COLLEGE STATION, Texas — The 18th-ranked LSU men’s swimming and diving team earned its sixth consecutive dual-meet victory Saturday, holding off Texas A&M, 155-145, in College Station, Texas. The eighth-ranked Texas A&M women defeated the Lady Tigers, 182-110.
The LSU men (6-1) posted a crucial 1-2-3 finish in the 200-yard individual medley, the final individual race of the afternoon, to seal the victory. The Tigers’ current six-meet winning streak is the longest single-season streak in more than 14 years.
Seniors Monica McJunkin and Victoria Givens each recorded victories to lead the Lady Tigers (4-3-1) in the defeat.
“First off, I have to give a lot of credit to our men’s team,” LSU head coach Adam Schmitt said. “Going into a hostile environment in College Station and coming away with a win is quite a feat for them. We’ve now won six in a row, which is pretty exciting.
“I thought our women’s team could have posted some better times, but hopefully, this is something we can learn from to get us mentally tougher for our conference meet.”
With the men’s competition up for grabs, senior Julius Gloeckner swam to victory in the 200 IM with a time of 1 minute, 50.59 seconds, and sophomore Clint Hallum and junior Sean LeNeave followed in second and third, respectively, to put the Tigers ahead for good.
Gloeckner emerged victorious in the 200 butterfly and 200 breaststroke as well. The German’s winning time in the 200 fly, 1:48.53, was his fastest effort of the season.
Sophomores Hannes Heyl and Luis Gonzalez also played critical roles in the Tigers’ victory as each registered a pair of victories on the afternoon. Heyl captured both backstroke races, while Gonzalez swam a season-best time of 9:24.03 in the 1000 freestyle and a season best of 4:34.30 in the 500 free to take first-place in both events.
Moreover, senior Christoph Lubenau won the 100 fly (48.74), and senior diver Niko Dalman tallied a season-high 381.15 points in the three-meter to place second.
On the women’s side, McJunkin topped the field in the 100 backstroke with mark of 56.63, while Givens seized first-place in the 200 breast, touching the wall in 2:20.77.
Senior Katie Gilmore swam to a runner-up finish in the 50 free, posting the team’s best time of the season in that race, 23.38. Sophomore Kannon Betzen improved her season best in the 200 IM with a time of 2:07.41 to finish second.
LSU wraps up the regular season with the LSU Invitational, beginning Friday in the LSU Natatorium. The men’s team will battle the University of New Orleans, while the Lady Tigers will compete against UNO, Houston and Rice. Friday’s start time is scheduled for 4 p.m. (CST). Saturday’s action will begin at 11 a.m.