Jamaica: FIU Panthers wins 400-yard freestyle relay in AAC Swimming Championship

Jamaica: FIU Panthers of Jamaica secured the victory in the 400-yard freestyle relay in the American Athletic Conference Swimming and Diving Championships. Kelsie Campbell of Jamaica secured a gold medal in the 400 medley and free relays and shattered the 100-yard free PB with a 49.80 swim. 

The curtains came down on Jamaican Kelsie Campbell’s Conference career win in the best possible way, a Gold in the 400-yard freestyle relay. The FIU Panthers closed the American Athletic Conference Swimming and Diving Championships with a victory in the 400-yard freestyle relay. 

The team of Christie Chue (Singapore) 49.53, Harliai Curthoys-Davies (Australia) 49.53,Jessica Shpilko (Israel) 49.80 and Campbell 49.13 touched in 3:17.99. This is Campbell’s third Conference Gold in the event having won two previously in the Conference USA Championships.

Earlier in the meet in Dallas she completed the medley relay double. Her Panthers team won the Gold in a school record of 3:35.87. The team assembled was Campbell backstroke 54.17, Chue breaststroke 58.78, Oumy Diop (France) 53.38 and Curthoys-Davies 49.54. It was another hat trick of Gold for Campbell.The old record of 3:36.15 saw her on the backstroke leg as well in 2022.

She came to the competition with 100 yard freestyle PB of 50.82. She crushed that time with a heats of 50.02. That again was beaten in the Championship final with a swim of 49.80 (split time 24.09) to place 6th. 

She is now the 5th fastest Jamaican woman of all time in the event. She had Championship finals showings with season bests in the 50 yard freestyle 22.96 (5th) and 100 yard butterfly 53.97 (7th). In the 200 yard freestyle relay Kelsie had the fourth fastest split of all competitors of 22.68 as FIU just missed the medals placing fourth in 1:31.75.

The Panthers placed second overall in their first AAC Championships with 1300 points.