Liberty Extends CCSA Lead After Standout 2nd Day

Liberty extended its lead after a phenomenal second day at the CCSA Swimming & Diving Championships, Thursday at Liberty Natatorium.

The three-time defending champion Lady Flames outscored FGCU 441.5 to 359 today, widening their total lead to 171 points. Liberty leads with 968.5 total points, while the Eagles have scored 797 points. UNC Asheville scored the second-most points of any team today, with 407.5 for a two-day total of 726.5. Incarnate Word sits in fourth place with 465.5 total points.

Team Standings

1. Liberty – 968.5

2. FGCU – 797

3. UNC Asheville – 726.5

4. Incarnate Word – 465.5

5. Campbell - 453

6. Georgia Southern - 423

7. Gardner-Webb – 320

8. North Florida – 263

9. Bellarmine – 187.5

Liberty A Finalists

• 200 freestyle relay – 3rd place in 1:32.80 (Sydney Stricklin (23.28), Abby Strohmeier (23.39), Jessica Schellenboom (22.89), Sydney Houtz (23.24))

• Fr. Sydney Stricklin – 100 butterfly (2nd place in 54.49)

• Fr. Grace Isaacs – 400 IM (1st place in 4:17.31)

• So. Chloe Harris – 400 IM (2nd place in 4:20.92)

• So. Genna Joyce – 400 IM (3rd place in 4:21.20)

• Fr. Emmy Gallion – 400 IM (4th place in 4:23.22)

• Jr. Eva Suggs – 200 freestyle (1st place in 1:49.31)

• So. Abby Strohmeier – 200 freestyle (2nd place in 1:49.96)

• Sr. Emma Hazel – 200 freestyle (3rd place in 1:50.43)

• So. Hanah Huenefeld – 200 freestyle (9th place in 1:52.85)

• 400 medley relay – 3rd place in 3:41.46 (Abbie Shaw (54.68), Jessica Schellenboom (1:01.40), Sydney Stricklin (54.90), Eva Suggs (50.48))

Notable

• Liberty posted 11 top-nine finishes on Thursday night, including two event victories and nine podium finishes. For the meet, Liberty has earned 26 A Finals, 15 podiums, three event victories and two NCAA Zone Qualifying scores.

• This is the third time that the Lady Flames have served as host for the CCSA Championships, also hosting in 2019 and again last year. Liberty has claimed the conference title in each of its two previous times hosting the CCSA Championships.

• Liberty posted the first 1-2-3-4 CCSA finish in program history, as Grace Isaacs won the 400 IM in 4:17.31, followed by teammates Chloe Harris, Genna Joyce and Emmy Gallion in second through fourth, respectively. In fact, no CCSA team had ever even gone 1-2-3 in the women’s 400 IM in meet history before tonight.

• Liberty went 1-2-3 in the 200 freestyle for the third year in a row, led by three-time champion Eva Suggs (1:49.31). Abby Strohmeier finished second (1:49.96), followed in third by Emma Hazel (1:50.43). Last year, Hazel placed second and Strohmeier third behind Suggs in this event.

• Freshman Sydney Stricklin earned her first career podium finish, swimming a lifetime-best 54.49 to place second in the 100 fly A Final. Last year’s runner-up, FGCU’s Wiktoria Czarnecka, won in an NCAA B cut time of 53.34.

• Liberty finished second in the 200 freestyle relay to open the evening session. Jessica Schellenboom, swimming the third leg, posted a lifetime-best split of 22.84.

• The Lady Flames placed third in the session-ending 400 medley relay in 3:41.46, trailing FGCU (3:38.37) and UNC Asheville (3:41.46).

Historically Speaking

• Liberty is the first conference women’s team to sweep the top four places in an event at the CCSA Championships since 2017, when FGCU went 1-2-3-4 in the 100 freestyle.

• Of Liberty’s swimmers who medaled tonight, Hazel leads with eight career podium finishes, followed by six by Suggs, four for Harris, three for Strohmeier and one each for Stricklin, Isaacs and Joyce. A total of 13 Liberty athletes on this week’s scoring roster have posted at least one career top-three finish in an individual event at CCSA Championships.

• Isaacs now ranks third in program history in the 400 IM with her 4:17.31 tonight. Harris’ 4:20.92 is ranked sixth, while Joyce’s 4:21.20 is seventh. Gallion is ranked 10th with her 4:23.22.

• Stricklin is now sixth on the program’s all-time top 10 performers list in the 100 butterfly with her 54.49 from tonight’s A Final.

• The Lady Flames’ 200 free relay of 1:32.80 ranks 10th on the program’s top 10 list.

• Liberty’s 400 medley relay from tonight is ranked seventh in program history at 3:41.46.

Up Next

Tomorrow’s third day of the CCSA Championships begins at 10 a.m. with prelims of the 100 backstroke and also includes heats of the 100 breaststroke, 200 butterfly, 800 freestyle relay and one-meter diving prelims.

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