The Little Rock swimming and diving team finished the National Invitational Championship in Ocala, Florida, on Mar. 14 by matching its best-ever team placement, securing 24th overall and surpassing its previous highest point total by nearly 30 points.
This result is significant for the program as it marks a new milestone in both performance and consistency at a national level event. The Trojans concluded the meet with an eighth-place finish in the 400 freestyle relay, featuring Olivia Elgin, Lena Nikolaeva, Amara Addison, and sixth-year graduate Gabriella O’Nell. O’Nell anchored the relay in her final swim for Little Rock, helping the team post a time of 3:22.65.
Head coach Nathan Townsend said, “We wrapped up our time in Ocala at the National Invitational Championship with strong performances across the board. We had several athletes right at or near their best times in the IM events, along with great swims in the 100 free, 200 breast, 200 back, and 200 fly. We also finished the meet with an eighth-place finish in the 400 free relay, our highest relay placing of the week.” Townsend added that tying their best finish while scoring about 30 more points than before was a major achievement for Little Rock. He also acknowledged O’Nell’s contributions: “We’ll also be saying goodbye to our sixth-year, Gabriella O’Neil, and we’re incredibly proud of everything she’s contributed to this program and wish her nothing but the best moving forward.”
The championship also marked a farewell for graduate assistant Emilia Martinez. Martinez joined Little Rock in August 2024 and played a role in guiding the team through two seasons of progress and record-breaking performances.
With these accomplishments and meaningful farewells to key members of their squad, Little Rock concluded one of its most successful championship meets to date.
