Final day rally falls short of trophy as Barton Women finish fourth at NJCAA Championships #GoBarton

Needing a strong final day to potentially bring home some hardware, the Barton Community College women's swimming team answered the call, but the deficit was too much to overcome despite producing eight top-eight performances on the day as the Cougars finished fourth concluding the NJCAA National Swimming and Diving Championships held in Fort Pierce, Florida.

Outscoring Iowa Central Community College by 41.5 points in the final seven events, the Cougars fell just 14.5 points back of the third place Tritons establishing a total point mark of 543.5 over the 25 events. Southwestern Oregon Community College earned the national runner up spot with a 772.5 team mark while host Indian River State College ran away with the team title scoring 1,406 points claiming their 41st crown.

Mikwena Lierman turned in the highest individual result of the day receiving a third-place finish in the 100-freestyle as the freshman clocked the second fastest time in the program record books with a 53.45. Lierman paced a trio of Cougars in the 50-butterfly as Barton claimed sixth, seventh and eighth placings. The freshman produced the fourth fastest time in the program reaching the wall in 26.73 with teammates Linda Franco and Cindy Broadrick following with the fifth and sixth fastest program marks clocking times of 26.91 and 27.04 respectfully. Lierman led the Barton team scoring over the week tallying up 51 points edging Franco by .5 with Broadrick and Olivia Kerr following with 50 points scored.

Broadrick shattered the lone title on the day in the 200-backstroke maneuvering through the waves three seconds faster than her prior school record breaker set in the morning prelims clocking the seventh quickest time of 2:13.58. The freshman posted new personal bests in all four individual events while generating a pair of second fastest program times in the 100-butterfly and 200 butterfly.

Franco added a sixth-place finish in the 100-freestyle as the freshman displayed the fourth fastest time in the morning prelims supporting a second best program time of 53.62 before dropping back .35 seconds in the evening's session.

Concluding the individual podium finishes was Kerr's sixth place outing in the 200 breaststrokes in a time of 2:30.91 with Dominique Cos coming in just behind with a 2:35.55 stoppage.

Barton manufactured the highest finish for the week in the final event as Franco, Summer Gomez, Kerr and Lierman produced a national runner up finish in the always exciting 400-freestyle relay clocking a 3:37.00. 

Over the four-day meet consisting of 25 total events, the Cougars posted 24 top eighth finishes, shattered two school records, 36 new personal best times and 28 new program top-10 times.

Complete Meet Results from Day 4

Complete Meet Results for the Week 

Complete Women's Results *PB denotes Personal Best
Vali Bequette: 14 points
50 Freestyle: 14th (26.77 PB)
50 Backstroke: 13th (32.28 PB)
200 Freestyle: 14th (2:08.32 PB)
100 Freestyle: 13th (59.21 T-PB)
Cindy Broadrick: 50 points
100 Butterfly: 4th (58.53 PB, *2nd program fastest)
200 Butterfly: 7th (2:14.90 PB, *2nd program fastest)
50 Butterfly: 8th (27.04 PB, *6th program fastest)
200 Backstroke: 7th (2:13.58 PB, *SCHOOL RECORD)
Dominique Cos: 48 points
50 Breaststroke: 7th (31.16 PB, *4th program fastest)
400 IM: 7th (4:56.13, Prelims 4:56.08)
100 Breaststroke: 7th (1:09.81, Prelims 1:08.29)
200 Breaststroke: 7th (2:35.55)
Linda Franco: 50.5 points
50 Freestyle: 4th (24.29 PB, *3rd program fastest)
100 Butterfly: 8th (1:00.40, Prelims 59.79 PB, *5th program fastest)
50 Butterfly: 7th (26.91 PB, *5th program fastest)
100 Freestyle: 6th (53.97, Prelims 53.62 PB, *2nd program fastest
Ashley Gilmore: 24 points
200 IM: 9th (2:36.07, .20 faster than prelims)
400 IM: 12th (5:34.68 PB, *5th program fastest)
100 Breaststroke: 14th (1:18.15 PB, *8th program fastest)
200 Breaststroke: 10th (2:48.09 PB, *8th program fastest)
Summer Gomez: 32 points
50 Freestyle: 9th (25.31, .07 faster than prelims)
50 Backstroke: 10th (30.65, Prelims 30.44 PB, *8th program fastest)
100 IM: 9th (1:05.26 PB, *4th program fastest)
100 Freestyle: 10th (55.63)
Olivia Kerr: 50 points
200 IM: 6th (2:14.94, Prelims 2:13.82)
200 Freestyle: 8th (2:00.40, Prelims 1:58.89 PB, *SCHOOL RECORD)
100 Breaststroke: 6th (1:09.00)
200 Breaststroke: 6th (2:30.91)
Mikwena Lierman: 51 points
50 Freestyle: 3rd (24.28 PB, *2nd program fastest)
100 Butterfly: 11th (1:01.78)
50 Butterfly: 6th (26.73 PB, *4th program fastest)
100 Freestyle: 3rd (53.45 PB, *2nd program fastest)
Andrea Fernandez: 22 points
1000 Freestyle: 12th (11:29.87 PB, *2nd program fastest)
200 Freestyle: 12th (2:05.26, Prelims 2:04.81)
500 Freestyle: 9th (5:34.27 PB, *2nd program fastest)
1650 Freestyle: 14th (20:12.40)
Stephanie Ramirez: 14 points
50 Breaststroke: 14th (37.87, Prelims 37.74 PB)
200 IM: 10th (2:39.33)
100 Breaststroke: 17th (1:22.36 PB, *9th program fastest)
200 Breaststroke: 13th (2:57.64 PB, *10th program fastest)
Koe Schultz: 12 points
50 Freestyle: 17th (29.45 PB)
50 Backstroke: 17th (35.81)
100 Backstroke: 11th (1:16.94 PB)
200 Backstroke: 13th (2:51.54, PB)
Ashlynn Shea: 1 points
1000 Freestyle: 20th (13:44.26 PB, *9th program fastest)
200 Freestyle: 20th (2:26.05 PB)
500 Freestyle: 16th (6:47.56, Prelims 6:34.92 PB)
1650 Freestyle: 17th (23:20.91 PB, *8th program fastest)
Leeya Van Druff: 15 points
50 Breaststroke: 12th (35.38 PB, *7th program fastest)
200 Freestyle: 16th (2:13.14, Prelims 2:12.97)
100 Breaststroke: 13th (1:17.91, Prelims 1:17.90)
200 Breaststroke: 12th (2:44.50) 

Relay Results
800 Freestyle Relay: Lierman, Broadrick, Fernandez, Kerr – 4th (8:10.86 PB, *2nd program fastest)
200 Freestyle Relay: Franco, Gomez, Kerr, Lierman – 2nd (1:38.18 PB, *2nd program fastest)
400 Medley Relay: Broadrick, Cos, Franco, Kerr – 3rd (4:06.86 *4th program fastest)
200 Medley Relay: Broadrick, Cos, Franco, Lierman – 4th (1;51.99)
400 Freestyle Relay: Franco, Gomez, Kerr, Lierman – (3:37.00)