BATON ROUGE — The LSU swimming and diving teams are back in action this weekend as the Lady Tigers make the short trek to New Orleans to face in-state rival Tulane on Friday, and both teams duel Florida State in the home opener Saturday at the LSU Natatorium.
Friday’s meet between the Lady Tigers (2-1) and Green Wave (1-2) will begin at 6 p.m. (CT) in the Reily Center Natatorium.
Saturday’s home opener against the Seminoles will start at 11 a.m. In addition to the meet, Mike the Tiger and the LSU cheerleaders will be in attendance. Admission is free.
The LSU Natatorium is located at the corner of West Chimes Street and Nicholson Drive next to the tennis practice courts and the Carl Maddox Field House.
“We are excited for the meets on Friday and Saturday,” co-head coach David Geyer said. “Saturday’s meet should be one of the best matchups of the season for both the men’s and women’s teams. It will come down to getting our hands on the wall first and racing at our best level.
“We perform well in our pool, and the team is excited to have a meet in our house. We look forward to welcoming Florida State head coach Neil Harper, an LSU alumnus, back home and his Seminole squad as well.”
The Lady Tigers enjoyed a nice start to the season, winning two of their first three dual meets last weekend against Southeastern Conference foe Alabama and Big East power Notre Dame. Senior Jane Trepp, sophomores Rebecca St. Germain and Amanda Kendall and freshman Torrey Bussey spearheaded the women’s efforts.
Trepp raced to victory in three events last weekend and registered an NCAA provisional mark of 22.95 seconds in the 50-yard freestyle off the first leg of the 200 free relay. That mark is currently fifth in the country and second in the conference.
St. Germain swept the one-meter diving competition in back-to-back days at Auburn and Alabama and qualified for the NCAA Zone Diving Regional. The San Antonio native also claimed a pair of runner-up finishes in the three-meter. Her top score of 298.50 in the one-meter is currently second in the conference, and her three-meter mark of 322.58 is fifth.
Kendall’s time of 50.50 in the 100 free versus Auburn and Notre Dame is third in the SEC and tied for 10th in the nation, while her top time of 1:49.83 in the 200 free is also a top-25 time nationally.
Bussey had a stellar debut, recording a trio of victories in the 100 and 200 breaststroke and 200 individual medley in the Lady Tigers’ win over Alabama and another title in the 200 I.M. versus Auburn and Notre Dame. The Cary, N.C., native is currently in the nation’s top 20 in all three races.
Sophomore Sara Haley also had a good start, seizing a victory in the 200 butterfly at Alabama with an NCAA ‘B’ cut mark of 2:00.00, which currently ranks her in the top 15 nationally.
The LSU men (0-2) fell to Auburn and Alabama last weekend, but several Tigers stood out with solid early-season performances.
No swimmer in the conference has been faster than senior Hannes Heyl in the 100 fly through the first three weeks of the season. The German posted a provisional mark and the fourth-fastest time in the country in the 100 fly, 48.27, to take the victory against Auburn and also earned wins in the 100 fly and 100 backstroke at Alabama.
Senior Clint Hallum, junior Simon Diefenthal, sophomores Craig Hamilton and Andrei Tuomola and freshman Michael Saco also swam to victory last weekend.
Furthermore, the 200 medley relay foursome of James Meyers, Tuomola, Heyl and Saco emerged victorious at Alabama with a ‘B’ cut mark of 1:29.45.
In diving, junior Brian Gemberling and freshman Daniel Helm reached NCAA Zone qualifying scores versus Auburn.
Gemberling also took second in the three-meter (330.60) at Alabama and second in the one-meter at Auburn (341.48). Helm delivered a runner-up finish in the one-meter against the Crimson Tide with a 322.20 score.
The Tulane women picked up their first victory of the season on Oct. 15 when they defeated cross-town foe New Orleans, 117-76. Freshman Rachel Ranson and sophomore Allie Evans each had two wins apiece to lead the Green Wave.
The Seminole men (3-0) and women (5-0) are undefeated on the season. Senior All-Americans Rob Holderness and Ian Rowe are the men’s top returnees, while junior backstroker Stephanie Sarandos leads the women.