Liberty Flames Swim & dive team wins championship

The Lady Flames swimming & diving team won its second Coastal Collegiate Sports Association championship February 22, dethroning defending champion Florida Gulf Coast University by nearly 200 points. Liberty’s first championship win was in 2014.

The Lady Flames set the conference record with 1,859.5 points, followed by FGCU’s 1668 points.

Liberty set two program records in the course of the meet, which was held at the Liberty Natatorium for the first time. The records set were 27 podium finishes and 10 event wins at a CCSA championship meet.

Lady Flames Head Coach Jake Shellenberger was voted CCSA’s Women’s Swimming Coach of the Year, his third honor and first since 2014. Shellenberger shared the honor with Campbell Head Coach Pascal Molinard and UNC Asheville Head Coach Elizabeth Lykins.

The Lady Flames wrapped up their season by hosting the second annual Liberty Last Chance meet March 1-3, where two Liberty swimmers made NCAA B cut times, hopefully qualifying them for the NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships.