How Penn's record-setting Lily Christianson put a giant bow on her NIC swimming career

If there’s an event Lily Christianson has competed in, she has the record for it.

The Penn senior put a bow on one of the most decorated regular season swimming careers this area has even seen Thursday, setting three Northern Indiana Conference meet records to pace the Kingsmen to the team title. It gives Christianson 10 NIC meet records total out of 12 events, with the only two records she doesn’t hold being in events she’s never competed in: the 500-yard freestyle and diving.

Christianson’s records Thursday came in the 200-yard medley relay, 100-yard breaststroke and 400-yard freestyle relay. She set the first relay record with Anika Guenther, Alayna Riggins and Kaia Podlin, while the 400 relay record was set with Podlin, Molly Barnes and Lauren McGrath.

An N.C. State commit, Christianson was also victorious in the 50-yard freestyle, falling short of her meet record by 0.24 seconds. Other four-event winners for Penn Thursday were Podlin and Barnes, while Riggins and McGrath won in three events and Guenther two.

The Kingsmen won every swimming event contested in the meet that was split into two days due to weather postponing it from last week. The diving portion was held Wednesday.

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The only non-Penn winner came in diving, with South Bend Adams’ Kailey Corban claiming the top spot with an 11-dive score of 342.60 points. It was enough to edge Penn’s Catalina Martinez-Gil by 0.9 points.

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2023-24 NIC girls swimming and diving championships results

Team scores: Penn 677, South Bend Adams 354, Elkhart 282, New Prairie 270, South Bend Saint Joseph 263, South Bend Riley 254, Bremen 144, Mishawaka Marian 56, Jimtown 11

200-yard medley relay: 1. Penn (Lily Christianson, Anika Guenther, Alayna Riggins, Kaia Podlin), 1:45.11 MEET RECORD; 2. Penn (Lauren McGrath, Molly Schuman, Libby Marion, Emmi Richards), 1:53.66; 3. New Prairie (Alaina Brison, Olivia Reffo, Ava Lux, Emma Tulacz), 1:59.55

200-yard freestyle: 1. Molly Barnes (Penn), 1:55.26; 2. Claire Dobrydney (Saint Joseph), 1:57.88; 3. Avery Woods (Penn), 1:59.23

200-yard individual medley: 1. Lauren McGrath (Penn) 2:08.45; 2. Addy Szakaly (Adams), 2:10.11; 3. Anika Guenther (Penn) 2:11.78

50-yard freestyle: 1. Lily Christianson (Penn) 22.29; 2. Alayna Riggins (Penn) 24.83; 3. Emma Tulacz (New Prairie) 25.02

1-meter diving: 1. Kailey Corban (Adams) 342.60; 2. Catalina Martinez-Gil (Penn) 341.70; 3. Jenna Freymuth (Adams) 318.75

100-yard butterfly: 1. Alayna Riggins (Penn) 57.03; 2. Avery Woods (Penn) 58.66; 3. Caroline Ball (Penn) 59.72

100-yard freestyle: 1. Kaia Podlin (Penn) 52.28; 2. Emmi Richards (Penn) 54.77; 3. Chloe Whitmer (Riley) 54.98

500-yard freestyle: 1. Molly Barnes (Penn) 5:13.31; 2. Claire Dobrydney (Saint Joseph) 5:21.93; 3. Brie Skalski (Penn) 5:35.97

200-yard freestyle relay: 1. Penn (Kaia Podlin, Anika Guenther, Molly Barnes, Alayna Riggins) 1:38.00; 2. Penn (Avery Woods, Sofia Hayes, Carolina Ball, Emmi Richards) 1:42.60; 3. Adams (Addy Szakaly, Sofia Clark, Addie Rabbitt and Willa Kricheff) 1:44.66

100-yard backstroke: 1. Lauren McGrath (Penn) 1:00.40; 2. Libby Marion (Penn) 1:01.89; 3. Vanessa Domalewski (Penn) 1:02.49

100-yard breaststroke: 1. Lily Christianson (Penn) 1:02.51 MEET RECORD; 2. Addy Szakaly (Adams) 1:06.55; 3. Anika Guenther (Penn) 1:07.46

400-yard freestyle relay: 1. Penn (Kaia Podlin, Molly Barnes, Lauren McGrath, Lilly Christianson) 3:32.21 MEET RECORD; 2. Penn (Libby Marion, Isabel Leader, Vanessa Domalewski, Avery Woods) 3:48.49; 3. Adams (Willa Kricheff, Sofia Clark, Addie Rabbitt, Addy Szakaly) 3:51.35

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Penn's Lily Christianson caps historic career at NIC girls swim finals