NEW ORLEANS, Louis, February 10. THE 2003-04 season has been one of firsts for the Tulane University swimming program, and freshman Leslie Christian added to the list when she was named Conference USA Swimmer of the Week by the league office on Tuesday.
A key member of the first Green Wave swim team since 1990, Christian became the first Tulane student-athlete to earn the honor after setting a lifetime-best time in the 1,000-yard freestyle and also winning the 500-yard freestyle on Sunday, Feb. 8 against C-USA foe Saint Louis.
Christian, who posted a time of 10:23.94 in the 1,000 free on Jan. 30 against Spring Hill College, trimmed over half a second off her previous lifetime-best time against Saint Louis to win the event with a time of 10:23.26. She also posted a 5:06.53 in the 500 free to win that event as well.
The lifetime mark set Sunday was the third of the year for Christian. In addition to the times at Spring Hill and Saint Louis in the 1,000 free, she also posted a lifetime-best time of 17:17.51 in the 1,650-yard freestyle in a double-dual meet against then-No. 14 Texas A&M and host UL-Monroe back on Jan. 24.
For the season, Christian has eight individual wins, including a meet-record performance at the Giant Eagle Zips Invitational when she set a then-season low time of 17:20.44 in the 1,650 free at the University of Akron’s Ocasek Natatorium.