After a semester at the University of Kentucky, backstroker Abbie Shaw is transferring to Liberty University. She will still graduate in 2024 on schedule, getting at least three full seasons with Liberty.
So excited and thankful to announce that I have decided to continue my academic and athletic career at Liberty University!! God is so good🤍
TOP TIMES (SCY)
- 50 back – 25.46
- 100 back – 54.72
- 200 back – 2:00.35
- 50 free – 24.48
- 100 free – 53.04
- 200 free – 1:53.48
At Kentucky, Shaw raced in two October dual meets, one against Vanderbilt and one against Tennessee. She touched second in the 200 back and third in the 100 back against Vanderbilt and nabbed a sixth-place effort in the 100 back against Tennessee, posting her season-best 55.35. She was just off of her best in the 50 back (25.88) at the Tennessee dual.
Before Kentucky, Shaw was the 2019 Colorado HS 4A runner-up in the 200 free and the third-place finisher in the 100 back representing Niwot High School.
Senior Payton Keiner is Liberty’s top backstroker at 52.6/1:52.6; she’s never lost a CCSA title in the 200 back, and she won the 100 back conference crown in 2019 and 2020. Junior Emma Hazel and sophomore Eva Suggs, who were both 1:56 last season, are other key members of their back group.
Shaw would’ve been #3 in the 100 back and #4 in the 200 back on Liberty’s roster last season. She would’ve made A-finals in both backstroke events at the 2020 CCSA Championships.
Shaw is the second recent switch from UK to Liberty; in 2020, Sydney Stricklin in the high school class of 2021 de-committed from Kentucky to instead pursue college at Liberty.