Four-Peat! Liberty Claims 4th Straight CCSA Championship

The Liberty swimming & diving team captured its fourth straight conference title, winning the 2022 CCSA Women’s Swimming & Diving Championship, which wrapped up on Saturday night at Liberty Natatorium.

The Lady Flames earned their fifth CCSA title in program history, with the first one coming in 2014 and the last four in a row. Liberty has now won the CCSA Championship every time it has hosted the event at Liberty Natatorium (2019, 2021, 2022).

Liberty won in convincing fashion with 1,830.5 points, 302.5 points clear of second-place FGCU (1,528). UNC Asheville placed third with 1,309.5 points.

Team Standings

1. Liberty – 1,830.5

2. FGCU – 1,528

3. UNC Asheville – 1,309.5

4. Incarnate Word - 942

5. Campbell – 889

6. Georgia Southern – 756.5

7. Gardner-Webb – 577.5

8. North Florida – 513.5

9. Bellarmine – 400.5

Liberty A Finalists

• Fr. Sydney Stricklin – 100 freestyle (1st place in 49.48)

• So. Abbie Shaw – 200 backstroke (1st place in 1:55.13)

• Jr. Eva Suggs – 200 backstroke (2nd place in 1:58.36)

• Sr. Emma Hazel – 200 backstroke (3rd place in 1:58.70)

• Sr. Shelby Haines – 200 backstroke (8th place in 2:02.87)

• Jr. Jessica Schellenboom – 200 breaststroke (2nd place in 2:12.81)

• So. Genna Joyce – 200 breaststroke (4th place in 2:15.17)

• Sr. Chloe Rippey – 200 breaststroke (5th place in 2:16.28)

• 400 freestyle relay – 2nd place in 3:21.75 (Payton Keiner (50.40), Abby Strohmeier (50.74), Eva Suggs (50.18), Emma Hazel (50.43))

Notable

• Liberty’s four-year CCSA winning streak ties FGCU (2015-18) for the second longest streak of consecutive team titles in meet history. The Eagles hold the record, winning five straight CCSA titles from 2009 through 2013.

• Liberty posted 11 top-nine finishes on Saturday, including six podium finishes, two event victories and two NCAA B cuts. For the meet, Liberty earned 49 A Finals, 26 podiums, nine event victories, four NCAA B cuts and four NCAA Zone Qualifying scores.

• Liberty 12th-year head coach Jake Shellenberger was voted CCSA Women’s Swimming Coach of the Year. It is his fourth Coach of the Year honor and first since 2019.

• Liberty diving coach Andrew Helmich was voted CCSA Women’s Diving Coach of the Year, coaching Maddie Freece and Lauren Chennault to a pair of podium finishes each. The Lady Flames recorded nine top-nine diving performances this week.

• Liberty’s Maddie Freece was named Co-Most Outstanding Diver of the CCSA Meet, her second straight Most Outstanding Diver honor. She won women’s one-meter diving last night with a program-record performance and finished third in three-meter diving. Liberty has won the award each of the last three years, as Lauren Chennault was named Co-Most Outstanding Diver of the 2020 CCSA Meet.

• Sydney Stricklin was named Most Outstanding Freshman of the CCSA Meet, winning the 100 freestyle, finishing second in the 100 fly and fifth in the 50 freestyle. Stricklin is the seventh Lady Flame in program history to win the award and first since Eva Suggs in 2021.

• Emma Hazel finished her career a perfect 12-for-12, qualifying for A Finals in all of her events over her four-year CCSA Championships career. Also, she is ranked second in program history with nine total CCSA podium finishes. She trails only Alicia Finnigan (2016-19), who earned 10 career conference medals.

• Stricklin won the 100 freestyle tonight, out-touching defending champion Tori Czarnecka of FGCU, 49.48 to 49.65. Stricklin became the third Lady Flame all-time to win the CCSA title in the 100 free, joining Brye Ravettine (2012) and Brittany Weiss (2020).

• Liberty went 1-2-3 in the 200 backstroke for the third year in a row, led by Abbie Shaw, who won in NCAA B cut time of 1:55.13. She was followed in second by Eva Suggs and in third by Emma Hazel. Liberty also extended its CCSA winning streak in the 200 backstroke to five years.

• Shaw earned two event victories this week, the 100 backstroke and 200 backstroke. This is the fourth year in a row that a Lady Flame has won both backstroke events, as Payton Keiner did so in 2019, 2020 and 2021.

• Hazel (500 free – 1st place, 200 free – 2nd place, 200 back – 3rd place) and Chloe Harris (200 IM – 3rd place, 400 IM – 2nd place, 200 fly – 1st place) both earned three podium finishes this week.

• Schellenboom earned her fifth career podium finish, placing second in the 200 breaststroke in an NCAA B cut time of 2:12.81.

Historically Speaking

• Shaw’s 1:55.13 in the 200 backstroke ranks second on Liberty’s all-time top 10 performers list in the event.

• Schellenboom now ranks second in program history in 200 breaststroke (2:12.81). Genna Joyce moved into a tie for fifth at 2:15.17.

• Stricklin’s 49.46 is ranked third in program history in the 100 freestyle.

• The Lady Flames’ 400 freestyle relay time of 3:22.10 ranks eighth in program history.

Up Next

Liberty’s Maddie Freece and Lauren Chennault will compete in the NCAA Zone Diving Championships, March 7-9 in Annapolis, Md.

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