LOS ANGELES - The LMU Women's Swimming Team competed against PCSC Conference College foes at East Los Angeles Community over the weekend, establishing personal and season best times. Absent five teammates battling illness and injury, the reduced squad of 17 Lion swimmers garnered 230 points over the three-day competition to finish 9th out of 14 teams. 

 

Senior Kelli Andrade and Junior Heidi Ly were LMU's top individual scorers with Andrade earning 27 points by placing 14th in the 100 Breaststroke and 13th in the 200 breaststroke. Ly placed 12th in the 100 backstroke and 20th in the 100 Individual Medley to contribute an additional 25 points to the team's score. Junior teammate Abby Shaw also returned to finals in two of her individual events, placing 16th in the 50 free and 20th in the 100 butterfly, both in season-best times.  

 

The breakthrough performer of the meet was freshman Rei Sperry who started off the competition on Day 1 by slicing almost 13.5 seconds off her personal best time in the 500 freestyle and 1.2 seconds in the much shorter 50 freestyle sprint. Sperry returned on Day 2 to cut over 4 seconds off her PR in the 200 freestyle and erased another 1.8 seconds from her season-best time in the 100 freestyle on Day 3. In both the 100 and 200 events, the young freshman qualified for the evening finals, placing 13th in the 200 and 22 in the 100.  

 

Sophomore Natalie Hogenboom led all sophomores, qualifying for final swims in the 500 freestyle and 200 butterfly slicing 11.25 seconds off her 500 time from earlier in the season and placing 22nd, while also taking 4.5 seconds off her 200 butterfly season best, placing 12th. 

 

On the last day of competition on Sunday, Freshman Grace O'Connell recorded a new personal best after an unprecedented 42.78 second drop in time in the 1650 Freestyle, placing 13th of 37 entered in the event. 

  

LMU Individual Scorers 

 

Kelli Andrade 100 Breaststroke 14th place (1:07.80*) 

200 Breaststroke 13th place (2:19.98*) 

 

Frances Dygean 100 Individual Medley 15th place (1:03.62*) 

 

Natalie Hogenboom 500 Freestyle 22nd place (5:15.52*) 

200 Butterfly 12th place (2:12.19, 2:11.20* prelim time) 

 

Ashley Leaman 100 Individual Medley 14th place (1:02.98*) 

 

Sarah Lu 100 Backstroke 23rd place (1:01.17, 1:00.44* prelim time) 

200 Backstroke 21st place (2:14.56*) 

 

Heidi Ly 100 Backstroke 20th place (1:00.16, 1:00.06* prelim time) 

100 Individual Medley 10th place (1:01.87*) 

 

Grace O'Connell 1650 Freestyle 13th (18.18.67**) 

 

Abby Shaw 50 Freestyle 16th place (24.47, 24.36* prelim time) 

100 Butterfly 20th place (59.01*) 

 

Rei Sperry 200 Freestyle 13th place (1:55.33, 1:54.39** prelim time) 

100 Freestyle 22nd place (53.45, 53.25* prelim time)  

 

** Personal best time 

*Season best time