BROOKLYN, N.Y. - The LIU Brooklyn women's swim team concluded their season this weekend at the 2018 CSCAA National Invitational in Annapolis, Maryland, hosted by the U.S. Naval Academy. In the coaches' championship meet, where only individuals and relays can compete with a qualifying time, the field consisted of 40 teams from conferences all over the Country. With five swimmers making this weekend's squad, the Blackbirds swam in 13 of the 22 events and placed 31st overall. It was the first time in school history that LIU attended the CSCAA year-end event.
Junior Briana Vega was the lone scorer for the Blackbirds, getting into the 50 freestyle final after placing 15th in preliminaries. The NEC runner-up and former champion in the same event, went 23.72 in the 50 free final for 16th place. Individually, Vega also swam the 100 freestyle (51.96, 47th place).
Freshman Jeanne Touchette-McGowan swam two individual races, the 200 individual medley (2:09.97, 42nd place) and the 200 backstroke, where she posted her season best time to place 22nd (2:07.25), beating her time from the NEC Championships only two weeks ago -- by three full seconds.
The Blackbirds' Amanda Peren swam in three individual events, the 200 individual medley (2:05.38, 24th), 100 backstroke (56.78, 28th) and the 100 freestyle (51.72, 39th). In the 100 free, Peren set a personal best, jumping 30 slots from her entry time, in an event she did not swim this year at NECs. Speaking of NECs, Peren, the silver medalist in the 200 back and bronze medalist in the 100 back - set a new school record in the 50 backstroke, via her lead off leg of the the 200 medley relay. The freshman started the race with a 26.58, leading the Blackbirds to a season best 1:45.19 (with
Milly Furneaux,
Noemie Lacroix-Moreau and Vega), which captured 20th place.
Furneaux, a senior in her final solo race of her LIU career, swam a 1:05.66 in the 100 breaststroke, which put her in 28th place. She also swam breaststroke on the team's 400 medley relay (3:52.19) with the same quartet as the 200 medley, taking 19th place.
Lacroix-Moreau, a sophomore, swam the 100 butterfly over the weekend (58.63, 48th place). She also set a season best mark of 53.47 on the leadoff leg of the 400 free relay (3:30.83), which slotted 21st in a lineup with Touchette-McGowan, Vega and Peren. The foursome also swam the 200 Free Relay (1:36.92), coming in 22nd place.
Two weeks earlier, the Blackbirds came in fifth place as a team at the NEC Championships. Now LIU, only in its third year as a program, is gaining experience at championship caliber meets with four multi-day events this season and facing competition from all around the United States.