BATON ROUGE — The LSU women’s swimming and diving team beat Southeastern Conference rival Arkansas, 159-86, Saturday afternoon at the LSU Natatorium to improve to 2-0 on the season.
“We swam this meet a month later a year ago, so it is hard to tell where we are exactly”, said LSU head coach Jeff Cavana. “But based on what I am seeing now we are in for a really great year.”
The Lady Tigers claimed wins in 14 of 16 events, one day after winning 10 of 13 events in its 156-84 win over Houston. LSU received outstanding performances from several underclassmen for the second day in a row. Four athletes won at least two events on Saturday.
Freshman Lindsey Staak won the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 57.18, and the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 2:04.80. Staak was also a member of the winning team in the 400-yard medley relay.
Freshman Margot Gathers was also a double-winner for LSU on Saturday. Gathers won the 200-yard butterfly and the 100-yard butterfly. Gathers’ score of 2:03.41 in the 200 qualified for the “B” cut of the 2001 NCAA Qualifying Standards, and also moved her into fifth place All-Time in LSU history.
She also teamed with Staak to win the 400-yard medley. Sophomore Stephanie Smith won two events, the 1000-yard freestyle and the 500-yard freestyle. She finished the 1000-yard with a time of 10.07.54 and the 500 in 4:56.50.
The team opened its 2001-02 season on Sept. 28 with the annual Purple-Gold Intrasquad meet and then began the regular-season with the meet Friday versus Houston.
Freshman Lauren Ostroski won both the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:21.69 and the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:05.73.
“Everybody new is just swimming incredibly”, Cavana said. “We have only been in the water a little over a month, so this is just incredible. I am really excited and this is just a great group of women.”
The meet Saturday included the three-meter and one-meter diving competitions. In the three-meter, LSU freshman Jessica Wantz won with a final score of 307.28. LSU’s Barb Gorst, Jamie Watkins and Michelle Coryell placed second, third and fourth in the competition. In the one-meter, Watkins won with a score of 281.03. Gorst and Coryell finished second and third in the one-meter behind teammate Watkins.
“They are really good for this time of the year in terms of their scores and the dives that they are doing”, said head diving coach Scott Reich. “Where we are in our training, I am really impressed.”
“I knew all along she (Jessica Wantz) had the talent. I have known her for years, and now she really seems to be focusing better and competing better. I think if she gets used to all these competitions we have she is just going to get better and better.”
LSU will travel to Knoxville, Tenn., on Oct. 19, to face Tennessee and Kentucky for their next meet. The team will then travel to face Wright State on Oct. 20, at Dayton, Ohio. LSU’s next home meet is not until January, 2002.