The Liberty swimming & diving team will compete in its lone home meet of the 2016-17 campaign on Friday, hosting Campbell at 5 p.m. at the LaHaye Aquatics Center.
Liberty (6-2, 2-1 CCSA) and Campbell (7-3, 4-1) will meet for the second time this season, and 11th time in program history. The Lady Flames opened the 2016-17 campaign with a 144-134 victory over the Camels in Buies Creek, N.C. In the all-time series, Liberty holds an 8-2 record all-time versus the Camels, winning the last eight meetings.
How to Follow the Lady Flames
There will be a live video stream available for Friday’s meet, as fans can watch, free of charge, through the Big South Network.
Fans unable to attend this weekend’s meets can also follow the live results on their mobile devices through the MeetMobile app.
Opening and Closing
Friday’s meet is scheduled to be the final competition for the Lady Flames at the LaHay Aquatics Center. Construction continues on the Liberty Natatorium, which is slated to open during the 2017-18 academic year.
Liberty’s first meet in program history was contested at LaHaye Aquatics Center on Oct. 2, 2010, as the Campbell Camels defeated the Lady Flames, 111-94. The Lady Flames have gone 8-2 all-time at their home facility, winning their last seven home meets.
Senior Salute
Prior to Friday’s meet, Liberty will honor its two graduating student-athletes, Rachel Rippey and Victoria Tschoke.
Hailing from Apex, N.C., Tschoke helped the Lady Flames win their first-ever CCSA championship as a freshman in 2014. She has scored in the top eight in all nine individual events she has contested at the last three CCSA meets. A two-time CSCAA Scholar All-America honorable mention recipient, Tschoke placed second in the 200 backstroke at the 2016 CCSA Championships.
A native of Sparta, N.J., Rippey has made great strides during her time at Liberty. She improved her lifetime bests from 59.31 to 57.32 in the 100 fly, from 59.29 to 57.82 in the 100 back and from 24.74 to 23.98 in the 50 free. Rippey clocked lifetime bests in the 50 free, 100 fly and 100 back all at the 2015 CCSA Championships.
Liberty opened its season with a program-best start of 5-0. After sustaining two straight losses, the Lady Flames got back on the winning track with a 153-104 victory at UNC Asheville,Saturday.
During Liberty’s win at UNC Asheville on Saturday, three Lady Flames (Colleen Donlin, Ricki Lee Hodges and Ashlee Sall) picked up their first collegiate individual event victory. Alicia Finnigan (200 free, 100 fly) and Brittany Weiss (50 fly, 50 back) won two events apiece, while Rachel Hoeve (100 back) and Victoria Tschoke (200 IM) each claimed one victory.
CCSA Honors
Sophomore Alicia Finnigan was named CCSA Women’s Swimmer of the Week on Oct. 9, after winning three individual events and swimming on a victorious relay at FGCU. Her winning 200 fly time of 2:00.25 was the second fastest time in the event by a CCSA swimmer this season, and fastest ever by a Lady Flame in a regular-season meet. She also won the 500 free (5:01.76) and 400 IM (4:26.14), both in a season-best time.
Freshman Jenna Joyal has had a strong start to her diving career at Liberty, being named CCSA Women’s Diver of the Week on Oct. 11. She has recorded the fourth-best score in the CCSA in one-meter diving this season.
- Junior Rachel Hoeve has won all four times she has swam the 50 free in dual-meet action. She posted a season-best 23.40 at the Intermountain Shootout on Oct. 7. Hoeve clocked a regular-season best time of 51.76 for 100 free at the Frank Elm Invite in November.
- Redshirt junior Morgan Noonan won the 200 breaststroke in 2:21.40 at FGCU, her third win in the event so far this season. She turned in her best time of the year, 2:19.79, at the Frank Elm Invite.
- Junior Prudence Rooker has clocked the top time in the conference in the 200 breaststroke, with a 2:17.91 clocking at the Frank Elm Invite. She leads the team with eight individual-event wins.
- Weiss swam a season-best 56.62 to win the 100 backstroke at Florida Gulf Coast, her third 100 backstroke win this season.
- Sophomore Delia Weber had a strong meet at the Frank Elm Invite in November, breaking program records in the 1000 freestyle (10:04.44) and 1650 freestyle (16:43.69). Her 1650 free time in the fastest among any CCSA swimmer in 2016-17.
- Head Coach Jake Shellenberger is in his seventh season at the helm at Liberty, guiding the program since its inaugural 2010-11 campaign. He has posted a 69-28 dual-meet record, while twice being named CCSA Women’s Swimming Coach of the Year.
Current Lady Flames with Program Records
1000 Free – Delia Weber (10:04.44; 11/20/16)
1,650 Free – Delia Weber (16:43.69; 11/20/16)
Top Marks
Liberty holds at least one of the top three times in the CCSA in the following individual races this season:
1,650 freestyle – Delia Weber (1st – 16:43.69)
200 breaststroke – Prudence Rooker (1st – 2:17.91)
200 butterfly – Alicia Finnigan (2nd – 2:00.25)
100 IM – Prudence Rooker (2nd – 57.73), Brittany Weiss (3rd – 58.65)
Campbell
Campbell enters the week with a 7-3 record, including 4-1 against CCSA opponents. In their last meet, the Camels fell at Vanderbilt on Dec. 17. Campbell posted a fifth-place finish at the 2016 CCSA Championships, edging out Incarnate Word with 715 points to earn the program’s best-ever conference championship score and placing.
Michelle Case set a new program record in the 50 free, at 23.45, on Nov. 17. Her time ranks sixth in the CCSA, while her season-best 100 free time of 51.25, is ranked fifth. Caroline Clark’s program-record 100 fly swim of 55.12 on Nov. 18 is ranked fifth in the CCSA, while she is seventh in the 200 fly at 2:05.28. Kelsey Tunstall is fifth in the conference for 200 back at 2:03.47. Madison Scott holds Campbell’s program record in the 200 fly, at 2:02.53.
Following Friday’s meet, Liberty will wrap up the regular season with a two-day meet at Davidson. The meet, which features Liberty, Gardner-Webb, Georgia Southern and Davidson, is scheduled to take placenext Friday and Saturday at the Charles A. Cannon Pool.
Order of Events
Liberty vs. Campbell
- 200 Medley Relay
- 1000 Freestyle
- 200 Freestyle
- 100 Backstroke
- 100 Breaststroke
- 200 Butterfly
- 50 Freestyle
15-minute break
- 100 Freestyle
- 200 Backstroke
- 200 Breaststroke
- 500 Freestyle
- 100 Butterfly
10-minute break
- 200 Individual Medley
- 200 Freestyle Relay
News courtesy of Liberty Athletics.