Liberty vs VMI (Women)
- Friday, January 13, 2023
- Lynchburg, Va.
- SCY (25 yards)
- Results
- Team Score: Liberty 164, VMI 109
Courtesy: Liberty Athletics
Liberty defeated former CCSA foe VMI 164-109, leading from start to finish on Friday at Liberty Natatorium.
With the win, Liberty improves its record to 3-2, while VMI falls to 0-5 on the season.
Liberty Event Winners
• 200 Medley Relay – 1:43.56 (Abbie Shaw – 25.79, Heather Gardner – 29.27, Chloe Harris – 25.21, Eva Suggs – 23.29)
• So. Mary-Ashlynne Gordon – 1000 freestyle (11:15.35); 200 butterfly (2:12.29)
• Fr. Mary Herndon – Three-meter diving (6) (309.75)
• So. Shelby Kahn – 200 freestyle (1:52.46)
• Jr. Sydney Houtz – 100 backstroke (58.02)
• So. Grace Isaacs – 100 breaststroke (1:06.25)
• Sr. Eva Suggs – 50 free (23.99); 200 backstroke (2:00.25)
• So. Sydney Stricklin – 100 freestyle (52.79)
• Jr. Genna Joyce – 200 breaststroke (2:21.52)
• Fr. Isabelle Gomez – 500 freestyle (5:03.57)
• Jr. Abbie Shaw – 100 butterfly (56.77)
• So. Meagan Tuohy – One-meter diving (6) (257.63)
• 200 Freestyle Relay – 1:34.42 (Sydney Stricklin – 24.16; Abbie Shaw – 23.35; Heather Gardner – 24.00; Eva Suggs – 23.41)
Notable
• Liberty won every event contested tonight, including both relays. The Lady Flames posted 1-2-3 finishes in nearly every race. With the win in hand, Liberty contested the final four swimming races as exhibitions.
• Liberty’s Mary-Ashlynne Gordon (200 fly, 1000 freestyle), Grace Isaacs (100 breaststroke, 200 IM) and Eva Suggs (50 free, 200 back) posted two individual-event wins each.
• Liberty’s men’s club team was competing against VMI. For the final event, the teams contested a mixed 200 free relay, which Liberty won, 1:33.64 to 1:33.81, with Raea Farquharson securing the close win with the anchor leg.
• Gordon posted her first and second individual-event wins of the season, giving her three event wins for her collegiate career. Meanwhile, freshman Isabelle Gomez (500 free), freshman Mary Herndon (three-meter diving) and sophomore Meagan Tuohy (one-meter diving)
• Liberty’s Mary Herndon scored 309.75 in three-meter diving, which earned her an NCAA Zone Qualifying score. She joins Grace Gooding (one-meter diving at ECU) as Lady Flames with Zone Qualifying scores this season.
Historically Speaking
• Liberty is 6-0 all-time against VMI in swimming & diving, and the first win in the Lady Flames’ program history was over VMI on Oct. 8, 2010 as part of a tri meet at Radford. VMI’s last visit to Liberty Natatorium was Jan. 26-27, 2018, when Liberty bested the Keydets 290-44 in the first season of the natatorium.
• The Lady Flames are 17-2 all-time in home dual meets at Liberty Natatorium since the opening of the facility in the fall of 2017.
• Herndon’s 309.75 on three-meter diving ranks second on Liberty’s all-time top 10 performers list in the event.
• In one-meter diving, Herndon’s score of 250.28 ranks eighth in program history.
Up Next
The Lady Flames will host Campbell next Friday and Saturday to wrap up their regular season schedule. Liberty will honor its six seniors – Hannah Huenefeld, Maggie Huenefeld, Alexis Plogger, Jessica Schellenboom, Rachel Strickland and Eva Suggs – with a senior day ceremony on Saturday.
Courtesy: VMI Athletics
LYNCHBURG, Va. – The VMI men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams performed well Friday at Liberty University in competition at the LU Natatorium.
The Liberty women defeated the Keydets 164-109 and the VMI men downed the Flames Club team 149-113.
Women’s highlights:
*London Yerasimides finished 4th in the 3 meter dive, setting a new PR.
*Noelle Tong, Anne Bowles, Jillian Maher and Kate Taylor finished 4th in the 200 medley relay
*In the women’s 1000 free, Valerie Tonnu finished second, Sarah Liebenow took third and Anna Grace Adams finished fourth
*Tong placed 3rd in the 100 backstroke
*Rachel Greathouse finished 3rd in the 200 fly
*Bowles finished 4th in the 200 breaststroke
Men’s Highlights:
*Chino Vera, Chase Lane, Malik Nelson and Jack Sheehan took first in the 200 medley relay
*The trio of Conner Jorgensen, Ethan Griffith and Collin Marks finished 2-3-4 in the 1000 free
*Sheehan finished first in the 200 free and Connor Doyle finished 3rd
*Vera took second in the 100 back, and Tee Bowles finished 3rd. Hampton Wholford took 5th place in the 100 back, securing his first points as a Keydet.
*Chase Lane and Tommy Lees swam to a 1-2 finish in the 100 breast
*In the men’s 200 fly, Ethan Griffith finished first, Roland Mendoza finished 3rd, and James Stone finished 4th
*Nelson finished first in the 50 free, and Chino Vera finished 3rd. Nelson went on to finish 2nd in the 100 free
*Connor Doyle and Jorgensen finished 1-3 in the 200 backstroke
*Sheehan finished 1st in the 200 breaststroke and Lees took 2nd
*Griffith, Collin Marks and Jorgensen swept the 500 free, finishing 1-2-3
*Sheehan and Bowles finished 1-2 in the 200 IM
*Marks, Lees, Michael Tulupov and Kurt Comber finished 2nd in the 200 free relay.
*While the men were diving exhibition today, Lane Jones set a new PR on 3 meter, and Michael Menton set a new PR on the 1 meter.
Quotes from head coach Scott Thacker:
“A really solid day in the water and on the boards. We are really happy with where we are coming off or a really tough training camp. Our Keydets swam with a lot of grit, competed well for the Institute, and as always, brought great energy to the pool deck.”
