COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Following a heartbreaking opening session at the Art Adamson Invitational in which none of the Tigers’ record-setting times were likely counted due to a pool-measurement error, the LSU swimming and diving teams stormed back Saturday with a staggering number of school records and NCAA ?B’ cut qualifying standards.
At the conclusion of Day 2, LSU swimmers had combined to shatter five school records and register nine NCAA ?B’ cuts in a phenomenal showing by the LSU squads. Lady Tigers Katherine Noland, Monica McJunkin and Jane Trepp each broke school records and posted NCAA time considerations, and two LSU relay teams captured program-best times.
The Tigers’ 800 freestyle group of Andrew Reynolds, Sean LeNeave, Julius Gloeckner and Clint Hallum posted a school-record time of 6:30.66, and the Lady Tigers 200 medley relay foursome of McJunkin, Trepp, Katie Gilmore and Noland recorded a program-best mark, 1:40.03.
“This might be one of better sessions we’ve had since I’ve been at LSU,” head coach Adam Schmitt said. “We had a great team environment today. Everyone stepped up, and we shattered multiple school records. We’ve just got to keep it rolling with one session left.”
Noland and Trepp enjoyed arguably the finest performances of their collegiate careers as each secured a couple of times that will put them in excellent position to earn berths to the NCAA Championships in March. In the second race of the evening, Noland, a team co-captain, won the consolation final of the 100-yard butterfly with a program all-time mark of 53.48 seconds, while Trepp took fifth-place in the ?A’ final with a time of 53.63, the third-fastest in school history. Both times are well below the event’s ?B’ cut standard of 54.10.
The duo followed those efforts with another pair of sensational swims as Noland notched her second NCAA cut of the day with a 200-free time of 1:48.03, and Trepp claimed the program record in the 100 breaststroke with a qualifying consideration of 1:02.47.
McJunkin also had a remarkable performance for the Lady Tigers. A day after fellow teammate Morgan McGee was thought to have overtaken her 100-backstroke school record before the competition was called into question, the senior co-captain sent a friendly reminder to the freshman sensation that she wouldn’t be surrendering her school title that easily.
Reaching the wall in 54.31 in the 100-back prelims, McJunkin improved her school mark by over a half a second. However, McGee shined in the 100-back finals, seizing fourth with a personal-best time of 54.54, the second-fastest LSU mark all-time. Fellow freshman Samantha Goates also had an impressive final race, swimming a personal-best of 55.43.
On the men’s side, Hallum picked up where he left off Friday when he would have shattered the LSU record in the 500 freestyle if the results would have stood. The Mesquite, Texas, native posted a NCAA qualifying mark of 3:52.24 in the 400 IM to seize fourth-place. Gloeckner and Nate Telep also earned top-eight finishes in the event, and junior Sean LeNeave emerged victorious in the consolation final with a personal-best time, 3:53.03.
Senior Vanessa Duenas paced the Lady Tigers’ efforts in the 400-IM, touching the wall in 4:19.38, the third-fastest time in program annals, to capture runner-up honors in the consolation final.
In the men’s 100 breaststroke finals, freshman Ben Decker swam a personal-best time of 54.91 in the prelims to take fourth. Senior Connor Farber finished seventh in the 100 fly, while Hannes Heyl and James Meyers placed seventh and ninth overall, respectively in the 100 back.
On the diving front, freshman Brian Gemberling and Matt Vieke placed 15th and 16th, respectively, in the men’s three-meter competition, and freshman Katie Lybbert led the Lady Tigers, finishing 24th in the women’s one-meter.
The 2008 Art Adamson Invitational will conclude Sunday with the preliminaries beginning at 9:30 a.m. (CST) and the finals starting at approximately 4:30 p.m.
2008 ART ADAMSON INVITATIONAL
Student Rec Center Natatorium
College Station, Texas
Schedule of Events – Nov. 23, 2008
Prelims ? 9:30 a.m.
Women’s and Men’s 200 Backstroke
Women’s and Men’s 100 Freestyle
Women’s and Men’s 200 Breaststroke
Women’s and Men’s 200 Butterfly
Mile Heats (Between Prelims and Finals)
Women’s and Men’s 1650 Freestyle
Finals ? 4:30 p.m.
Women’s and Men’s 200 Backstroke
Women’s and Men’s 100 Freestyle
Women’s and Men’s 200 Breaststroke
Women’s and Men’s 200 Butterfly
Women’s and Men’s 400 Freestyle Relay
Women’s and Men’s Platform Diving