MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — Seven LSU and swimmers and divers compete for a top-25 team finish and All-America honors as the 2007 Women’s NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships get underway Thursday at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center.
The three-day national meet begins with preliminaries of the 200 freestyle relay, 500 freestyle, 200 individual medley, 50 free and 400 medley relay at 11 a.m. One-meter diving prelims start at 1 p.m. Finals of all events are slated to begin at 7 p.m.
The top-eight finishers receive first-team All-America status in each event, while those placing nine through 16 earn honorable mention All-America honors.
LSU arrived here Tuesday afternoon and went through a workout at the Minnesota Aquatic Center. The Lady Tigers wrapped up their preparations Wednesday as temperatures hovered in the upper teens for most of the day.
LSU has qualified five swimmers for the competition and two divers. The group of seven represents the most the Lady Tigers have sent to the meet since LSU qualified seven in 1997. The five swimmers are the most for the squad since 1997, and this is the first time the Lady Tigers have multiple divers competing since 2003.
LSU returns three members from a team that finished 32nd at the 2006 NCAA Championships in Athens, Ga. Sophomores Katherine Noland and Katie Gilmore and senior Colleen Bertirotti are making their second straight NCAA appearances after posting school records in the 200 and 400 free relays last year.
Noland, Gilmore and Bertirotti will be joined by sophomore Sabrina Messmer in the 200 free relay on Thursday. The group looks to capture All-America honors for the second consecutive season as they carry the No. 16 seed into the event (1:31.32).
Gilmore, Noland and Bertirotti participate in the 50 free as well. Gilmore carries a school-record time of 22.63, which ranks 21st in the nation. Bertirotti is seeded 47th in the 50 free (23.02), and Noland is ranked 79th (23.43).
LSU has only produced three 50 free All-All-Americans in school history, and the three will attempt to be the first to do so since Heather Hageman in 1991.
The trio swims the 100 free Saturday with Gilmore bringing the 54th-seed into the event (50.45). Gilmore swims her third individual event in the 100 backstroke (56.01).
Signe Larson is the third freshman to qualify for NCAAs out of the past two seasons. Larson joins Gilmore, Noland and Bertirotti in the 200 medley relay, which is seeded 18th (1:40.96).
Senior diver Hali Saucier looks to build on her success of a week ago when she captured the 3-meter regional title at the NCAA Zone B meet in Athens (636.80). The victory officially punched her ticket to the championships, and she became the first LSU diver to win a regional title since Barb Gorst conquered the platform in 2003.
Saucier finished fifth in the 1-meter and fifth in the platform. The 3-meter event takes place Saturday.
Freshman Rachel Ware participates in her strength of 1-meter on Thursday. Ware officially earned her NCAA berth with a sixth-place finish in the 1-meter at the NCAA Zone B Regional (525.95). She was the lone freshman to qualify out of Zone B.
Ware, the SEC Freshman Diver of the Year, became the first LSU female freshman to earn a berth to the national meet since Ashley Culpepper in 1998.
The two will attempt to be the first NCAA All-Americans since Jessica Wantz earned the honor twice in 2004 in the 1-meter and 3-meter.
2007 Women’s NCAA Championships
University of Minnesota Aquatic Center
Minneapolis, Minn.
Thursday’s Schedule of Events
Preliminaries (11 a.m.)
200 freestyle relay
500 freestyle
200 individual medley
50 freestyle
400 medley relay
1 p.m.
1-meter diving (prelims)
Finals (7 p.m.)
200 freestyle relay
500 freestyle
200 individual medley
50 freestyle
1-meter diving (finals)
400 medley relay