BATON ROUGE — The LSU swimming and diving program is being split into two separate programs, men and women, beginning with the 2000-01 season, assistant athletic director for Olympic sports Wanda Hargroder announced on Monday.
With the split, Rick Meador will continue to serve as head coach of the men’s team, while Jeff Cavana, a longtime assistant to Meador, will be promoted to head coach of the women’s team. The diving teams will continue to be coached by Scott Reich and he will report to both coaches.
Meador, a 1981 graduate of LSU and a seven-time NCAA all-American swimmer for the Tigers, has served as head coach of both teams for the last 12 years. Last year, Meador guided the LSU men’s team to a No. 23 final national ranking, while the Lady Tigers finished No. 16 in the nation.
Cavana, a Cincinnati, Ohio native, has been an assistant at LSU for the last 10 years. Cavana previously served as head coach at Wright State from 1982-89.
“Since I’ve joined the athletic department, I’ve evaluated the swimming and diving program and I, along with the coaches, feel that this move will benefit both teams,” Hargroder said. “Other top programs from across the country are divided and we feel that for the future of the program, this is the best move.”
The swimming and diving teams open its season on Oct. 20 when the men face Wright State and the women host Houston at the LSU Natatorium.