North Texas vs Little Rock (W)
- Friday, November 4, 2022
- Denton, Tx.
- SCY (25 yards)
- Results
- Team Score: North Texas 181, Little Rock 114
Courtesy: North Texas Athletics
DENTON – The UNT swimming and diving team had several student-athletes win multiple events, as the Mean Green hosted their first home meet of the season and notched a convincing 181-114 win over Little Rock.
In the pool, UNT took both relays with Diana Kolb, Laura Mazzotta, Cierra Scully and Shaena McCloud taking first in the 200 medley relay, and in the 400 freestyle relay, the team of McCloud, London Farris, Scully and Allison Scott claimed the victory.
Farris doubled up by winning the 100 and 200 freestyles, Diana Kolb won the 100 and 200 backstrokes, Tram Nguyen won the 200 breaststroke and 200 IM, and freshman Kailey Turner also won two events – the 500 freestyle and 200 butterfly.
“The team had a solid day today,” head coach Brittany Roth said. “We came into this meet in the mindset of rehearsing a prelim swim and being ready and on in the morning. I was impressed the way the team took control early. I was so pleased to see Kennedy Eichler put up a season best in her 1,000 freestyle. Kailey Turner experimented with her race planning today, and she had a banner day in the 200 butterfly and 500 freestyle. Tram Nguyen had a really strong day today competing in three 200s, and earned two wins with season best times.”
The day started off with the diving events, as Saylor Hawkins scored the double victory in the 1-meter and 3-meter springboard events and secured her NCAA Zone D qualifying score in the 1-meter with a 265.50. She edged out teammate Olivia Dollar in that event, while Brigid Krbec took third. In the 3-meter, Hawkins took first with a 242.78, followed by Krbec and Makaia Goemans for another podium sweep for the Mean Green.
“Saylor’s been working really hard the last few weeks getting back to where she was after rehabbing from an injury in the offseason,” diving coach Stephanie O’Callaghan said. “I’m really proud of her for the diligent work she’s been putting in. The entire team has been working hard to elevate their performance and today was a great day to see where we are at as we turn our focus to the mid-season championship meet, which will be a good chance to size up some of our competition for conference this year. Each diver had some really strong dives today and now we will focus on getting a little more consistent and a little sharper on our finishes to build on the foundation we set during the first part of our fall.”
The team will get back to competition with the mid-season championship at the Phil Hansel Invite, hosted by Houston, on Nov. 17-19.
Fans can follow the program throughout the season on Twitter and Instagram @MeanGreenSD.
Courtesy: Little Rock Athletics
DENTON, Texas – Little Rock swimming and diving came away with two individual event wins against North Texas this afternoon in their first away dual of the season and their last competition before their annual mid-season invitational. Avery Spencer notched a season-best time in the 1000 for her first career win, while Lauren Gray touched out the competition in the 100 butterfly in an exciting race.
While Little Rock was beaten out 181-114 by the home team, the Trojans were right in the thick of the competition over several events, with 20% of the team’s times coming out as season-bests.
“Really proud of the way the team fought for every race today,” said head coach Amy Burgess. “There is a drive in this team that is so impressive. Can’t wait to see what a little rest will bring in a couple weeks!”
Relays
Opening the meet, the squad of Gray, Lauren Pieniazkiewicz, Jaelle Carlson and Cheryl Poulsen took second with a time of 1:47.66, just four one-hundredths of a second behind the hosts. The time was a season-best for the team by approximately half a second, with the previous mark set back in September against North Florida.
The closing 400 freestyle relay saw a similar result, as the Trojan group of Cheryl Poulsen, Gray, Gabriella O’Neil and Carlson finished second in 3:36.33.
Freestyle Highlights
Avery Spencer started off the individual events with a high note, taking first in the 1000 by nearly four whole seconds with a time of 10:49.15. Her fast front-half strategy helped her drop two seconds from two weeks ago and bodes well for a big drop once rested.
Spencer claimed another season best in the 500 free, posting a well-split race for second place. The freshman came in at 5:18.55, only a tenth of a second behind a North Texas swimmer whose last 50 happened over two seconds faster than their first 50. Fernanda Gamez took 4th overall with a season-best time, touching the wall at 5:27.52.
The Trojans took second and third in the 200 free, led by O’Neil’s 1:59.06 and followed by Olivia Henderson’s 2:01.13 for third place, a huge six-second drop from earlier this season.
Team depth in the 100 freestyle saw Little Rock finish second through fourth in the event. Carlson was the top Trojan at 52.89, less than two tenths behind first and a season best for the sophomore. Meanwhile, O’Neil and Poulsen took third and fourth with times of 54.89 and 55.03, respectively. Poulsen also represented the Trojans in the 50 free, claiming third in 24.93.
Butterfly Highlights
Despite being one of the last individual races of the day, Gray pulled off an exciting victory in the 100 fly, stopping the clock at 58.29 to beat out a North Texas swimmer by a little over a tenth of a second. Carlson was right in the mix at 58.42, just two one-hundredths away from tying second place. Meanwhile, in the long 200 fly, Fer Moussier claimed third with a time of 2:11.88.
Backstroke Highlights
Gray had a strong race in the 100 backstroke as well, taking second place with a time of 58.80. Not far behind was specialist Romprey, who kept her swim under a minute at 59.67. Romprey returned in the 200 back to place second, touching the wall at 2:08.90.
Breaststroke Highlights
Pieniazkiewicz took second place in the 100 breast with a time of 1:07.86, inches behind the first swimmer to lead the Trojans. Freshman duo Duru Sibik and Nikki Sterchele took third and fourth in the 100 at 1:11.00 and 1:11.25, respectively, while the former claimed a season-best time.
However, it was Lexie Shelton that was out in front in the 200 breaststroke, touching the wall third at 2:30.58. Sibik came in fourth with a time of 2:31.90, a personal best.
IM Highlights
The international freshman continued her strong meet with a personal best in the 200 IM, touching the wall at 2:15.49. This time, Sibik and Shelton swapped places, as the junior posted a season best time of 2:16.31 not far off.
Up Next
In two weeks, Little Rock will finally earn some rest as they head to the Kansas Classic, their annual mid-season invitational. Expect some fast times and big scores at the competition, as the Trojans suit up and look to make a statement in their first taste of a championship meet lineup this season. View the full schedule here.
