By Riley Overend on SwimSwam
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Promising Belgian prospect Grace Palmer will look to build on the momentum of making a European Championships final this summer when she joins LSU this fall.
Palmer recently showed off her versatility by placing 8th in the 800-meter freestyle (8:51.04) and 14th in the 200 breaststroke (2:32.01) at June’s European Championships. She owns lifetime bests of 8:49.75 in the 800 free from April and 2:25.53 in the 200 breast from last July.
At last year’s European Junior Championships, Palmer placed 4th in the 200 breast (2:26.59) and 9th in the 1500 free (16:59.20). She has been training with Liege Natation in Crisnee, Belgium.
Palmer’s best converted 200 breast time would have placed 4th at the 2024 SEC Championships. The event was a weak point for the Tigers last season as they had no scorers in either the A-, B-, or C-finals. Palmer’s best converted distance freestyle times are outside of SEC scoring range at the moment.
Best LCM Times (Converted to SCY)
- 200 breast – 2:25.53 (2:07.50)
- 400 free – 4:25.66 (4:57.65 500 free)
- 800 free – 8:49.75 (9:53.55 1000 free)
- 1500 free – 16:59.20 (16:39.21 1650 free)
Former Michigan women’s coach Rick Bishop is entering his fourth season at the helm of LSU’s combined program. The Tiger women finished 8th out of 12 teams at the 2024 SEC Championships in their first season without star Maggie MacNeil.
Next year’s conference meet should be even more competitive with powerhouse Texas joining the SEC from the Big 12.
Bishop is adding 10 freshmen to the LSU women’s roster for the 2024-25 campaign. Anastasia Bako, Lauren Bernardo, Saskia Blasius, Zoe Carlos-Broc, Jessie Liao, Avery Littlefield, Nicole Santuliana, Natalya Woods, and Giulia Zambelli are also arriving in Baton Rouge this fall along with Palmer.
They open their season with an intrasquad exhibition next month before hosting Texas for their first dual meet on Oct. 11.
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Read the full story on SwimSwam: Euro Champs Finalist Grace Palmer Heading From Belgium to LSU for 2024-25