Liberty, Campbell, UNC Asheville Tri-Meet
- January 21, 2022-January 22, 2022
- Lynchburg, Virginia
- Results (PDF)
Courtesy: Liberty Athletics
Liberty went 1-1 during this weekend’s TYR Senior Celebration at Liberty Natatorium, defeating Campbell and falling to UNC Asheville.
The Lady Flames beat the Camels 292-55 while the Bulldogs earned a 190-163 win over Liberty. UNC Asheville defeated Campbell 293-54.
Liberty finishes the regular season with a 5-2 record, including 2-1 in CCSA competition. UNC Asheville is now 8-0, 6-0 in CCSA dual meets, while Campbell holds a 4-5 record overall and 1-4 in league action.
Liberty Event Winners
• Jr. Eva Suggs – 200 backstroke (2:00.35)
• So. Maddie Freece – One-meter diving (6) (280.35)
Notable
• The Lady Flames honored 10 seniors – Lauren Chennault, Abigail Egolf-Jensen, Shelby Haines, Emma Hazel, Sophie Miller, Chloe Rippey, Olivia Robinson, Ashley Sennett, Allison Van Milligan and Amelia Wickham – with a senior day ceremony prior to today’s session. These 10 student-athletes have helped the Lady Flames win three straight CCSA title.
• Liberty is 19-2 all-time against Campbell in swimming & diving, with the Lady Flames winning each of the last 19 meetings. Campbell is Liberty’s most-frequent opponent in program history. The Lady Flames also defeated the Camels 142-115 on Oct. 2 in Buies Creek, N.C. UNC Asheville picked up its first-ever dual meet win over Liberty, who holds a 6-1 lead in the all-time series.
• Liberty had won 26 straight CCSA dual meets prior to today’s setback to UNC Asheville. The last time Liberty lost a conference dual meet prior to today was Jan. 7, 2017 at FGCU.
• UNC Asheville won seven out of nine events contested on Saturday, including both relays.
• The 2021 CCSA Diver of the Year, Liberty’s Maddie Freece, led a 1-2-3 Lady Flames finish in one-meter diving. Freece scored a season-best, NCAA Zone-qualifying 280.35 for the win. Meanwhile, Lauren Chennault (260.70) took second and Abigail Egolf-Jensen (227.85) finished third.
• In the 100 freestyle, .33 seconds separated first-place Delaney Carlton (51.55) of UNC Asheville and third-place Sydney Stricklin (51.88) from Liberty. UNC Asheville’s Abby Parks finished second in 51.86.
• UNC Asheville’s Riley Edmundson edged out Liberty’s Chloe Harris for first place in the 200 IM, 2:06.04 to 2:06.21.
• Liberty turned in its best performances of the season in the following events today: One-meter diving (Maddie Freece – 280.35); 1,650 freestyle (Mary-Ashlynne Gordon – 17:56.13) and 200 backstroke (Eva Suggs – 2:00.35)
Up Next
Liberty will host the CCSA Swimming & Diving Championships, Feb. 16-19 at the Liberty Natatorium. The Lady Flames, hosting the CCSA Championships for the third time in the last four years, are aiming for their fourth straight CCSA title.
Courtesy: Campbell Athletics
Lynchburg, Va. – Campbell dropped both portions of the weekend double dual to Liberty and UNC Asheville with the second session wrapping up Saturday morning at the Liberty Natatorium. Campbell fell to Liberty 292-55, and to UNC Asheville 293-54.
The results leave Campbell with a 4-5 record in dual meets this season.
The Camels were swimming shorthanded this weekend, allowing more swimmers to get experience swimming in Lynchburg, which will serve as the host site for the CCSA Championships next month, set for Feb. 16-19.
Kourtney Cook posted Campbell’s highest individual finish of the day with a sixth-place finish in the 1650 free.
Skyer Roerig was the Camels’ top finisher in the 200 back, setting her new collegiate best in the event at 2:12.48 for a ninth-place finish.
Campbell wrapped up the meet with a third-place finish in the 800 free relay with a time of 1:38.64.
Campbell now has roughly 3.5 weeks before returning to Lynchburg for the 2022 CCSA Championship. More information about that meet will be available closer to time.
Courtesy: UNC Asheville Athletics
LYNCHBURG, Va. – The UNC Asheville swimming & diving team’s magical season kept on rolling Saturday as it picked up victories over Liberty (190-163) and Campbell (293-54) in a double dual meet at the Liberty Natatorium. The pair of wins extend Asheville’s record to a perfect 8-0 in duals in the 2021-22 season.
“It’s been an incredible two days of competing, and I’m extremely proud of this squad,” said Head Coach Elizabeth Lykins. “To watch each member step up and support each other truly makes this team special.”
Both of Saturday’s wins were significant not only because they extended the perfect campaign for Asheville but also because of some historical context. The victory over Campbell was just the second for Bulldogs against the Camels in program history, and the win versus Liberty marked the first-ever for Asheville in seven tries. With Asheville knocking off Liberty in its home pool, the Flames saw its 25-meet win streak snapped against CCSA foes (last loss at Florida Gulf Coast in 2017), and it was just the second loss for the Liberty inside the Liberty Natatorium.
Entering Saturday’s action, the Bulldogs trailed Liberty, 101-85. Asheville wasted no time chipping away at the Flames’ lead as the foursome of Nora Segurola Larrinaga, Mikaela Fullerton, Chloe McDonald, and Delaney Carlton won the 200-yard medley relay with a time of 1:43.35.
As the individual events began, the Bulldogs really began the rack up the points. Asheville placed first and second in four of the six individual contests, and their highest finish was no lower than second in any of them.
Five different Bulldogs won events Saturday and an incredible 11 different student-athletes registered at least one podium finish. The event victories went to Caitlin Hefner (1650y free – 17:01.94), Fullerton (200y breaststroke – 2:16.44), McDonald (100-yard fly – 56.24), Carlton (100y free – 51.55), and Riley Edmundson (200y IM – 2:06.04).
Thanks to all their work in the individual events, the Bulldogs took the lead against the Flames and extended their advantage over Campbell. Asheville put an emphatic stamp on both wins by closing the day by winning the 400-yard freestyle relay (3:26.99). This time Segurola, Abby Parks, Jessie Frank, and Carlton teamed up to lift Asheville to the top spot.
Asheville’s divers also had a nice day to help the cause. Like Friday, the trio of Jade Canady, Morgan Coughlen, and Jessica Brock all took the boards for the Bulldogs Saturday. In 1-meter diving, Canady, Coughlen, and Brock all improved their standing from the day before. Canady led the way placing fourth with 211.50 points, with Coughlen (6th – 202.65 points) and Brock (9th – 155.48) rounding out the score totals for Asheville.
“We had a great two days on the boards,” said Head Diving Coach Matthew Macon. “We dove consistently, hitting near personal-bests for all of our divers. There is a lot to build on with our young squad, and we are looking forward to the CCSA Championships in less than a month.”
Next Saturday, Asheville will return to action when it hosts its annual Senior Day meet. The start time for the meet is set for 11 a.m., and the opponent is to be announced. Whoever the Bulldogs match up with, fans can tune in to watch the meet on ESPN+.
“We’re excited to celebrate our nine seniors next weekend,” Lykins added. “Our focus moves to the final preparations for conference championships in four weeks.”
Way to go Bulldogs!!