James Madison Sets Team Score Record en Route to Winning 2024 Sun Belt Team Title

2024 SUN BELT CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Dates: Wednesday, February 14 – Saturday, February 17
• Location: Rosen Aquatic & Fitness Center, Orlando, FL
• Defending Champions (women): N/A
• Live Results (MeetMobile)
• Live Video: ESPN+
• Championship Central
• Fan Guide
• Psych Sheet
• Day 1 Results|Day 1 Recap
• Day 2 Results|Day 2 Recap
• Day 3 Results|Day 3 Recap
• FULL MEET RESULTS

FINAL TEAM SCORES 

1. James Madison – 1091
2. Marshall – 779.5
3. Georgia Southern – 653.5
4. Old Dominion – 456

The 2024 Sun Belt Conference Championship is in the books and, with it, the return of swimming and diving to the conference is now complete. The Sun Belt Conference sponsored swimming & diving from 2001 to 2013, during which time, Western Kentucky won 9 of the 13 team titles.  Western Kentucky was also the most recent team title winner, having won the last Sun Belt Conference Championship back in 2013. This year, with brand new members to the conference, James Madison won the swimming and diving team title in a record 1091 points, becoming the first team in conference history to crack 1000 points.

The final session of the meet kicked off with the 1650 free, where Marshall senior Eszter Laban claimed victory in 16:41.68, winning the event by over 10 seconds. Laban was locked in a tight race with James Madison freshman Katelyn Fitzgerald through the 1000, then broke away through the final third of the race.

JMU senior Madison Cottrell then picked up her 3rd individual title of the meet, winning the 200 back in 1:58.58. James Madison was exceptional in the event, as seniors Cameron Gring (1:58.82) and Lauren Aylmer (1:59.18) came in 2nd and 3rd respectively. Gring was leading the race slightly at the 100 turn, but Cottrell would put up a little bit better of a back half.

A Sun Belt Conference Championship record went down in the 100 free, where James Madison sophomore Jamie Cornwell won in 49.70. With her performance, Cornwell clipped the previous championship record, which was a 49.88 and had stood since 2009. The overall Sun Belt Conference record is 49.47 and was set back in 2001, the first year the Sun Belt sponsored swimming.

Marshall senior Paige Banton took the 200 breast in 2:13.62. She was out quick, splitting 1:03.89 on the opening 100.

Marshall’s Madeline Hart then won the 200 fly in 2:00.64, leading freshman teammate Molly Warner (2:01.42) into the finish.

Marshall then kept the hot streak going, putting up a dominant performance in platform diving. Alaina Laster, a senior, won the event with a final score of 207.65. Freshman Larissa Munksgard came in 2nd with a score of 2:01.55, fellow freshman Gabrielle Grace was 3rd (178.85), and junior Grace Kelsheimer came in 4th (175.20).

The meet then came to a fitting end, seeing James Madison set a new Sun Belt Conference record in the 400 free relay. Grace Bousum (50.09), Madison Cottrell (49.14), Sydni Diehl (50.13), and Jamie Cornwell (50.50) combined for a 3:19.86, taking the Sun Belt Conference record under 3:21 for the first time.