EAST MEADOW, N.Y. — The LSU women’s swimming and diving team improved eight places on Friday up to No. 23, as the Lady Tigers’ Jamie Watkins, Mandy Leach, and Ashley Culpepper turned in outstanding performances here at the 2001 NCAA Championships in East Meadow, N.Y.
“We did a good job out there today,” said LSU head coach Jeff Cavana. “We gained some ground on the rest of the field, but we still have a ways to go. I am extremely proud of the way that Mandy swam today, and in how well our divers performed. We just need to stay focused and prepare for a huge day tomorrow.”
LSU’s 2000 NCAA Championship divers, Watkins and Culpepper, each placed among the top 12 in the 3-meter springboard competition on Friday.
Culpepper, the defending 3-meter champion, finished in 11th place, while Watkins earned a fifth-place finish by scoring 518.50 total points. The Lady Tigers’ sophomore, Michelle Coryell, finished with 450.35 points and in 21st place. The event included the top-34 divers in the nation.
In the 100-yard butterfly event, LSU’s Leach scored for the Lady Tigers by swimming a time of 54.30 to earn a 12th-place finish. The University of California’s Natalie Coughlin set an NCAA record in the competition by finishing in 51.18. The previous record of 51.34 was set in 1998 by the 2000 Olympian and Stanford alumnus, Misty Hyman.
The Lady Tigers ended the second day of the NCAA Championships in 23rd place with 26 total-team points. The Southeastern Conference’s Auburn and Georgia have battled for the lead all weekend long and Auburn currently leads with 265 points versus Georgia’s 261.
The LSU women’s swimming and diving team looks to move up even further on Saturday, as the 2001 NCAA Championships resume for the final day of the event at 10 a.m. (Central time). The final trials are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.