BATON ROUGE — The nationally-ranked LSU men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams will return to home action Saturday at noon (CST) when they take on Big 12 powerhouse Texas A&M in the LSU Natatorium.
LSU will also celebrate Senior Day and honor the seven seniors on the men’s and women’s squads prior to the meet. The ceremony will begin at approximately 11:40 a.m.
“We are looking forward to honoring a great group of seniors who have been instrumental in shaping this program over the past four years,” LSU head coach Adam Schmitt said. “It’s also great to have such a top-flight program coming in to compete again. We love to bring in elite programs like Texas A&M because it helps us prepare at a very high level, and it should be another great competition.
“Last year in College Station, our men’s meet was very close, and it may very well come down to the wire again this season.”
The men’s meet between No. 17 LSU (2-5) and No. 19 Texas A&M could shape up to be a highly-competitive affair that could come down to a few key events down the stretch. The Tigers will be seeking big performances from juniors Hannes Heyl and Clint Hallum, sophomore diver Brian Gemberling and team co-captains Sean LeNeave and James Meyers.
Heyl and Hallum are fresh off fine efforts against No. 6 Florida two weeks ago in which both posted victories and season-best times, while Gemberling swept both springboard diving events en route to SEC Diver of the Week honors on Jan. 12. LeNeave and Meyers figure to play an important role in their respective events and relay competition.
The Tigers will also need several freshmen to step up in order to emerge victorious.
The 24th-ranked LSU women (3-5) will race the sixth-ranked Texas A&M women for the second time this season as the Lady Tigers went up against the Aggies at the University of Houston’s Cougar Classic Fall Invitational in November.
Sophomore Mary Beck and junior Jane Trepp lead the women’s team into the competition. Beck enjoyed her best meet of the season when she raced against several of the Aggies’ elite athletes in November as she swam to a pair of school records and four NCAA provisional qualifying marks. Trepp spearheaded the Lady Tigers against No. 7 Florida in their last competition with two victories in the 100-yard butterfly and 100 breaststroke.
Like the men, the women’s freshmen will be critical to the team’s success. Amanda Kendall, Sara Haley and Jana Ruimerman are among the freshmen who will be counted on to deliver fast swims, and divers Rebecca St. Germain and Elle Schmidt will be instrumental on the boards.
Admission to all LSU swimming and diving meets is free. The venue is located at the corner of Nicholson Drive and W. Chimes Street (near the Carl Maddox Field House). In addition to the Senior Day festivities, Mike the Tiger and the LSU cheerleaders will be on hand to cheer on the squads.