Gardner, Shaw to Compete in Tennessee Last Chance Meet
2/23/2023 10:02:03 AM | Women's Swimming & Diving
Liberty will send two athletes to the Tennessee Last Chance Meet, held Friday and Saturday at Allan Jones Aquatic Center in Knoxville, Tenn.
This weekend’s meet will give swimmers and divers a chance to improve on their national seeding in advance of next week’s selections to the 2023 NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships.
Selections for the 2023 NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships will be announced at noon next Tuesday. The top 38 or 39 individuals in each event will be selected to compete in the national meet, which will take place March 15-18 in Knoxville, Tenn.
Each day’s session will begin with morning prelims at 10 a.m. The top qualifiers will compete in evening finals. Each athlete has the opportunity to contest the same event as many as three times per day, including time trials.
Team Notes
• Liberty has had athletes invited to the NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships five times (2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021), with three earning All-American status. In 2012, Liberty’s Brye Ravettine finished 13th in the 50 free to become the team’s first All-American. Then in 2014, Liberty became the first CCSA team to send a relay to nationals, as its 200 medley relay competed. Also that year, Jess Reinhardt took 10th in the 100 fly and Liberty tied for 43rd in the final team standings. Payton Keiner was named an All-American in 2020 after qualifying in the 100 backstroke and 200 backstroke.
• Twice in program history (2017, 2018), Liberty’s swimmers have punched their ticket to nationals at a last chance meet. In 2017, Alicia Finnigan punched her ticket in the 200 fly at the Bulldog Last Chance Meet. The following year, Finnigan (200 fly) and Payton Keiner (200 back) both earned their national meet selections at the Liberty Last Chance Meet.
• The Lady Flames claimed their fifth straight CCSA title and sixth overall last week in Knoxville, so Shaw and Gardner will be familiar with this venue.
Student-Athlete Notes
• For the second year in a row, Shaw on both the 100 and 200 backstroke at the CCSA Championships.
• This week, Shaw will be focusing on the 100 backstroke. She swam an NCAA B cut 52.92 to lead off the 400 medley relay last weekend.
• The last invited time in the 100 backstroke was 52.47 last year, so Shaw will likely need to shave at least a half-second off of her lifetime best. As of right now, the 38th fastest time is 52.31, while 39th is 52.34.
• Gardner had a breakthrough meet at the CCSA Championships, earning her first two career conference podium finishes by placing third in both the 100 breaststroke (1:01.03) and 200 breaststroke (2:12.94).
• Gardner will focus on the 100 breaststroke this week. Last year, the last invited time was 59.87. Right now, the 38th fastest time is 59.65 with 39th being 59.69.
Up Next
Liberty has four divers who will compete at the NCAA Zone A Diving Championships, March 6-8 in Morgantown, W.Va.
