Liberty University senior Heather Gardner has transferred to University of Nevada, Las Vegas, to take her fifth year of eligibility in collegiate swimming.
“I’m super excited to announce that I will be taking my 5th year of eligibility at The University of Nevada, Las Vegas. So blessed to have the opportunity to continue my academic and athletic career! Ready to get things started in Vegas!”
Gardner spent her undergraduate career at Liberty, competing for the Flames all four years. As a freshman, Gardner competed and finaled in three individual events at the CCSA Championships, placing as high as 5th in the 100 breast (1:02.94), but her breakout season came her junior year.
The 2022-2023 season saw Gardner earn her first two individual podium finishes at the CCSA Championships, placing 3rd in both the 100 breast (1:01.03) and 200 breast (2:12.94). Gardner also helped Liberty take home the championship title in the 200 medley relay, splitting a 28.01 on the breaststroke leg, and was part of Liberty’s silver medal-winning 400 medley relay team.
Gardner’s performance in the 100 breast earned her an NCAA ‘B’ cut in the event, while her 200 breast hit the U.S. Open qualifying time. She also earned VaSID All-State 2nd Team honors for breaststroke.
This past season, the CCSA conference was absorbed into the Atlantic Sun conference, which sponsored swimming and diving for the first time during the 2023-2024 season. At the ASUN Championships in February, Gardner placed 6th in the 200 breast with a 2:17.13 as Liberty won its 6th straight conference title.
Gardner closed out her career with the Flames ranked 2nd in program history in the 100 breast and 4th in the 200 breast and went on to compete at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in the 100-meter breast, where she placed 76th in a time of 1:13.23.
Outside of the pool, Gardner was a two-time CCSA Honor Roll recipient and majored in criminal psychology.
A Division I Mid-Major program, UNLV’s women’s team competes in the Mountain West Conference. The Rebels were the runner-up team at the 2024 Mountain West Conference Championships and sent two swimmers on to compete at the NCAA Division I Championship.
Gardner will be a valuable asset to the Rebels this coming season, as her top times would have qualified her for the ‘A’ final in both the 100 and 200 breast at this past season’s conference championships.
Gardner is originally from Mt. Pleasant, Pennsylvania, and can take one more season of collegiate eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Can someone dumb this down for me? If her first year was 2020-2021, how does she get a covid year? I thought that was only granted to athletes participating in 2019-2020 when covid shortened the championship season? Was she a redshirt in 19-20?
The year that got swimmers a bonus year was 2020-2021. The 5th year is not a reward because NCAAs were cancelled (which impacted a tiny fraction of the sport’s participants), but instead a carrot to keep more schools from going the way of the Ivies and Arizona State and cancelling their entire 2020-2021 season.
Liberty to Vegas…that will be a culture change.