New Orleans, Louisiana - Little Rock opened the Mardi Gras Invitational with an impressive performance on Friday, earning a 54–22 day-one win over New Mexico at the Reily Student Recreation Center Natatorium.
The Trojans delivered strong performances across the board, highlighted by a record-breaking swim from Olivia Elgin in the 100 IM. Elgin won the event in 56.90, setting both a pool record and a Little Rock school record. Gabriella O'Neil followed closely with a second-place finish at 58.77 to complete a one-two finish for the Trojans.
"It was a great first session at the Mardi Gras Invite," head coach Nathan Townsend said. "I was extremely impressed with our team and how they performed coming off a long bus trip yesterday. They really stepped up and executed their races exactly the way we asked. We saw a lot of unsuited season-best swims, and a school record and pool record in the 100 IM."
Little Rock set the tone early with a win in the 200 medley relay, as the A relay of Amara Addison, Adara Stoddard, Elgin, and Lena Nikolaeva touched first in 1:44.16. The Trojans continued their momentum in the 200 freestyle, sweeping the top four spots, led by Megan Stewart's winning time of 1:52.03.
Additional victories came from Nelanee Fulton in the 200 butterfly (2:06.98), Lyla Roper in the 200 backstroke (2:07.16), and Anna Nishizaki in the 200 breaststroke (2:19.89). Little Rock closed the session with another relay win in the 200 free relay, as Nikolaeva, O'Neil, Anna Cesario, and Addison combined for a time of 1:36.53.
"The energy at today's meet was incredible and made it so much fun," Elgin said. "We were all pretty nervous knowing there would be almost no time between races, myself included, but we used that to push ourselves and go even faster. I barely had any time between my races, but the adrenaline was crazy and made it so exciting. Heading into tomorrow, I'm excited to race again and see what we can do as a team."
"Coming off a very tough training block, the way they approached every race shows that we're doing things the right way," Townsend added. "The best part is that there's still room for improvement, and we're excited to get back after it tomorrow morning and tomorrow afternoon."
Little Rock will continue competition at the Mardi Gras Invitational on Saturday, facing North Texas at 8:10 a.m. before returning to the pool against Tulane at 5 p.m.
The Mardi Gras Invitational will be streamed live on YouTube both days here, allowing fans to follow the Trojans from wherever they are.
For the latest information on Little Rock Swimming & Diving, visit LRTrojans.com and follow the team on social media at @LittleRockSwim.
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