Courtesy: Little Rock Athletics
TOPEKA, Kan. – More records fell on the final day of Little Rock swimming’s mid-season invitational. And yes, that’s plural: the Trojans crushed yet another relay record along with Annya Grom’s newest personal best in the 100 freestyle, lowering her own school record.
“This team earned every accomplishment they got this weekend. This is a special group of student athletes that believe so much in each other,” said head coach Amy Burgess, adding, “Our upperclassmen really stepped up in a big way to lead the team and it showed.”
Little Rock was crowned the champion in the 400 free relay by nearly a full second, as the team of Grom, Lauren Gray, Carolyn Godwin, and Jaelle Carlson stopped the clock at 3:23.68 to break the previous mark by over a second and a half (3:25.24). Grom led off the relay with a flat start 50.17, just .16 off her new record set earlier in the session, while Carlson anchored with a monster 49.79, the only sub-50 split in the entire race.
The relay finished almost a second ahead of hosts Kansas, a full two seconds ahead of the closest Missouri Valley Conference opponent. It was a great way to cap off an impressive meet that included 74 season-best times, including 21 from the final day, along with the four broken records.
200 Backstroke
Three Little Rock swimmers highlighted the C final, led by freshman Olivia Henderson and her 2:03.63 for 18th. Classmate Caitlin Romprey was the next to finish, touching the wall at 2:04.68, while Fernanda Gamez capped off her meet with a personal best time of 2:05.73 in prelims, adding only two tenths at night. Lea Zengerling swam in the D final, collecting a season-best 2:07.22.
100 Freestyle
Grom and Carlson went 2-3 in the only true individual sprint of the evening, clocking in at 50.01 and 50.57, respectively. This makes the pair the fastest and second-fastest Trojans in school history in the event.
Gray and Asmalia Redzuan represented Little Rock in the C final, staying fairly consistent from prelims to finals. The pair set new season bests at 52.62 and 53.06 in the morning, respectively.
Godwin and sophomore sprinters Aubry Matthews and Cheryl Poulsen raced in the D final, where Godwin and Matthews each shaved off half a second, with the former coming in at 52.65 and the latter touching at 53.12, a personal best. Poulsen stayed constant throughout the day, finishing at 53.19 in prelims for a new lifetime best time as well.
200 Breaststroke
Karina Harr continues to be the top breaststroker on the team in her standout sophomore season. She touched the wall at 2:23.59, only a half second off of her lifetime best. Gillian Boggs was not far off, just two places behind with a season-best 2:25.75 for 22nd. Lexie Shelton also dropped time at night, stopping the clock at 2:25.97.
200 Butterfly
All three Trojans in the 200 fly earned repeat swims in the gritty event. Fer Moussier placed third in the C final, finishing with a time of 2:07.78. Devin Trammell and Maci McCullough came in at 2:13.90 and 2:17.94 in finals.
1650 Freestyle
Distance duo Lara Alsader and Shelton finished less than two seconds apart from each other in the longest event in the lineup. Alsader placed 18th with a time of 17:59.99. Shelton had a consistent swim split-wise, and despite her tough double, finished at 18:01.67.
Up Next
The Trojans will return to the Donaghey Aquatic Center for one last meet before the new year. Little Rock hosts North Texas on Thursday, December 16 at 11:00 a.m. in a rematch following this past weekend’s races.
Team Scores
1. Kansas – 1,191
2. Iowa State – 786
3. Indiana State – 431
4. North Texas – 389
5. Northern Iowa – 343
6. Little Rock – 325
Additional Day Two Season-Best Times
100 Freestyle
Lucy Jahn (54.62), Rylie Discenza (56.03), Kasey Dunn (56.64), Brianna Ridings (59.64)
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.