No. 19 Arkansas Tops Liberty 177-122

In a meet with numerous season- and lifetime-best performances, No. 19 Arkansas defeated Liberty 177-122, Friday at Arkansas Natatorium.

With the win, Arkansas improves to 4-2 overall, while Liberty falls to 1-2.

Liberty Event Winners

• 400 Medley Relay – 3:39.24 (Abbie Shaw – 53.32, Heather Gardner – 1:01.58, Chloe Harris – 54.58, Eva Suggs – 49.76)

• Fr. Grace Shaw – 1000 freestyle (10:09.58)

• So. Sydney Stricklin – 50 freestyle (23.27)

• So. Grace Isaacs – 200 IM (2:04.29)

Notable

• For this meet, Liberty and Arkansas wore tech racing suits, the same style which will be worn at conference and national meets. Liberty recorded 19 lifetime-best performances at today’s meet.

• Liberty burst out to a 30-5 lead after two events, taking first and second in both the 400 medley relay and 1000 freestyle (Grace Shaw – 10:09.58; Isabelle Gomez – 10:13.30). However, Arkansas bounced back by winning 12 out of the final 14 events to pull ahead for the win.

• Liberty’s Grace Shaw won the 1000 freestyle for the third time in as many meets in her collegiate career.

• Liberty took the first four spots in the 200 IM, while Arkansas posted 1-2-3 finishes in the 100 and 200 fly, 100 and 200 breaststroke.

• Liberty’s swimming & diving team will attend tomorrow’s football game between No. 23 Liberty and Arkansas at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

• The Lady Flames turned in the top time in the CCSA this season in nearly every event tonight.

Historically Speaking

• Abbie Shaw’s 53.32 leadoff leg of the 400 medley relay currently ranks in the Top 25 nationally for the 100 backstroke, and third all-time in program history.

• Liberty’s relays today are ranked fifth (400 medley relay – 3:39.24) and 10th (400 free relay – 3:23.06) in program history.

• In the 500 freestyle, Liberty’s athletes entered fifth (Grace Shaw – 10:09.58), 6th (Isabelle Gomez – 10:13.30) and ninth (Eden Troxell – 10:20.70) on the program’s all-time top 10.

• Shelby Kahn’s 1:49.60 ranks seventh all-time at Liberty in the 200 freestyle.

• Sydney Houtz is ranked ninth in program history in the 100 backstroke with her 55.02 today.

• Heather Gardner took a second off of her lifetime-best time, and now sits sixth in the program’s 100 breaststroke list at 1:01.94.

• In diving, Mary Herndon is now fifth in three-meter (257.63) and tied for eighth in one-meter (236.93) at Liberty, while Grace Gooding moved into seventh on one-meter.

Up Next

Liberty will host the TYR ’85 Invite, Nov. 18-20 at Liberty Natatorium to finish the fall portion of the regular-season schedule.