Liberty University Athletics
Liberty University
ASUN Swimming & Diving Championships
Liberty Claims ASUN Title, Wins 6th Straight Conference Championship
2/24/2024 10:04:00 PM | Women's Swimming & Diving
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The Liberty swimming & diving team claimed its sixth straight conference title, claiming the 2024 Atlantic Sun Women's Swimming & Diving Championship, which finished on Saturday night at Allan Jones Aquatic Center.
The Lady Flames earned their seventh conference title in program history, with the first one coming in 2014 and the last six in succession. Liberty has now won its conference championship meet every time it has been held at Allan Jones Aquatic Center (2014 - CCSA, 2020 - CCSA, 2023 - CCSA, 2024 - ASUN).
This is the first year ASUN has sponsored swimming & diving, absorbing the records of the CCSA, which dissolved as a swimming & diving conference after the 2022-23 academic year.
Liberty won with 897.5 points, 105.5 clear of second-place Queens (792). FGCU finished in third with 579.5, followed by UNC Asheville (535.5).
Team Standings
1. Liberty – 897.5
2. Queens - 792
3. FGCU – 579.5
4. UNC Asheville – 535.5
5. North Florida – 236
6. Gardner-Webb – 218.5
7. Bellarmine – 134
Liberty A Finalists
- So. Eden Troxell – 1650 freestyle (2nd place in 16:44.68)
- Jr. Grace Isaacs – 1650 freestyle (6th place in 17:12.64)
- Fr. Kamryn Cannings – 100 freestyle (2nd place in 48.84 - qualified in 49.52)
- Jr. Sydney Stricklin – 100 freestyle (4th place in 50.28 – qualified in 50.30)
- Jr. Shelby Kahn – 100 freestyle (7th place in 50.76 - qualified in 50.81)
- Sr. Abbie Shaw – 200 backstroke (1st place in 1:55.36 – qualified in 1:56.49)
- So. Malia Francis – 200 backstroke (2nd place in 1:56.50 - qualified in 1:58.17)
- Sr. Sydney Houtz – 200 backstroke (4th place in 1:57.44 – qualified in 1:59.48)
- Fr. Sadie Stricklin – 200 backstroke (7th place in 2:02.11 - qualified in 2:01.00)
- Sr. Genna Joyce – 200 breaststroke (2nd place in 2:13.77 – qualified in 2:15.28)
- Sr. Jamyson Robb – 200 breaststroke (3rd place in 2:14.49 – qualified in 2:16.82)
- Sr. Heather Gardner – 200 breaststroke (6th place in 2:17.13 – qualified in 2:18.14)
- 400 freestyle relay – 2nd place in 3:19.98 (Kamryn Cannings (48.72), Abbie Shaw (50.80), Sydney Stricklin (49.96), Shelby Kahn (50.33))
- Liberty posted 13 top-eight finishes on Saturday night, including one event victory and seven podium finishes. For the meet, Liberty earned 48 A Finals, 26 podiums and seven event victories.
- Liberty 14th-year head coach Jake Shellenberger was voted ASUN Women's Swimming Coach of the Year. It is his sixth Coach of the Year honor and third in a row.
- Andrew Helmich was named Women's Diving Coach of the Year for the second time, also winning the honor in 2022.
- Cannings posted her second program record of the week, placing second in the 100 freestyle in an NCAA B cut time of 48.84. Sydney Stricklin placed fourth in 50.28. Cannings finished the week with a pair of wins (100 fly, 200 fly), sharing co-Most Outstanding Freshman of the ASUN Meet with Queens' Abigail Zboran. She is the eighth swimmer in program history to be named conference freshman of the meet and first since Sydney Stricklin in 2022.
- Maddie Freece was named Most Outstanding Diver of the Meet for the third time in her career, also earning the honor as both a freshman and sophomore.
- Liberty went 1-2 in the 200 backstroke, led by Abbie Shaw, who won in NCAA B cut time of 1:55.36. She was followed in second by Malia Francis (B cut 1:56.50). Liberty also extended its conference meet winning streak in the 200 backstroke to seven years.
- Shaw earned two event victories this week, the 100 backstroke and 200 backstroke. This is the sixth year in a row that a Lady Flame has won both backstroke events, as Payton Keiner did so in 2019, 2020 and 2021 and Shaw followed suit each of the next three years.
- Liberty took second and third in the 200 breaststroke, in Genna Joyce (2:13.77) and Jamyson Robb (2:14.49). Joyce has posted five career conference podium finishes, including two this week, while Robb earned her first career conference medal tonight.
- Eden Troxell opened the finals session with a runner-up finish in the 1650 freestyle in 16:44.68. It was Troxell's first career conference podium finish.
- Liberty finished second in the meet-closing 400 free relay in 3:19.81. Kamryn Cannings led off in 48.72, lowering her own 100 freestyle program record from earlier tonight.
- Francis' 1:56.50 in the 200 back tonight puts her in a tie with Emily Duff (2015) for fourth on the program's all-time top 10 performers list. Houtz moved to 7th with her 1:57.44.
- Robb now ranks fifth in program history with her 2:14.49 from the 200 breaststroke tonight.
- Troxell moved into fourth place all-time at Liberty with her 16:44.68 in the 1650 freestyle.
- Cannings broke Kendall Hough's 100 freestyle program record of 49.06, which was set in 2016. She has broken Liberty's program records in the 100 free, 200 free and 100 fly this season.
- The Lady Flames' 400 free relay of 3:19.81 is third in program history.
Up Next
Liberty's qualified divers will compete in the NCAA Zone Diving Championships, March 5-7 in Princeton, N.J.
Players Mentioned
