Danika Thiele
Contributing Writer
Sophomore Alli Crenshaw has a lot to be proud of.
As National Champion in the 1,000-freestyle, the 1,650 freestyle, and the second Moccasin women’s swimmer to win an individual national title, Crenshaw has definitely made a lasting impression.
And now she hs won the SSC Swimmer-of-the-Meet.
With the award given to the swimmer with the most points during the meet, both Crenshaw and teammate Lauren Reynolds tied with 57 points.
Crenshaw won the award on a tie-breaker based on her setting a meet record in the 200-freestyle in one of the relay races.
As the second Moccasin women’s swimmer to be named the SSC Swimmer-of-the-Meet, she joined Mary O’Sullivan from 2011.
After a close finish against Tampa senior Heather Glenday, Crenshaw’s runner-up finish gave the Moccasins 17 points in addition to sophomore Heather Burns’s 15, 13 from freshman Elizabeth Fris, and seven from senior Carlee McDonald.
Florida Southern ended the meet with a 400-yard freestyle relay victory.
Clocking in at 3:26.42, their time was exactly one second faster than the Moccasin’s previous best time of the season, allowing them to beat Tampa in the race by 1.5 seconds and hit an NCAA “B” standard.
Florida Southern prepared for the NCAA Division II National Championships that was held March 12-15 in Geneva Ohio. The women’s swim team took seventh place there.
Crenshaw was eagerly awaiting the competition.
“Being able to compete at the college level is a dream come true,” Crenshaw said. “I have some of the best coaches and teammates and my success in the pool wouldn’t be possible without them.”
Crenshaw has been competing since she joined her neighborhood swim team at age 5 and she has had to work hard to get to where she is now.
“My first memory is being so afraid to swim in a meet. I always had a lot of anxiety and I had to overcome my fear of getting up on the blocks. By the time I was 12 I gained a lot of confidence and each time I swam a best time it made me want to train even harder,”Crenshaw said.
Her dedication has definitely paid off. As a freshman she was conference champ in the 1,650 and 500 free.
After just completing her sophomore season, she earned conference champ in 200 free and 500 free.
Her biggest achievements were earning national champion at 1,000 free her sophomore year and 1,000 free and 1,650 free her freshman year.
“Swimming has opened so many doors for me that may never have been there,” Crenshaw said.
Crenshaw continues to strive for the gold in the off-season. She challenges herself both physically and mentally each time she gets in the pool to be a little stronger, better and faster.
Photo courtesy of FSC Sports Information