2025 Solar Belt Convention Championships
Dates: Wednesday, February 19–Saturday, February 22
Location: Rosen Aquatic & Health Middle, Orlando, FL
Defending Champions: James Madison ladies (1x)
Dwell Outcomes (MeetMobile)
Dwell 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Groups: Georgia Southern, James Madison, Marshall, Outdated Dominion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 way in which they started it: as champions.
In what would be the final Solar Belt Championship meet, not less than for now, earlier than the 4 contributors scatter subsequent yr, the Dukes pulled away on day 4 to lock up a second straight convention title.
Ultimate Group Scores:
James Madison – 1067.5
Marshall – 974
Georgia Southern – 704.5
Outdated Dominion – 384
The meet was a lot tighter than final yr, the place JMU gained by 311.5 factors, and a back-and-forth battle between the front-runners on the ultimate day mirrored that.
Within the ladies’s 1650 free, Eszter Laban from Marshall and Katelyn Fitzgerald from JMU fought the entire approach. 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 yr from Budapest, has gained three straight convention crowns within the mile, together with final yr’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 sizzling 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 report 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 have been 1-3-6 within the 200 backstroke), they have 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 gained the race in 48.91, greater than a second forward of the sector. 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 File 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 put third.
JMU saved the ball rolling within the 200 breaststroke, when Riley Bridgman gained 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, have been fairly tight on the midway mark, but it surely was Bridgman’s 34.19 remaining 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 sturdy 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 have been nails on the platform to lock the meet away.
Similar 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 remaining relay.
The JMU ladies 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 properly.
57 factors represents two wins and a runner-up end.
James Madison and Marshall will each transfer to the American Athletic Convention subsequent yr.
Interview with successful coach Dane Pedersen:
The Meet By the Numbers:
Championship Information Broken50 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 Information Broken100 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” Standards50 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]
