HOUSTON, TX. – Little Rock Swimming wrapped up competition at the Rice Fall Splash on Saturday afternoon, closing out an impressive two-day showing that featured multiple event wins, program record performances, and strong team finishes against a competitive field including Rice, UTRGV, Loyola New Orleans, and St. Thomas.
Relays
The Trojans continued to impress in relay action, narrowly missing first place in both freestyle relays. The team of Beatriz Comini Romero, Lena Nikolaeva, Olivia Elgin, and Gabriella O'Neil placed second in the 400 freestyle relay with a time of 3:26.95, finishing just 0.14 seconds behind Rice. The same quartet also earned another runner-up finish in the 200 freestyle relay at 1:34.47. On Friday, Little Rock's A relay of Comini Romero, Adara Stoddard, Amara Addison, and O'Neil had also claimed silver in the 400 medley relay.
Individual Medley
Little Rock dominated the IM events across the weekend. Senior Gabriella O'Neil captured the 100 IM title on Friday and returned Saturday to win the 200 IM in 2:03.54, one of the top-three marks in program history. Sophomore Megan Stewart completed a sweep of the IM races, winning the 400 IM on day one and taking the 200 breaststroke on day two. The Trojans' clean sweep of the IM distances showcased their versatility and depth in middle-distance events.
Butterfly
Freshman Amara Addison and junior Lena Nikolaeva led the way for Little Rock in the butterfly events. Addison recorded a strong 58.44 in the 100 fly, while Nikolaeva turned in a solid double, finishing second in the 100 fly at 57.14 and contributing to top relay results throughout the meet.
Backstroke
Addison continued her standout weekend with a runner-up finish in the 100 backstroke, touching in 58.00—just shy of her own school record. Teammate Beatriz Comini Romero followed close behind in third at 58.62, as the Trojans posted multiple top-five finishes in the event.
Breaststroke
Megan Stewart continued her dominant form in breaststroke, winning the 200 in 2:20.52 after placing first in the 400 IM and second in the 100 IM earlier in the meet. Adara Stoddard and Paige Pala also earned strong finishes, clocking 2:24.28 and 2:26.03 in the 200 breaststroke to secure a 1–2–3 sweep for the Trojans in the event.
Freestyle
Little Rock's sprinters came up big in the freestyle events, sweeping the 50 freestyle as O'Neil (23.72), Nikolaeva (23.76), and Elgin (24.24) took the top three spots. Elgin added a runner-up finish in the 200 freestyle (1:52.02), while O'Neil took third in 1:52.48. Addison also placed in the top 10 of the 100 free, recording a 53.02.
Head coach Nathan Townsend praised the team's progress and competitive drive, saying, "It was a great second day and a great meet overall. Compared to last year, we won more events — we swept the IMs, taking the 100, 200, and 400. We also won the 50 free today, which was really good. Our relays were close and came down to some tight touches, but overall we're feeling really confident in how we performed this weekend. Rice is a great team, and it was great to see a future opponent in UTRGV — they swam really well. Loyola and St. Thomas both had some strong performances too. It's always fun to swim outside, especially in October, and we hope to come back here next year."
Stewart added, "The Rice Splash meet has been such a great experience being my first travel meet. I loved the pool and being able to swim outdoors as it reminded me of my home pool back in South Africa and it was really nostalgic. I couldn't have done it without the huge support from my Little Rock teammates, coaches, and my parents cheering me on back home."
Up next
Little Rock will travel to Fayetteville on Friday, November 8, for a dual meet against the University of Arkansas.
Fans can follow live results and event updates throughout the weekend on MeetMobile by searching Rice Fall Splash 2025 and stay connected with Little Rock Swimming on social media for full coverage and recaps.
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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