BATON ROUGE — The LSU swimming and diving team will close out its regular season home slate Saturday at noon when it faces Texas A&M at the LSU Natatorium.
The No. 19-ranked Tiger men’s squad (5-3) squares off against an Aggie team (2-3) ranked No. 18. The LSU men have won four of their last five dual meets.
The No. 19-ranked Lady Tigers (6-2) welcome the No. 4-ranked Aggies (6-1). The Lady Tigers have won five of their last six dual meets.
The Tigers last competed in Gainesville, Fla. where the No. 5 Florida men’s squad won by a 132-109 mark and the No. 7 Florida women’s crew claimed a 137-84 victory.
“Once again we are going against a quality ranked opponent,” LSU head coach Adam Schmitt said. “Both teams are competing really well right now. Hopefully this can be a exciting home finale.”
Saturday’s dual will serve as Senior Day for the Tigers. This LSU senior class, which includes five swimmers and a diver, has succeeded in the pool and the classroom. Swimmers Kevin Braud, Stefanie Carver, Miko Malberg, Clare Schepens and Joseph Veron along with diver Paige Brown will be honored prior to the meet. All six seniors arrived at LSU the same time Schmitt did.
“This is a case where these six athletes came here as freshmen and didn’t know who the head coach was going to be,” Schmitt said. “Once they understood what we were about, they stuck with the program and really developed over their four years here.”
Braud has put on a strong campaign in backstroke events during his four years as a Tiger. The Destrehan, La., native qualified for the 2008 Olympic Trials. He was a participant in the 2006 U.S. Spring Championships and the 2005 U.S. World Championships. Last year, Braud served as team co-captain and recorded the second-fastest 100 back (48.31) in school history at the Bulldog Invitational. He currently holds the third fastest time in the 200 back (1:45.76).
Carver, a Spring, Texas, native, has specialized in backstroke events and individual medleys as a Tiger. She was selected as a team co-captain this season. Carver has been named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll the past three years.
Malberg will end his LSU career as one of the best freestyle swimmers in school history. The Tallinn, Estonia, native will represent his native country in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Malberg is the first LSU male Olympian since Sion Brinn swam for Great Britain at the 2000 Sydney Games. Malberg has not lost in the 50 free during dual meet competition this season. He owns the fourth-best time in the 50 free (19.69) and the ninth-best time in the 100 free (44.15). Malberg has reached the NCAA Championships the past two seasons. He has excelled in the classroom also as he was named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll the past three seasons.
Schepens has been a standout swimmer in distance freestyle events as a Lady Tiger.
Last season at SEC’s, the Richland, Wash., native clocked the seventh-fastest time in school history in the 1650 free with a time of 16:57.09. She posted the ninth-fastest mark (10:13.24) in school history in the 1000 free at a quad meet last year. Schepens has been named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll three times during her career.
Vernon, a Baton Rouge native, has been a true leader for the Tigers as he is currently a team co-captain and held the same position last season. He has contributed in individual medleys and backstroke events during his four years as a Tiger. Veron’s leadership skills extend to the classroom where he has received SEC Academic Honor Roll honors three straight years.
Brown has compiled numerous accolades during her LSU diving career. Last year, the Zionsville, Ind., native was a medalist in the platform event at the SEC Championships by placing third with a career-high score of 293.65. She also earned a career-high finish in the 1-meter (241.50) springboard events. Her strong performance at the SEC’s helped LSU to a team runner-up finish and contributed to her being named the team’s most improved diver that season. This season she set a lifetime best in the 3-meter springboard against Delta State by tallying 306.67 points. During Brown’s sophomore season, she qualified for the U.S. Diving National Championships. She has received SEC Academic Honor Roll honors the past three years.
“Each of them have helped put our program at the level it is today,” Schmitt commented. “It says a lot about the character of these six athletes for them to stick it out and really develop.”