LITTLE ROCK, AR. – The Trojans capped off a strong weekend at the Donaghey Aquatic Center with a second-place overall finish at the 2025 Little Rock Fall Invite. Little Rock totaled 710 points to finish just behind Saint Louis University (784) and ahead of Delta State (517) and Henderson State (438).
While the final standings included diving events, the Trojans posted the highest swimming-only total among all teams, meaning Little Rock would have taken first place if diving scores were excluded. The performance marked another step forward for the program as the team continued to showcase its depth and early-season speed.
Freshman Amara Addison once again led the way for Little Rock, following her record-breaking 50 backstroke on Friday with a new school record in the 100 backstroke on Saturday, touching in 55.14. Addison also added another highlight performance in the 100 butterfly, finishing in 56.13 which ranks ninth all time on the Trojans' top ten list.
Junior Megan Stewart added another school record to close out the meet, posting a program-best time in her 400 individual medley leg as part of the Trojans' 4x100 IM relay. Stewart also contributed major points in the breaststroke events, placing second in the 100 breast with a time of 1:04.67, which now ranks ninth on Little Rock's all-time top ten list.
Freshman Nelanee Fulton joined the program's top ten charts as well, swimming a 2:07.87 in the 200 butterfly to earn the ninth-fastest time in team history.
Little Rock's lineup delivered across the board, with standout performances from freshmen Lyla Roper and Olivia Elgin, sophomore Anna Nishizaki, and sixth-year senior Gabriella O'Neil. The 800 freestyle relay team of O'Neil, Beatriz Comini Romero, Nishizaki, and Stewart captured first place in 7:26.72, further highlighting the team's depth and consistency.
"It was a really great day two here in the DSC," said head coach Nathan Townsend. "I'm really proud of our team and their performance. We had another school record from freshman Amara Addison, this time in the 100 back. I was talking to my staff, and I can't remember if we've ever had a school record this early in the season, which is really cool. Then in the last relay, Megan Stewart led off our 4x100 IM relay in a new school record time as well. So Megan and Amara again kind of shined just like they did last night, but everyone was shining today. Freshmen Nelanee, Lyla, Olivia Elgin, Adara, sophomore Anna Nishizaki, and sixth-year Gabriella O'Neil in the 100 — we had a lot of wins today and a lot of swimmers going best times, suited or unsuited. From top to bottom, as a staff, we're very pleased with where we are as a program. We're excited to take a regeneration week next week and then, in two weeks, we'll head down to Houston to race a strong team in Rice and a few others. Really excited about today and looking forward to the rest of the season."
Sixth-year senior Gabriella O'Neil echoed her coach's excitement after another strong weekend. "It feels really good," O'Neil said. "I'm really happy with my times today. I think I kind of impressed myself, and I'm really excited for my last season. It's crazy that it's already the middle of October, but I'm really excited for the rest and to finish it out with the team."
Up Next
The Trojans will now take a short recovery week before returning to competition in two weeks in Houston for the Rice Invitational, set for Oct. 24 (Fri) – Oct. 25 (Sat).
For the latest information on Little Rock Swimming, check out LRTrojans.com. You can also follow the team on social media at @LittleRockSwimDive on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
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