Lady Flames Set to Take on James Madison
10/19/2018 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming & Diving
The Liberty swimming & diving team takes its unbeaten record to Harrisonburg, Va., where the Lady Flames (3-0) will take on defending CAA champion James Madison (3-0), Saturday at 11 a.m. at Savage Natatorium.
This will be the sixth meeting between the Lady Flames and Dukes in the pool, with James Madison holding a 3-2 lead all-time. Liberty defeated JMU at the Virginia Tech Swimming Challenge in both 2013 and 2014. James Madison has won each of the last three meetings, all at Savage Natatorium.
In the last meeting between these two teams, JMU claimed a 168.5-125.5 decision, Oct. 16, 2016 in Harrisonburg, Va.
Saturday's meet will feature two of the top teams in the Commonwealth of Virginia. James Madison won the 2018 CAA title and Liberty has been the CCSA runner-up six out of the last seven seasons, sandwiched around a 2014 CCSA championship victory.
How to Follow the Lady Flames
Saturday's meet will be available for viewing through James Madison's MadiZone HD SportsNet streaming service.
Liberty's CCSA Weekly Honorees (2018-19)
CCSA Swimmer of the Week – Fr. Gianni Pitto (Oct. 2, 2018)
Team Notes
• After opening the season with a 159-98 win at Campbell on Sept. 29, the Lady Flames claimed two meets at New Mexico State, Oct. 5-6. Liberty won all of the swimming events on the weekend at NMSU.
• The Lady Flames have now won 11 dual meets in a row, dating back to the Gardner-Webb Tri Meet on Oct. 27, 2017.
• Liberty has finished second at the CCSA Swimming & Diving Championships six times in the last seven years, with its lone CCSA title to date coming in 2014.
• Ninth-year Head Coach Jake Shellenberger has led the Lady Flames from the program's inception. He has posted an 87-30 dual-meet record, twice being named CCSA Women's Swimming Coach of the Year. His teams have gone 48-14 all-time against CCSA competition.
• Liberty has added its largest incoming class since the first year of the program, bringing in 14 new student-athletes (10 swimmers, four divers). This includes 11 freshmen, along with transfers Mikayla Herich (Ohio), Emily Zimcosky (Ohio) and Arielle Arnett (Oakland).
• Five Lady Flames earned CSCAA Scholar All-America honors last season. Alicia Finnigan and Payton Keiner were named to the first team, while Hannah Baker, Kiah Francis and Brittany Weiss received honorable mention.
• Eight current Lady Flames have posted CCSA podium finishes in their career, led by Alicia Finnigan with seven. Hannah Baker has earned three top-three finishes, while Brittany Weiss and Payton Keiner have two podium finishes each. Lindsey Cohee, Colleen Donlin, Kiah Francis and Emily Manly have each posted one podium finish.
Student-Athlete Notes
• Freshman Lauren Chennault scored a program-record 260.40 points in three-meter diving at New Mexico State. She is third in one-meter diving (227.77) in program history.
• Freshman Gianni Pitto has won all five of her individual-event swims so far this season, twice winning both the 100 breaststroke and 200 breaststroke and claiming the 400 IM once. Pitto's 1:04.26 is the top 100 breaststroke time in the CCSA this season.
• Junior Brittany Weiss won the 100 back in 57.22 at Campbell. She has won the 100 backstroke at each of the last 10 meets she has contested the event, highlighted by the 2017 Frank Elm Invite, 2018 CCSA Championships and 2018 Liberty Last Chance Meet.
• Junior Colleen Donlin has won the 50 freestyle in each of Liberty's last four dual meets, a streak that started on Jan. 20, 2018.
• Sophomore Payton Keiner returns after earning 2018 Most Outstanding Freshman of the CCSA Meet honors. She won the 200 back and finished second in the 100 back at the CCSA Championships, and went on to compete in both events at the NCAA national meet. She holds the CCSA record in the 200 back (1:53.68).
• Keiner has the top time in the CCSA in both the 100 backstroke (55.83) and 200 backstroke (2:00.04) this season.
• Three Liberty newcomers, transfer Mikayla Herich (1000 free) and freshmen Gianni Pitto (100 breaststroke, 200 breaststroke, 400 IM) and Emma Hazel (200 back) won in their Liberty debut at Campbell. Fellow newcomers, transfers Emily Zimcosky (Ohio) and Arielle Arnett (Oakland) earned their first victories as Lady Flames at NMSU.
• Senior Alicia Finnigan was named the NCAA ELITE 90 Award winner, for having the top GPA at the 2018 NCAA Division I Women's Swimming & Diving Championships. Finnigan also earned Google Cloud At-Large Academic All-America second team honors.
• Finnigan, the 2018 CCSA Women's Swimmer of the Year, won the 200 fly at the CCSA Championships for the second year in a row before making her second straight appearance at the NCAA Championships.
• Weiss repeated as CCSA champion in the 100 back last season, winning in program-record 52.81. She was named the 2017 Most Outstanding Freshman of the CCSA Meet.
• Sophomore Kiah Francis set the program 400 IM record at 4:18.70, taking second in the event at the CCSA meet.
James Madison
• James Madison won the 2018 CAA Women's Swimming & Diving Championship, its first since 2012. The Dukes scored 656 points at the conference meet, and sophomore Hope Byrum was named the Most Outstanding Diver of the Meet. JMU returns Byrum and Emily Gross, who was the 2018 CAA Rookie Diver of the Year. In addition to Byrum, returnees Julianna Jones (2nd – 1,650 free), Amy Plocharczyk (3rd – 3-meter diving) and Bonnie Zhang (2nd – 50 free, 100 free, 200 free) all earned CAA podium finishes last year.
Order of Events
Liberty at James Madison
Oct. 20, 2018
1. 400 Medley Relay
2. 1000 Freestyle
3. 200 Freestyle
4. 100 Backstroke
5. 100 Breaststroke
6. 200 Butterfly
7. 50 Freestyle
8. 3-meter Diving
9. 100 Freestyle
10. 200 Backstroke
11. 200 Breaststroke
12. 500 Freestyle
13. 100 Butterfly
14. 1-meter Diving
15. 400 Individual Medley
16. 200 Freestyle Relay
Up Next
Liberty will open its home schedule with a big meet next Friday and Saturday, hosting the All-American Celebration meet. The Lady Flames will host BYU, Gardner-Webb, Mount Saint Mary's and Old Dominion. Also, Liberty will honor its All-Americans (Brye Ravettine – 2012; Jess Reinhardt – 2014) prior to the start of Friday's action at Liberty Natatorium.
