2025 Solar Belt Convention Championships
- Dates: Wednesday, February 19–Saturday, February 22
- Location: Rosen Aquatic & Health Middle, Orlando, FL
- Defending Champions: James Madison girls (1x)
- Reside Outcomes (MeetMobile)
- Reside Video: ESPN+
- Championship Central
- Fan Information
- Groups: Georgia Southern, James Madison, Marshall, Outdated Dominion
- Outcomes: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4
- Recap: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3
James Madison College completed this iteration of the Solar Belt Championships the best way they started it: as champions.
In what would be the final Solar Belt Championship meet, at the least for now, earlier than the 4 contributors scatter subsequent 12 months, the Dukes pulled away on day 4 to lock up a second straight convention title.
Closing Crew Scores:
- James Madison – 1067.5
- Marshall – 974
- Georgia Southern – 704.5
- Outdated Dominion – 384
The meet was a lot tighter than final 12 months, the place JMU received by 311.5 factors, and a back-and-forth battle between the front-runners on the ultimate day mirrored that.
Within the girls’s 1650 free, Eszter Laban from Marshall and Katelyn Fitzgerald from JMU fought the entire method. Laban took the lead at in regards to the 400 yard mark and by no means gave it again, leaving Fitzgerald on her hip for a lot of the race.
Laban, the fifth 12 months from Budapest, has received three straight convention crowns within the mile, together with final 12 months’s Solar Belt title and the 2023 Missouri Valley Convention title. This was her solely particular person win of the week, and it was an important one as JMU went 2-3-4.
Laban’s win led a scorching begin that noticed Marshall’s Kseniia Luniushina win the 200 again in 1:58.03, a brand new lifetime finest. That gave her a sweep of the backstroke races after successful the 100 in a brand new Solar Belt file of 52.49, to go along with a 2nd place end within the 50 free.
JMU’s Jess Pryne completed 2nd in that race in 1:59.11.
However whereas Marshall had good swims on Saturday (they had been 1-3-6 within the 200 backstroke), they had been simply outnumbered by the Dukes (who scored extra factors by going 2-4-6-7-8 in the identical occasion).
The tide turned towards a clinch within the 100 free when James Madison junior Jamie Cornwell received the race in 48.91, greater than a second forward of the sphere. Teammates Grace Bousum (50.10) and Alex Volk (50.59) completed 2nd and 4th, respectively, all forward of the highest Marshall finisher.
That was a second Meet Report for Cornwell after doing so within the 50 free earlier within the week.
Georgia Southern’s Chiara Alberti was third in 50.30, which was her first time underneath 51 seconds. She additionally crushed her finest time within the 50 free earlier within the meet to position third.
JMU stored the ball rolling within the 200 breaststroke, when Riley Bridgman received in 2:12.73 – nearly three seconds higher than Marshall runner-up Audrey West. That was a second-and-a-half drop for Bridgman and gave her a sweep of the meet’s breaststroke occasions (1:01.11 within the 100).
The 2 leaders, together with Marshall’s Paige Banton, had been fairly tight on the midway mark, however it was Bridgman’s 34.19 last 50 of a beautifully-split race that opened the hole up.
Bridgman vs. West Splitting, 200 breaststroke
| Riley Bridgman, 1st | Audrey West, 2nd | |
| JMU | Marshall | |
| 50y | 30.01 | 30.56 |
| 100y | 34.14 (1:04.15) | 34.12 (1:04.68) |
| 150y | 34.39 (1:38.54) | 34.76 (1:39.44) |
| 200y | 34.19 (3:12.73) | 36.20 (2:15.64) |
The 200 fly was one other robust occasion for the Thundering Herd, with Lauren McNamara touching in 1:58.73 to guide a 1-3-4 end for Marshall to tighten the hole, however the James Madison divers had been nails on the platform to lock the meet away.
Identical to the swimming, the diving was a back-and-forth battle between the 2 groups all week, however JMU went 1-2-4, led by Alexa Holloway. A 66 to 40 benefit in that race was the ultimate contact on the person occasions, leaving everybody to swim free within the last relay.
The JMU girls did simply that, with Grace Bousum and Alex Volk splitting matching 49.8s to open, Madison Wimmer splitting 50.69 on the third leg, and Jamie Cornwell dropping the hammer with a 48.52 anchor. Their 3:18.90 was four-and-a-half seconds forward of Marshall’s successful relay time of three:23.48, whereas Georgia Southern completed third in 3:23.51 – simply .03 seconds again of Marshall.
Holloway’s win on platform on Saturday secured her Diver of the Meet honors with 57 factors, whereas Marshall’s Kseniia Luniushina and James Madison’s Jess Pryne fittingly shared Swimmer of the Meet honors with 57 factors every as effectively.
57 factors represents two wins and a runner-up end.
James Madison and Marshall will each transfer to the American Athletic Convention subsequent 12 months.
Interview with successful coach Dane Pedersen:
The Meet By the Numbers:
Championship Data Damaged
50 Free – Jamie Cornwell, James Madison [22.54]
100 Again – Kseniia Luniushina, Marshall [52.49]
100 Breast – Riley Bridgman, James Madison [1:01.11]
100 Free – Jamie Cornwell, James Madison [48.91]
200 Free Relay – James Madison [1:30.59]
400 Free Relay – James Madison [3:18.90]
400 Medley Relay – Marshall [3:38.11]
3M Dive – Alexa Holloway, James Madison [350.35]
Platform Diving – Alexa Holloway, James Madison [267.15]
Solar Belt Data Damaged
100 Again – Kseniia Luniushina, Marshall [52.49]
100 Free – Jamie Cornwell, James Madison [48.91]
400 Free Relay – James Madison [3:18.90]
Platform Diving – Alexa Holloway, James Madison [267.15]
NCAA “B” Requirements
50 Free – Jamie Cornwell, James Madison [22.54]
100 Again – Kseniia Luniushina, Marshall [52.49]
100 Breast – Riley Bridgman, James Madison [1:01.11]
100 Free – Jamie Cornwell, James Madison [48.91]
200 Breast – Riley Bridgman, James Madison [2:12.73]
200 Fly – Lauren McNamara, Marshall [1:58.73]
400 IM – Jess Pryne, James Madison [4:14.25]
400 IM – Eszter Laban, Marshall [4:16.31]
