EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Missouri-St. Louis junior women's swimmer
Justice Beard won the 1,000 freestyle at the NCAA Division II Women's Swimming and Diving Championships on Wednesday evening at the Deaconess Aquatic Center in Evansville, Ind.
Beard becomes the second individual in school history to win a national championship joining men's golfer Joel Sylven who won the national title in 2022.
She swam the fifth fastest time in the history of event at the NCAA Championships with a time of 9:45.71 dropping 4.07 seconds off her seed time and breaking her own school record in the event.
Beard, swimming out of lane five, led wire-to-wire in the race but was challenged by Nova Southeastern's Hailey Williams for the first half of the race as Beard led by 0.29 seconds at the halfway point.
Beard pulled away over the last half of the race with an average split of 29.647 seconds to win by almost five seconds over Williams.
Also swimming for the Tritons on Wednesday were junior
Audrey Lantz who swam in the preliminary race of the 50-yard free finishing 20th with a time of 23.23 seconds.
Senior
Aaron Wicklund swam in the first heat of the 200 individual medley finishing third in his heat in a time of 1:50.10.
Senior
Romina Itzkovich swam in the fifth heat of the 200 IM out of lane eight but was disqualified due to a stroke violation.
UMSL's 200-yard medley relay quartet of
Ella Lantz,
Uxue Ortiz de Pinedo, A. Lantz and Itzkovich finished 16th with a time of 1:43.47.
The Tritons are in 15th place after day of the championship meet with 20 points.
Thursday's competition at the Deaconess Aquatic Center features the 100-yard butterfly, 400-yard individual medley and the 200-yard freestyle. There will be preliminary rounds in the morning for the 100 fly, 400 IM and 200 free. Prelim action begins at 10 a.m. with the finals session scheduled to get underway at 5:30 p.m. Thursday's final session also includes the 400-yard medley relay.
A. Lantz will swim in the 100 fly, Wicklund in the 400 IM, and Beard in the 200 free.
