INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The Trojans wrapped up the third day with their best performance yet, starting and ending the meet with record-breaking achievements. They secured an impressive third-place finish overall at the House of Champions.
"I told them this morning "sometimes it's you, sometimes it's me, but it's always us." I love how so many different individuals stepped up and showed what it means to be a Little Rock Trojan." said head coach Nathan Townsend. "On a day where we say "Saturday is for the Trojans" it truly was a day for the Trojans. The staff and I are fired up for what the rest of the season will look like. Little Rock on Top."
1650 Freestyle
The 1650 freestyle was swum in the morning, where our Trojan ladies delivered standout performances. Duru Sibik kicked things off with a season-best time of 18:00.03. In the following heat, Izzy Thibodeau competed in her very first mile, finishing in an impressive 17:54.70, while Lara Alsader posted a strong 18:05.16.
Carol closed out the morning's event in the final heat. Not only was this her debut in the race, but she also recorded a top-five all-time performance for the Trojans with a stellar 17:43.33.
Platform Diving
The diving duo of Kyra Apodaca and Tatum Malatin dominated the platform event. In the preliminaries, Apodaca shattered the school record with a score of 189.75. She continued her incredible form in the finals, becoming the sole individual event winner for the Trojans. Malatin also had a strong performance, finishing 5th and securing valuable points for the team.
50 Butterfly
Jaelle Carlson opened the final session of the meet in true Carlson fashion, racing in the A final and touching the wall in 24.72 to take 3rd place.
200 Backstroke
Freshman Beatriz Comini Romero stormed to victory in the B final, clocking a lifetime best of 2:03.51. Senior Caitlin Romprey followed with a solid performance, taking 4th place in 2:05.31 to cap off the Trojans' efforts in the backstroke event.
100 Freestyle
The 100 freestyle event brought more excitement for the Trojans. Carlson delivered a stunning lifetime-best time of 49.67, securing 2nd place. Lena Nikolaeva also impressed, joining the all-time performance list with a time of 51.31 to claim 8th in the evening finals.
In the B final, Olivia Elgin posted a season-best 51.16 to take 3rd, while senior Lauren Pieniazkiewicz finished 7th in 51.61.
In the C final, 5th-year senior Cheryl Poulsen wrapped up the event, touching the wall in 52.00 to finish 5th.
200 Breaststroke
Gabby O'Neil, the Trojans' breaststroke specialist, delivered a lifetime-best performance in the A final, finishing 3rd with a time of 2:17.15. Adara Stoddard dominated the B final, taking 1st place in 2:18.19. Anna Nishizaki also showed improvement, clocking 2:21.37 to finish 5th.
200 Butterfly
In the 200 butterfly, Gillian Boggs fought hard in the B final, taking 5th place with a time of 2:06.66.
100 Individual Medley
Lauren Pieniazkiewicz set the tone early by breaking the school record in the prelims with a time of 57.38. Adara Stoddard returned to the B final and replicated her earlier success, claiming 1st place to close out the individual events for the meet.
400 Freestyle Relay
The Trojans ended the meet with another historic performance in the 400 freestyle relay. The team of O'Neil, Elgin, Pieniazkiewicz, and Carlson made waves, breaking the meet record and recording the second-fastest time in Trojan history. O'Neil started with a lifetime-best split of 50.67, followed by Elgin and Pieniazkiewicz extending the lead. Carlson sealed the victory with a blistering 48.81 split, cementing their place in the record books.
Team Scores
- Marshall University - 1417.5
- Missouri State University - 1256.5
- Little Rock- 955
- University of Illinois, Chicago- 882
- Milwaukee. - 825
- University of North Texas- 605
- Lynn University- 593.55
- IU Indianapolis-502.5
- Butler University - 354.5
- Saint Louis University - 345.5
- University of Missouri,St Louis - 269
- Lewis University - 198
- Quincy University - 59
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