BATON ROUGE — The LSU men’s swimming and diving team opens the 2006-07 season against the second-ranked Stanford Cardinal at 3 p.m. Friday from the LSU Natatorium.
The dual meet consists of a 16-event order, beginning with the 200 medley relay and culminating with the 200 freestyle relay.
Friday marks the first meeting between the two schools, and it will be the Tigers’ first meet against a Pac-10 opponent in school history.
The Cardinal will also be the first of several ranked opponents on LSU’s schedule. Meets at defending national champion Auburn and home tilts against No. 4 Florida and Alabama highlight the fall slate.
“One of the main things we want to do is strengthen our schedule and bring in the best opponents and also go swim the best,” said third-year head coach Adam Schmitt. “It’s great for exposure. It’s great to see that we are willing to go toe-to-toe with the top-notch athletes and programs out there.”
The Tigers return 13 letterwinners and two All-Americans to the squad in sophomore swimmer Julius Gloeckner and junior diver Niko Dalman. Gloeckner enjoyed a fabulous freshman campaign, recording a school record in the 400 individual medley while posting five other school all-time top-10 times.
SEC finalists Kevin Braud and Miko Malberg return for their junior seasons. However, much of LSU’s success will hinge on the six talented freshmen Schmitt and his staff signed for the season.
“Right now with a young team and going against a good team early on right here, we know it’s going to be a challenge,” said Schmitt. “But when we get to the end — the SEC and NCAA Championships — they will be ready to go because we have faced this competition.”
Stanford returns 25 letterwinners from a team that captured the Pac-10 championship last season and finished third at the NCAA Championships. The Cardinal has been training in Baton Rouge with Crawfish Aquatics the past week.
“This is pretty early for a dual meet but it was a chance that they were in town, and we wanted to swim against them,” said Schmitt. “Our season goes all the way to March, but this will be a good test to see where we are, where we can place people and what they can swim.”
Schmitt has been very familiar with Stanford throughout his career, having competed against the Cardinal while serving as associate head coach at Arizona State from 2001-04.
Schmitt’s wife, Aimee, was also an All-American standout at Stanford.
“It is really an honor to have a perennial team like Stanford come in,” added Schmitt. “I can’t remember a time during my career where they have never gotten a trophy or placed at NCAAs.”
LSU returns to action when both the men’s and women’s teams host the annual Purple and Gold Intrasquad, Sept. 29 at 3 p.m. Admission is free to the public.