CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — The LSU men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams each ended the first day of competition Thursday in third place at the 2000 Nike Cup Invitational here in Chapel Hill, N.C.
“We’re doing really well right now,” said LSU head coach Jeff Cavana. “We’re still looking good for finishing first in the team competitions, and we’ve had a lot of people swim all-time bests today.”
Lady Tiger swimmers Mandy Leach and Donna Leslie, each recorded LSU top-five times in Thursday’s opening day of the 2000 Nike Cup. Leach moved into fifth-place all time in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2:03.36, while Leslie placed her name in Lady Tiger record book by swimming a 4:53.03 in the 500-yard freestyle event.
Leach, who competed in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, bested former Lady Tiger Becky Gibbs’ time of 2:03.44 in the 200-yard I.M. Gibbs set the her top-time mark in 1995.
In the 500-freestyle, the Lady Tigers’ freshman phenom Leslie, beat Denise Gereghty’s time of 4:53.06 by three hundredths of a second to move into the fifth-place position of LSU’s all-time swims in the event.
“I am extremely pleased with the way that Donna and Mandy swam today,” Cavana said. “They are both known for stepping up their performance level in big meets, and today they came through with excellent swims and set top times. Donna was especially impressive in that she set the mark as a freshman.”
The LSU divers dominated both the men’s and women’s events on Thursday. Lady Tigers finished first and second in the competition, while the men swept the event with first, second, third, and fourth-place finishes.
In the women’s team competition, ninth-ranked North Carolina leads with a total of 335 points, Virginia Tech is in second with 123 points, and the Lady Tigers are currently in third place with 93.
The Tigers are also in third place on the men’s side of the competition with 136 total points. North Carolina’s 23rd-ranked team leads the event with 284 points, while Pittsburgh is in second and finished with 207.
The 2000 Nike Cup Invitational will resume Friday morning.