NEED TO KNOW:
Team Finish: 6th of 6 (Piedmont was the lone DIII team competing)
Records Set: 5

COLUMBUS, Ga. - Piedmont women's swimming took down five records as the team concluded its fall season at the Georgia Small College Championships on Saturday in Columbus, Georgia.

In the three-day event running Thursday through Saturday, Piedmont was able to break five school records, including three relays and two solo marks.

Overall, five different Lions played a part in creating a new school record, led by four each from Kelly Mashburn and Olivia Smith as they both delivered a solo record-breaking performance and also were a part of all three relay records.

The meet began with a solid start, as Mashburn, Smith, Donevin Lakey and Madison Nance teamed up to set a new mark in the 200 free relay with a time of 1:43.93, placing them sixth out of 12 teams competing. 

Then, in the next event, Mashburn went solo, capturing a fourth-place finish in the 500 free with a record-setting time of 5:25.24, besting Lauren Stone's record that had stood for three years.

Piedmont also saw great success in the 400 and 200 medley relays, with both teams setting new marks in events 9 and 11 of the meet.

Mashburn, Smith and Nance were the constants, with Caroline Massaro as the fourth member in the 400 and Lakey subbing in for the 200.

The 400 medley relay fell first with a time of 4:20.88 as the group finished sixth in the race. That time bested the previous mark by under a second, set in February of 2023.

In the 200, the group of Smith, Nance, Lakey and Mashburn delivered a time of 1:55.84, besting the group's own mark that they set in the season opener on October 11 by just under two seconds.

Lastly, it was Smith's turn to shine on her own in the 100 fly, as she also bested her own mark that she set this season, swimming a 1:01.09 to beat her own school record by over three seconds.

This marks the end of the team's fall season in which the Lions produced a 4-1 dual record.

Up next, the Lions will begin the spring season on January 6 with a dual meet at Union College in Kentucky.

PIEDMONT RECORDS:
500 Free - Kelly Mashburn, 5:25.24
100 Fly - Olivia Smith, 1:01.09
200 Free Relay - Donevin Lakey, Kelly Mashburn, Madison Nance, Olivia Smith, 1:43.93
200 Medley Relay - Donevin Lakey, Kelly Mashburn, Madison Nance, Olivia Smith, 1:55.84
400 Medley Relay - Kelly Mashburn, Caroline Massaro, Madison Nance, Olivia Smith, 4:20.88

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