BATON ROUGE — The LSU women’s swimming and diving team named its team captains Thursday to lead the Lady Tigers throughout the 2000-01 season. The chosen team captains are seniors Ashley Culpepper and Lindsey Mooney, along with junior Mandy Leach.
“All three of our team captains are great leaders,” said Jeff Cavana, the newly appointed LSU women’s swimming and diving coach. “They are all very positive leaders as well as being proven winners. Ashley is an NCAA Champion, Mandy is a 2000 Olympian, and Lindsey is an SEC Championship finalist.”
Last season, Culpepper dominated the NCAA Championship diving competition by finishing among the top five in all three events. She won the National Championship title in the 3-meter springboard event, placed third in the 1-meter competition, and ended up fifth in the platform event.
Leach is currently in Sidney, Australia, preparing for the 2000 Olympic games where she will be competing for her native Zimbabwe National Team. Last year, both Leach and Mooney were vital components of the Lady Tigers’ swimming team. Leach’s area of specialty is the freestyle events, whereas Mooney’s concentration is both the individual medley and backstroke competitions.
“Each of this year’s captains bring a lot of positive qualities to the team,” Cavana said. “They will improve the team tremendously with their leadership this season. I’m really looking forward to the beginning of the season.”
Culpepper, Leach, Mooney, and the rest of the Lady Tigers kick off the 2000-01 season October 6 in Tuscaloosa, Ala., in the Southeastern Conference Quad Meet. LSU will compete against Alabama, Arkansas, and Auburn.