OCALA, FL. -
The Little Rock swimming and diving team wrapped up the National Invitational Championship in Ocala, Florida, on a high note, capping an impressive week with an eighth-place finish in the A final of the 400 freestyle relay and a 24th-place finish overall, matching the highest finish in program history.
The relay team of Olivia Elgin, Lena Nikolaeva, Amara Addison and sixth-year graduate Gabriella O'Neil put together one final statement swim for the Trojans. With O'Neil anchoring the relay in the final race of her Trojan career, Little Rock touched the wall in 3:22.65 to close out the meet with momentum.
Overall, the Trojans concluded an incredible meet in Ocala, finishing 24th overall for the highest finish in program history at the National Invitational Championship and scoring roughly 30 more points than the program's previous best total at the meet.
"We wrapped up our time in Ocala at the National Invitational Championship with strong performances across the board," said head coach Nathan Townsend. "We had several athletes right at or near their best times in the IM events, along with great swims in the 100 free, 200 breast, 200 back, and 200 fly. We also finished the meet with an eighth-place finish in the 400 free relay, our highest relay placing of the week.
As a team, we tied our best finish in program history at this meet with a 24th-place finish, while scoring about 30 more points than our previous best total. We'll also be saying goodbye to our sixth-year, Gabriella O'Neil, and we're incredibly proud of everything she's contributed to this program and wish her nothing but the best moving forward."
The championship also marked the final meet with the Trojans for graduate assistant Emilia Martinez, who joined the program in August 2024 and helped lead Little Rock through record-breaking swims, standout victories and memorable moments during her time with the program.
With a historic finish, a standout relay performance and meaningful farewells to key members of the program, the Trojans left Ocala with plenty to celebrate as they wrapped up one of the most successful championship meets in school history.
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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