TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The LSU men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams look to attain some momentum on Saturday as they face the Florida State Seminoles at the Bim Stults Aquatic Center in Tallahasse, Fla. The meet marks the Tigers’ final dual-contest of the season, as well as LSU’s final competition before the upcoming SEC Championships.
“This is a very big meet for both of our teams,” said LSU head coach Jeff Cavana. “Florida State has a lot of talented players on their squads, but I think that we can use this weekend as a stepping stone for SEC’s. A good showing in this meet will help us get motivated to make an impact in Tuscaloosa.”
The 2001 SEC Swimming and Diving Championships will be held February 21-24 in Tuscaloosa, Ala., and the LSU men’s team is looking to put an end to a three-meet losing streak on Saturday before attempting to top last season’s fifth-place conference finish.
The Tigers currently possess an overall dual-meet record of 5-3, as well as a 1-2 mark in SEC competition. During its three-meet slide, the LSU men team was pitted up against No. 12 Georgia, No. 23 Kentucky, and the 24th-ranked Texas A&M Aggies. Saturday, the Tigers face its first non-ranked opponent since January 2, when they were also on the road in Florida versus the Ouachita Baptist and Tampa.
“Even though these Florida State teams aren’t ranked,” explained Cavana. “This meet tomorrow is going to be one of the toughest that we’ve had this season. Neil (Harper) is a great coach, and he’s been getting some of the best recruits in the nation lately. It’s going to be a good, close meet.”
The LSU women’s swimming and diving team heads into Saturday’s dual-meet contest versus the Lady Seminoles with a 6-4 overall record. The Lady Tigers began the 2000-01 season by recording three-straight victories over Houston, UL-Monroe, and Wright State. Since then, LSU is 3-4, with losses to four SEC teams in No. 1-ranked Georgia, No. 24 Kentucky, Alabama, and Arkansas. The Lady Tigers have also picked up wins over Texas A&M, Ouachita Baptist, and the University of Tampa.
Last season, the LSU swimming and diving teams also took on Florida State in their final home meet of year. In front of a raucous crowd in the LSU Natatorium, the Tigers swept the Seminoles as the men were victorious, 139-104, and LSU women’s team dominated the competition, 147-96.
The LSU men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams will both be in action on Saturday as they face Florida State at 1 p.m. (Central time) in the Bum Stults Aquatic Center in Tallahassee, Fla.