Flames make a splash
Liberty defeats Marshall 119-81 in its home finale
After defeating the Marshall Thundering Herd (5-6) 119-81 in their second and final home meet this season, the Liberty Lady Flames swim team (9-2, 4-1 CCSA) screamed “thank you” — thank you to their fans, that is.
Ambition — Lady Flames swim toward the CCSA conference meet Feb. 21. Photo credit: Ruth Bibby
The Lady Flames received their fourth-straight win against the Thundering Herd, winning eight of the 11 events showcased.
“In college meets, you don’t get that many fans in the stands,” redshirt junior Brye Ravettine said. “You would probably get maybe two or three parents. But here, when we have home meets, we fill up the bleachers, which is amazing.”
Ravettine and sophomore Cori Gary led the Lady Flames with two wins each in individual events. In the 50-yard freestyle, Ravettine yet again broke under 24 seconds this season with a time of 23.77.
To carry along those victories, Gary set in-season best times in the 200 freestyle (1:54.40) and the 100 freestyle (51.78).
“We raced well,” Head Coach Jake Shellenberger said. “Cori Gary in the 200, for example, was a breakout swim. Those were the fastest times she has swam this season.
In the 200 free, she broke her old time by five seconds, and the 100 free by over a second. Seeing improvement like that is huge.”
The meet opened with Liberty finishing first and second in the 400-yard relay.
Anchored by freshmen Kendall Hough and Laura Day, junior Bethany Wakeley and sophomore Chloe Thomas, the A-team was able to outlast the B-team by two tenths of a second with a time of 3:55.30.
Throughout the meet, the Lady Flames made a clean sweep in several swims, finishing first, second and third on multiple occasions. In the 200-yard backstroke, Hough led the attack with a time of 2:10.79, followed by freshman Ranndi Grubbs (2:13.39) and sophomore Jennifer Garzinski (2:18.98).
Junior Emilie Kaufman and freshman Jessica Reinhardt also had strong showings, winning back-to-back events in the 200-yard individual medley and in the 200-yard butterfly.
“We’re excited about this victory, and we’re excited for Davidson,” Wakeley said. “We are ready to face the other teams that are a part of the meet as well. It will be a lot of fun. At conference, I think a lot of girls are going to surprise themselves in how well they will do.”
Outmatched, the Thundering Herd highlighted their morning with a sweep in the 1000-yard freestyle. Sophomore Kaley Gregory clocked in at 10:36.60. Her teammates, freshman Megan Clemens and junior Tiffany Aeling, trailed behind and finished second and third.
This victory primed the Lady Flames to focus on the most important goal of this season.
“Conference is where we put all of our focus,” Shellenberger said. “We want to swim fast there. I’m expecting a lot of best times. Of course, from second place, the only place to go is up to number one. Florida Gulf Coast wins the conference every year, and I’m not sure if we have enough to beat them this year, but we want to get closer to them.”
Over the past four years, Shellenberger has gracefully built a program that is now a threat in Division I.
“Each class that we have, we add a lot of talent,” Shellenberger said. “Emily Kaufman, who transferred here from Rutgers … is an unbelievable talent. We have added kids that have the potential to be good at the elite level. … They’re focused, they’re dedicated and they want to be good.”
Liberty will participate in the Davidson Duals Saturday, Feb. 2, before competing in the Coastal Collegiate Swimming Association Swimming and Diving Championships Feb. 21-23.