It’s a Tie For the Gold! Florida Gulf Coast & Liberty Share CCSA Women’s Swim Team Title; Halmai Breaks Meet Record
In a rare and bizarre ending, which is on brand for this school year, Florida Gulf Coast and Liberty tied for the team title at the 2021 CCSA Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships in Lynchburg, Virginia. The two schools tied for the team title on Wednesday with 1748.5 points with Incarnate Word in third at 1281. This is Liberty’s third straight conference title and marks Florida Gulf Coast’s first since 2018, making it 10 overall.
The Most Outstanding Swimmer of the Championship was also shared as FGCU’s Petra Halmai and Incarnate Word’s Ximena Conde Merlos both earned the honor. Liberty’s Maddie Freece was named Most Outstanding Diver of the Championship while the Most Outstanding Freshman Performer was awarded to Georgia Southern’s Amy Hornyak.
Team Scores
- (t) Florida Gulf Coast – 1748.5
- (t) Liberty – 1748.5
- Incarnate Word – 1281
- UNC Asheville – 1012.5
- Campbell – 996
- Georgia Southern – 823
- Gardner-Webb – 799.5
- Bellarmine – 500
Florida Gulf Coast’s Petra Halmai broke the conference record in the 100 breaststroke with a 59.98 in the prelims and a 1:00.11 in finals, which is off her 59.89 best time from earlier this season where she put herself 18th nationally in Division I this season. Barring what happens at the rest of the conference meets, Halmai may have a chance to qualify for the NCAA meet, something she did last season in the 200 breast.
Halmai swam a 2:08.17 in winning the 200 breast on Wednesday night which was slower than her 2:07 from last season but put her 14th in Division I with 28 days until the start of the NCAA Championships in Greensboro. Halmai also scored a win in the 200 IM at 1:59.02 in winning a share of the swimmer of the meet award.
Last year’s other NCAA qualifier from the conference, Payton Keiner of Liberty, won the 200 back in 1:54.73 which put her 18th nationally this season. Keiner also won the 100 back at 53.46 as she should qualify for NCAAs in the 200 back.
Florida Gulf Coast used the strength of its relays to win a share of the conference title with wins in the 200 medley (1:39.43), 400 medley (3:37.70), 200 free (1:32.46) and 400 free (3:20.87) relays. The one relay they didn’t win went to Liberty, who touched at 7:24.30. The Eagles were also boosted by junior Tori Czarnecka who won the 50 (22.64) and 100 free (49.51), and nearly won the 100 fly, placing second at 53.51 to Incarnate Word’s Cassie Phillips (53.50).
Liberty took advantage in diving with Maddie Freece winning both boards. Sophomore Eva Suggs led a 1-2-3 finish in the 200 free with a 1:49.01 for the win as she also was a part of a 1-2-3 finish in the 200 back behind Keiner and Emma Hazel (1:57.69). Lindsay Cohee took the win in the 200 fly with a 1:58.87 as the only swimmer under 2:00 and under the B cut.
Incarnate Word’s Ximena Conde Merlos won all three of her individual events with victories in the 500 (4:53.43), 400 IM (4:20.58) and 1650 (16:48.41), the latter in a thrilling finish with Gulf Coast’s Michaela Sizemore (16:48.70).