Swimming Concludes Season at National Invitational Championships

Thursday, March 14

Ocala, Fla.

Georgia Southern University

CSCAA

Photo by: AJ Henderson - Georgia Southern Athletics

Swimming Concludes Season at National Invitational Championships

3/17/2024 9:00:00 AM | Swimming and Diving

By: Graham Cooper

OCALA, Fla. - Members of the Georgia Southern swimming team concluded the 2023-24 season at the National Invitational Championships in Ocala, Florida, over the previous few days.

"Collectively, the staff & student-athletes are extremely proud of our performances & efforts at the National Invitational Championships in Ocala, FL this season - as it has allowed our program to gain exposure against further national competition in a post conference championship setting," said head coach Allyson Sweeney. "With nearly all of our program's competitors returning next season, all are eager to use this experience as an opportunity for further motivation heading into the seasons ahead."

DAY ONE
Action started on Thursday where the team of Chiara Alberti, Jamison Tiller, Logan Belanger, and Carsyn Cosman swam the second best time in the 200 Yard Freestyle Relay of the season at 1:35.82.

In the following event, the 400 Yard Medley Relay, Emma Scruggs, Ieva Evaltaite, Madlen Wendland, and Cosman placed 28th with a time of 3:48.93. Day one concluded with Zuri Clavo participating in the 200 Yard IM time trial, where she placed 12th with a time of 2:09.64.

DAY TWO
The second day opened for the Eagles with the 400 Yard IM, where Clavo swam her second best time of the season at 4:28.89. The 800 Yard Medley Relay team that set a new school record during the Sun Belt Championships placed 22nd, finishing with a time of 7:33.27.

In time trial competition, Belanger finished fourth in the 100 Yard IM time trial with a time of 59.36, and Wendland finished in third in the 100 Yard Butterfly time trial with a time of 56.01. Evaltaite finished in first in day two's 200 Yard Breaststroke time trial with a final time of 2:21.09.

DAY THREE
The final day of the NIC saw the Eagles post arguably its best results of the weekend. Scruggs placed 25th out of a 42-competitor field in the 200 Yard Backstroke with a final time of 2:01.49, posting a new season best in the 200 Back Shortly after that event, Wendland competed in the 200 Yard Butterfly, where she placed 25th out of 36 competitors with a final time of 2:04.16, her second best time at the 200 Fly this season.

The Eagles concluded the meet with 36 points, placing 43rd out of 54 total teams competing in the women's competition. A breakdown of Georgia Southern's results can be found below, and every result from the entire NIC can be found in the "Full Results" link at the top of the release.

Notable Highlights
RELAYS
200 Free Relay (Alberti / Tiller / Belanger / Cosman) - 1:35.82 - 37th
400 Medley Relay (Scruggs / Evaltaite / Wendland / Cosman) - 3:48.93 - 28th
800 Free Relay (Clavo / Cosman / Tiller / Alberti) - 7:33.27 - 22nd

INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCES
Clavo - 400 IM - 4:28.89 - 43rd
Scruggs - 200 Back - 2:01.49 - 25th
Wendland - 200 Fly - 2:04.16 - 25th

TIME TRIAL RESULTS
Clavo - 200 IM - 2:09.64
Belanger - 100 IM - 59.36
Wendland - 100 Fly - 56.01
Evaltaite - 200 Breast - 2:21.09
Belanger - 100 Breast - 1:03.93
Evaltaite - 100 Breast - 1:04.28
Alberti - 100 Free - 53.11

OVERALL TEAM SCORE - 36 pts (43 out of 54 scoring teams)