Dec. 3, 2011

AUSTIN, Texas - The LMU swimming team enters the final day of the Texas Invitational on Saturday, as the meet has turned into the fastest collegiate competition in the country with swimmers from top ranked teams from UT, Arizona and USC posting some of the fastest times in the country at this point in the season.

Seniors Tammy Choy, Christina Cannata, Jill Dahle and Yvonne Le, juniors Sophie Allen, Camille Hopp, and Noe Vargas, sophomore Katie Rick and freshman Kjirsten Magnuson are all competing for LMU this weekend.

Magnuson and former Lion Isabella Zhang made it back into the evening finals in the 50 freestyle on Thursday. Zhang ended up 27th and Magnuson 39th in a very competitive field in which Arizona's Margo Greer recorded the fastest time in the country at 21.92. On Friday morning, Hopp made it back into the finals in the 100 breaststroke before swimming and finishing second in the D Final to claim 26th overall with a time of 1:03.98. That mark bettered her personal-best in the event, as she previously swam a 1:04.21 last year. Allen also managed to reach the finals in the 100 backstroke, finishing 31st with a time of 57.19.

LMU recorded a number of other personal-best times on the first two days of competition. Vargas swam to her fastest 50 freestyle 24.18 (which moves her into 10th on LMU's All time performance list), while also achieving a personal-best in the 100 backstroke with a 58.76, now the fourth-fastest time in LMU history. Rick continued her assault on her personal records with an improvement in her 50 freestyle and 200 freestyle times, and Cannata swam her best 100 butterfly. Choy tied her personal-best in the 100 backstroke that she achieved at the MPSF Conference Championships last February, a mark of 57.32. Dahle had a season-best time in the 100 butterfly of 58.03, which moved her into 10th on the All-Time list. She also recorded a season-best in the 200 freestyle, while Le set a new personal-mark in the 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke.