BATON ROUGE — Home dual meets versus nationally-ranked Stanford, Georgia and Texas A&M and road tilts at Alabama, Florida State and Florida highlight the 2007-08 LSU swimming and diving schedule, which was released by head coach Adam Schmitt on Tuesday.
Six of the nine men’s dual meets come against opponents who finished in the top 20 at the 2007 NCAA Championships, including the Cardinal and the Gators who placed in the top five. The women’s team competes against three teams who scored in the top 10 at the NCAA meet.
“I am excited about our schedule,” said Schmitt. “This year we have another good schedule with Georgia coming in. We have Florida State, Florida and a lot of away meets which will be tougher to compete in. Our schedule from last year — swimming some of the top-five teams in the country — helped us compete at the SEC and NCAA Championships.”
A combined 33 letterwinners and six All-Americans return from a squad that put together one of the most successful seasons in school history. The Lady Tiger women earned its highest NCAA finish since 2001 with 17th place, and the Tiger men posted its best SEC finish since that same season with sixth place.
During the process, 11 school records fell led by Julius Gloeckner, who established an LSU record with three new marks. Gloeckner returns for his junior campaign, and Schmitt believes there are larger expectations on the horizon.
“We want to win more dual meets this year,” said Schmitt. “We are starting to believe that we are a better team to win some of these meets against top competition. Our team is getting exposed to some of the best in the country and the world. That is important for the development of anyone who wants to swim here at LSU.”
For the second straight season, the LSU men open the year versus Stanford at the LSU Natatorium on Sept. 14. The Cardinal, who took runner-up honors at the 2007 NCAA meet, narrowly defeated the Tigers last season. Prior to that meet, LSU had never faced a Pac-10 opponent.
The annual Purple and Gold Intrasquad on Sept. 21 precedes the team’s first full squad meet at South Carolina on Oct. 13. The Tigers travel to Columbia, S.C., for the first time in the program’s history. LSU is a combined 7-5 versus the Gamecocks in dual-meet competition.
Both the men and women return for the first full squad home meet on Oct. 19 as they welcome perennial Southeastern Conference power Georgia. The Bulldogs make their first trip to Baton Rouge since the 2000-01 season.
LSU concludes a two-meet homestand with its final home dual of the fall against Delta State on Oct. 26. The Statesmen and Lady Statesmen posted NCAA Division II top-20 finishes last spring.
On Friday, Nov. 2, the Tiger men clash with Alabama while the LSU women face the Crimson Tide and Vanderbilt in Tuscaloosa, Ala. The three-team meet coincides with the LSU-Alabama football game the following day.
“That was a plan between me and the coach at Alabama (Eric McIlquham),” said Schmitt. “It is a neat idea to bring both teams together during that weekend. It is a way to promote swimming and diving there at the same time so LSU fans can come watch the team swim while they are there to see the football game.”
The Tigers look to avenge last year’s tough loss to the Tide, who won on the final event of the meet. The Lady Tigers seek their second consecutive win after defeating Alabama, 163-137, last season in Baton Rouge.
LSU and Vandy meet for the first time since 1990-91 on the women’s side. The Commodores resumed swimming on its list of varsity sports in 2006.
Two invitationals are the focal points of the late fall slate. The LSU men try to repeat as champions of the Art Adamson Invitational in College Station, Texas. Last year’s victory vaulted the Tigers into the Collegiate Swim Coaches Association of America Top 25 poll for the first time since the 2000 season.
Events run Nov. 16-18 at the Texas A&M Student Rec Center Natatorium.
The LSU swimmers return to Tuscaloosa for the Alabama Invitational, Nov. 30-Dec. 2, while the Tiger divers play host to the LSU Diving Invitational that same weekend.
LSU rings in the New Year versus Notre Dame in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., as part of the Tigers’ holiday training. In 1999, the LSU men defeated the Irish, 137-98, in the only meeting between the two schools.
LSU will be tested on the road again, Jan. 11-12, as the Tigers face Florida State and Florida in consecutive days. The LSU men posted an upset over the 10th-ranked Seminoles last season in Baton Rouge. The Tigers return to Gainesville, Fla., for the first time since the 2002 season opener.
Senior Day festivities culminate with the LSU-Texas A&M meet on Jan. 19. The Lady Tiger women then close the regular season on the road in a two-day meet at Houston and Rice, Jan. 25-26.
LSU competes in Tuscaloosa for the third time during the season with the SEC Swimming and Diving Championships taking precedent, Feb. 20-23. Unlike the previous season, swimming and diving will be held simultaneously.
Those Tigers looking to improve or earn NCAA qualifying times compete in the Last Chance Meet, March 1-2. The NCAA Zone B Diving Regional takes place March 14-16 in Auburn Ala.
The Women’s NCAA Championships get underway March 20 in Columbus, Ohio. The Men’s NCAA Championships take place March 27-29 in Federal Way, Wash.