren Pieniazkiewicz, Gabriella O'Neil and Jaelle Carlson closed out the long week with a time of 3:27.51, shaving off a little over half a second off their seed time.
 
 
Additional Day Four Season-Best Times
200 Backstroke
Fernanda Gamez (2:08.90) 
100 Freestyle
Lauren Gray (52.22), Gabriella O'Neil (52.45), Lauren Pieniazkiewicz (52.55), Delaney Crowder (53.03), Aubry Matthews (53.84), Nikki Sterchele (54.33), Kasey Dunn (55.12), Salina Damas (55.32)
200 Breaststroke
Ally DeSordi (2:26.63), Duru Sibik (2:27.51)

 
Final Team Scores
1. Missouri State – 1326
2. Indiana State – 1200.5
3. Illinois State – 997
4. Northern Iowa – 881
5. Southern Illinois – 854
6. Marshall – 791
7. UIC – 718.5
8. Evansville – 390
9. Little Rock – 351
10. Valparaiso – 187

 
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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