BATON ROUGE — Six athletes from the 17th-ranked LSU men’s swimming and diving team will make the trip to College Station, Texas to compete in the 2009 NCAA Men’s Championships, which begin Thursday at Texas A&M’s Student Rec Center Natatorium.
Seniors Christoph Lubenau, Julius Gloeckner, Niko Dalman and Brandon Selts, junior Sean LeNeave and sophomore Hannes Heyl will represent the squad at the three-day competition. The preliminaries will begin at noon (CDT) each day, and the finals will follow at 7 p.m. each night. A link to live video and live results will be posted on www.LSUsports.net.
“We are excited to be at the men’s NCAA Championships,” LSU head coach Adam Schmitt said. “The men are ready and looking to carry over the success of the women from last week. We have multiple chances to score and get into that top 20, and the guys are shooting for that goal.”
The LSU men will look to tally a number of points in relay competition much like the Lady Tigers did to finish 16th at the women’s meet last week. The Tigers have earned top-16 seeds in both the 200- and 400-yard freestyle relays and plan to exercise their option to enter squads in the medley relays.
However, several athletes figure to do some damage in individual competition as well.
Lubenau and Gloeckner each have the potential to go after first-team All-America honors in their respective trademark events. Lubenau, a two-time All-American who won the consolation final of the 100 butterfly at NCAA’s last year, is hoping to break into the top-eight and contend for a national title in the event this season. The German is seeded 11th with his blistering school-record time of 45.99 seconds.
Gloeckner, who owns four individual school records, holds the nation’s 13th-fastest time in the 400 individual medley (3:45.10), a race he claimed first-team All-America recognition in two years ago. Furthermore, the three-time All-American will race in the 200 IM and 200 butterfly.
Dalman, the school record-holder in one- and three-meter diving, qualified for the meet with his performance at the Zone ?B’ Diving Regional a couple of weeks ago. A fifth-year senior from Auburn, Wash., Dalman is making his third appearance at NCAA’s and left with All-America accolades in each of his previous two occasions.
The wildcard in the equation is Heyl, who qualified in three separate disciplines ? the 100 backstroke, 100 butterfly and 100 freestyle. The sophomore captured All-America honors in the 100 fly last year along with Lubenau and will likely lead off every relay.
Moreover, Selts, the anchor of the men’s All-America 200 freestyle relay squad last season, figures to play that role once again this year and will race in the 50 sprint. LeNeave will be a significant contributor in relay competition.
2009 NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships ? Schedule of Events
Thursday, March 26
Prelims – 12 p.m. (CDT)
200-yard Freestyle Relay
500-yard Freestyle
200-yard Individual Medley
50-yard Freestyle
400-yard Medley Relay
One-meter Diving
Finals – 7 p.m.
200-yard Freestyle Relay
500-yard Freestyle
200-yard Individual Medley
50-yard Freestyle
One-meter Diving
400-yard Medley Relay
Friday, March 27
Prelims – 12 p.m.
200-yard Medley Relay
400-yard Individual Medley
100-yard Butterfly
200-yard Freestyle
100-yard Breaststroke
100-yard Backstroke
800-yard Freestyle Relay
Three-meter Diving
Finals – 7 p.m.
200-yard Medley Relay
400-yard Individual Medley
100-yard Butterfly
200-yard Freestyle
100-yard Breaststroke
100-yard Backstroke
Three-meter Diving
800-yard Freestyle Relay
Saturday, March 28
Prelims – 12 p.m.
200-yard Backstroke
100-yard Freestyle
200-yard Breaststroke
200-yard Butterfly
400-yard Freestyle Relay
Platform Diving
1,650-yard Freestyle
Finals – 7 p.m.
1,650-yard Freestyle
200-yard Backstroke
100-yard Freestyle
200-yard Breaststroke
200-yard Butterfly
Platform Diving
400-yard Freestyle Relay