EVANSVILLE, IN. - The Little Rock women's swimming and diving team delivered a strong opening night at the 2026 Missouri Valley Conference Championships, advancing swimmers into every finals session of the evening and closing the day with a school record in the 400 medley relay and a bronze medal. After day one of competition, the Trojans sit fourth overall in the team standings.
Finals action opened in the 200 freestyle, where the Trojans placed a relay-style group into the championship heat. Lena Nikolaeva led the way alongside Amara Addison, Adara Stoddard, and Gabriella O'Neil as the quartet combined for a fourth-place finish in 1:32.79 to kick off the night.
In the women's 500 freestyle, Olivia Elgin competed in the B final and finished fourth with a time of 4:57.23. Lyla Roper followed in the C final and delivered one of the biggest improvements of the evening, dropping three seconds from her preliminary swim to place seventh in 5:04.93.
The 200 individual medley showcased the Trojans' growing freshman presence on the conference stage. Adara Stoddard represented Little Rock in the C final, finishing fifth in 2:07.03. Freshman Lulu Szumski appeared in her first MVC final in the B final, touching eighth in 2:07.25. The A final featured two Trojan freshmen, as Nelanee Fulton placed fifth in 2:04.16 alongside Megan Stewart, marking their first career A-final appearances at the MVC Championships.
Speed events closed the individual portion of the evening with the 50 freestyle. Sixth-year senior Gabriella O'Neil dropped time from prelims in the B final to finish in 23.48, while freshman Amara Addison placed 14th overall in 23.49. Junior Lena Nikolaeva capped the night in the A final, swimming a season-best 23.01 to earn a fourth-place finish.
The final event of the evening proved to be the highlight of day one. The 400 medley relay of Amara Addison, Adara Stoddard, Megan Stewart, and Olivia Elgin delivered a historic swim, finishing third with a new school record time of 3:40.87. The performance earned Little Rock its first medal of the championships and capped the session with a defining moment for the program.
"It was definitely an interesting opening session tonight with a couple of unexpected delays, but we've talked all season about responding, not reacting—and I'm very proud of how this group responded," head coach Nathan Townsend said. "Closing out the session by absolutely crushing our school record in the 400 medley relay was special. Not only that, but it marked what I believe is a program-first top-three finish in the 400 medley relay at the MVC Championships, which is a huge milestone for our Trojans.
"They put an exclamation point on day one in a big way, and you could feel the energy on deck completely shift because of it. We'll carry that momentum into day two tomorrow morning and keep building. Proud of this group. Just getting started."
With day one complete, the Trojans carry momentum into Thursday with a full slate of prelims and finals ahead. Prelims begin at 10:30 a.m. CT, followed by finals at 5:30 p.m. CT.
Thursday's events include the 100 butterfly, 400 IM, 200 freestyle, 1-meter diving, and the 200 medley relay for both the women's and men's programs.
Little Rock looks to build on a historic opening night as competition continues at the 2026 MVC Championships.
Thursday, February 26 Schedule
Prelims – 10:30 a.m. CT
Finals – 5:30 p.m. CT
100 Butterfly – Women
100 Butterfly – Men
400 IM – Women
400 IM – Men
200 Freestyle – Women
200 Freestyle – Men
1-Meter Diving – Women
200 Medley Relay – Women
200 Medley Relay – Men
Standings after Day 1:
- Southern Illinois - 366
- Missouri State - 323.5
- Indiana State - 316
- Little Rock - 234
- UIC - 217.5
- Northern Iowa - 190
- Illinois State - 151
- Evansville - 90
- Valparaiso - 84
For the latest information on Little Rock Swimming and Diving, make sure to check out LRTrojans.com. You can also find the team on social media at @LittleRockSwim on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
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