LITTLE ROCK,AR - The Little Rock women's swimming and diving team delivered a dominant performance on day one against UTRGV, building a 119–41 lead after the opening session.
The Trojans opened up the meet with a win in the 400 Medley Relay, finishing with a time of 3:51.63.
Amara Addison led off, followed by
Paige Pala,
Nelanee Fulton, and
Beatriz Comini Romero on anchor.
The Trojans were led by a historic swim from
Olivia Elgin in the 500 freestyle. Elgin captured first place in 4:52.71, setting both a pool record and a Little Rock school record, while also achieving a CSCAA B cut. Little Rock swept the top three spots in the event, as
Lyla Roper finished second in 5:04.44 and Izzy Thibodeau placed third in 5:08.85.
"The energy and vibes of the meet today was so exciting and it was so nice to compete back at home!! We are getting to celebrate our senior, Duru, who is one of my closest friends and racing at home is always fun! The first session was very successful for myself and my teammates and I am excited to carry that energy into tomorrows session!" said
Olivia Elgin.
Another pool record fell in the 200 IM, where
Megan Stewart touched first in the 200 IM in 2:01.40, setting a new pool record.
Anna Nishizaki finished second in 2:06.20,
Adara Stoddard placed third in 2:07.91,
Lulu Szumski came in fourth in 2:08.20,
Duru Sibik was fifth in 2:12.30, and
Lynlee Spinhirne placed sixth in 2:17.24.
Sprint events continued to favor Little Rock, beginning with the 50 freestyle, as Lena Nikolaeva claimed the win in 23.60, followed by
Ava Walters in second at 24.76.
The Trojans swept the podium in the 100 breaststroke, led by
Gabriella O'Neil, who won the event in 1:05.02.
Paige Pala placed second in 1:05.46, while
Duru Sibik finished third in 1:08.39.
In the 100 backstroke, Little Rock captured five of the top six spots.
Beatriz Comini Romero won the event in 56.87, followed by
Ava Walters in second at 57.34 and
Katherine Rasmussen in third at 57.74. The Trojans closed the individual events with a sweep of the 200 butterfly.
Nelanee Fulton won the event in a personal-best 2:05.13, while
Lulu Szumski finished second in 2:08.25 and
Niamh Carroll placed third in 2:09.68, both also recording personal-best swims.
Little Rock capped the night with a win in the 200 freestyle relay, as
Olivia Elgin,
Amara Addison,
Gabriella O'Neil, and Lena Nikolaeva combined for a first-place time of 1:33.85.
Head Coach
Nathan Townsend said, "So many swimmers stepped up tonight. We talked this morning about the opportunity we have to execute some of the best races we've ever done and they did exactly that. Looking forward to continuing that trend tomorrow!"
Saturday Schedule of Events (first event starts at 10:30 a.m.)
| Event |
Name |
| 1 |
200 medley relay |
| 2 |
1000 freestyle |
| 3 |
400 individual medley |
| 4 |
200 freestyle |
| 5 |
100 butterfly |
| 6 |
100 freestyle |
| 7 |
200 backstroke |
| 8 |
200 breaststroke |
| 9 |
400 freestyle relay
|
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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