COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Lady Tigers Samantha Goates and Katherine Noland each swam into the school record books Sunday in the final session of Texas A&M’s Art Adamson Invitational, capping off a sensational weekend for LSU swimming and diving.
Goates, a highly-regarded freshman who came to LSU as one of the top prep swimmers on the West Coast, recorded the fastest 200-backstroke time in program history. The Visalia, Calif., native shattered teammate Berit Aljand‘s all-time mark with a NCAA ?B’ cut qualifying time of 1 minute, 57.52 seconds to secure fifth-place. Fellow freshman Morgan McGee finished two spots behind Goates in seventh with the second-best all-time mark at LSU and another qualifying time consideration, 1:57.81.
Noland wrapped up her stay in College, Station with her second school record and third ?B’ cut in two days as the senior co-captain captured the program’s fastest 100-freestyle mark, 49.62.
In addition, both the men’s and women’s 400 freestyle ?A’ squads recorded qualifying time considerations, and Vanessa Duenas improved her 200-butterfly personal best for the fourth consecutive competition. The senior posted a ?B’ cut time of 1:59.30 to take sixth.
The 16th-ranked LSU men’s team tallied 756.5 points over the weekend to place second overall behind No. 2 Stanford, while the Lady Tigers finished fifth overall. However, more importantly, the LSU squads will leave Texas A&M’s campus with an astounding seven school records, and seven different athletes have put themselves in position to receive bids to the NCAA Championships in March.
“We had another good night and just a great overall meet,” LSU head coach Adam Schmitt said. “We came into this meet looking to break school records and post some NCAA qualifying times, and certainly we accomplished what we set out to do. We are definitely excited as we move on with our season.”
On the men’s side, senior Julius Gloeckner enjoyed a fine outing in the final day of competition as the senior registered a pair of top-six finishes in the 200 breaststroke and 200 fly and anchored the team’s runner-up finish in the 400 freestyle relay (2:58.37). Freshman Ben Decker earned fifth in the 200 breast with a career best of 1:59.08, the fifth-fastest in program annals, and junior Sean LeNeave led the men’s efforts in the 100 free with a time of 45.10.
Freshman Simon Diefenthal notched a personal best in the 200 back (1:49.83) to take eighth-place, while fellow German Hannes Heyl came on strong in the final event of the invitational, the 400 freestyle relay, swimming a lead-off split of 44.48, the team’s best time of the season.
Sophomore Luis Gonzalez rounded out the men’s action with a career-best swim in the 1650 free, 15:22.33, less than a second off the school-record time.
The Lady Tigers also received solid performances from senior Katie Gilmore and sophomores Brooke Barnett and Kannon Betzen. Gilmore placed second in the consolation final of the 100 free, touching the wall in a personal-best 49.86 seconds, and played a key role in LSU’s sixth-place finish in the 400 freestyle relay (3:20.77). Barnett swam LSU’s fifth-fastest all-time mark in the mile race, 16:45.90, to take fifth, and Betzen recorded 12th-place in the 200 breast with a time of 2:21.37.
In diving, freshman Matt Vieke placed seventh on the 10-meter platform.
2008 ART ADAMSON INVITATIONAL
Student Rec Center Natatorium
College Station, Texas
Final Standings
Men
1. Stanford ? 1,565 points
2. LSU ? 756.5
3. Purdue ? 583
4. SMU ? 389.5
5. Texas A&M ? 263
6. Washington ? 173
7. Ohio State ? 74
8. Michigan ? 12
Women
1. California ? 1,024 points
2. Texas A&M ? 919
3. Michigan ? 613.5
4. SMU ? 493
5. LSU ? 377.5
6. Purdue ? 204
7. Washington ? 168
8. Stanford ? 43
9. UCLA ? 17
10. Ohio State ? 13
Note: For the purposes of determining the final standings, Texas A&M included the opening day results, which were called into question after a pool measurement determined the pool to be an inch shorter than the regulated measurement.