The Liberty swimming & diving team opened the New Year with a 2-1 showing at a quad meet hosted by the seventh-ranked Florida Gators, Friday at Stephen C. O'Connell Center Natatorium.

The Lady Flames (8-3) defeated Vanderbilt (158.5-103.5) and CCSA foe North Florida (205-57), while falling to Florida (178-80). The Gators improved their season record to 10-0, while Vanderbilt (3-6) went 1-2 today and North Florida (2-7) dropped all three dual meets.

Liberty Top-Three Placings
• 200 medley relay (3rd place) – 1:44.49 (Payton Keiner – 26.01, Mikayla Herich – 30.16, Brittany Weiss – 25.20, Colleen Donlin – 23.12)

• Fr. Eva Suggs – 200 freestyle (2nd place – 1:50.96); 200 backstroke (3rd place – 2:03.25)

• Jr. Payton Keiner – 100 backstroke (2nd place – 54.94); 200 backstroke (2nd place – 1:59.63)

• Fr. Jessica Schellenboom – 100 breaststroke (2nd place – 1:05.38); 200 breaststroke (3rd place – 2:22.24)

• Jr. Lindsey Cohee – 200 butterfly (2nd place – 2:02.35); 100 butterfly (3rd place – 56.86)

• So. Emma Hazel – 500 freestyle (2nd place – 5:04.16)

• 400 freestyle relay (2nd place) – 3:32.16 (Payton Keiner – 52.77, Eva Suggs – 52.46, Hannah Baker – 53.24, Brittany Weiss – 53.69)

Notable
• Florida won all of the individual events. Liberty took second in six individual events and one relay, while Vanderbilt had three second-place finishes.

• Liberty is now 3-1 all-time against SEC opponents in swimming & diving, including 3-0 versus Vanderbilt.

• The Lady Flames are 3-0 against CCSA opponents this season and have won their last 18 CCSA dual meets in a row since a 137-125 loss at FGCU on Jan. 7, 2017.

• Suggs' 1:50.96 in the 200 freestyle from today is tied with Ximena Conde Merlos of Incarnate Word for the fastest effort by a CCSA swimmer in the event this season.

• Liberty swam its fastest 200 medley relay of the season today, clocking 1:44.49. Keiner's 26.01 leadoff was the best 50 backstroke by a Lady Flame in 2019-20.

• Schellenboom's 1:05.38 swam the fastest 200 breaststroke by a Liberty swimmer this season.

• Keiner won the 200 backstroke each of the last six times she contested it, dating back to last season, prior to falling to Florida's Rosie Zavaros today.

• Liberty is 31-3 in its last 34 dual meets overall.

• The Lady Flames will compete at FGCU Aquatics Complex tomorrow at noon. Liberty will take on the host Eagles, along with Illinois State and Tulane.

• This will be the first time since Oct. 9-10, 2015, that Liberty has competed in two away meets in separate cities on back-to-back days. That year, the Lady Flames competed at TCU on Oct. 9 before heading to North Texas for a meet on Oct. 10.