Nathan Townsend came to Little Rock two years with a vision. Townsend turned McKendree (Illinois) into one of the powers in NCAA Division II swimming and diving, and he was set on doing the same thing with the Trojans' program. But, he knew he needed help. He hoped to lean on some current members to spread his message of a commitment to winning.
Enter captains
Jaelle Carlson and
Caitlin Romprey. The then-juniors were eager to spread the new coach's message.
"Creating a healthy team environment was easy because of them," Townsend said of the two-year captains. "They did a good job of leading. When I first met them, we made an instant connection and having them here for two years to set the standards of what being a captain looks like is great. They would lay on a sword for the team. We have done something special, and we have relied on them since last year."
Carlson and Romprey are two of nine seniors being honored at noon Friday during a pre-meet Senior Day ceremony before the Trojans take on Henderson State and Southern Illinois. Other seniors include
Lara Alsader,
Kyra Apodaca,
Gillian Boggs,
Olivia Henderson,
Lucy Jahn,
Lauren Pieniazkiewicz and
Devin Trammell.
"It's hard to say goodbye to every senior class, but this one is special because it's the first one I've really got to know [at Little Rock]," Townsend said. "They have worked their tails off. I couldn't be prouder of them. I will write letters of recommendations for them to future employers, and there are plenty of athletic and academic achievements for me to highlight. This is a great group."
One of the more accomplished seniors in the pool was
Gillian Boggs. Boggs won the program's first Missouri Valley Conference title and was first-team All-MVC. She also was a member of the All-MVC Scholar Athlete team.
"She was so consistent and always showing up with her best," Townsend said. "She is quiet and just gets the job done. When she asked what the highlight of her career was, she didn't mention the conference title. She talked about being a part of the team. She may be too humble."
Carlson set an individual and relay record in her career as did Pieniazkiewicz and Romprey.
Kyra Apodaca will always have a place in Trojans swimming and diving lore, as she qualified for the NCAA Diving Zones last year. That hadn't been done since 2017.
"That was a big deal," Townsend said. "[Assistant coach Chris Pape] re-started that program, and [Apodaca] worked really hard to qualify."
