BATON ROUGE — The LSU women’s swimming team will be sending its largest contingent to the NCAA Championships in at least 15 years as eight qualifiers and one relay alternate have been invited to the 2011 national meet, it was announced Wednesday.
Seniors Jane Trepp and Kannon Betzen, junior Samantha Goates, sophomores Amanda Kendall, Jana Ruimerman and Sara Haley and freshmen Cari Blalock and Torrey Bussey received invitations to the meet, while freshman Rainey White will serve as a relay alternate.
Women’s divers Rebecca St. Germain and Elle Schmidt have the opportunity to push LSU’s NCAA roster to double digits if either qualifies for the meet at the Zone ‘D’ Regional in Austin, Texas, from March 11-13.
The women’s NCAA Championships will be held from March 17-19 at the University of Texas’ Jamail Center in Austin.
“Having eight swimmers qualify for the NCAA Championships this year is a thrill,” co-head coach David Geyer said. “We knew going into this season that the talent and potential for the women was there.
“We had some setbacks early on, but a number of athletes stepped up into larger roles for the program, and now they get their chance to compete at NCAA’s. This is a great way for two of our seniors to finish their collegiate careers, and we are excited about the youth in our qualifiers as well.”
Trepp and Kendall headline the group as both will enter the meet as potential first-team All-America candidates in their three individual events and will spearhead the Lady Tiger relays.
Trepp, the 2011 Southeastern Conference champion and league record-holder in the 100-yard breaststroke (58.94 seconds), is seeded third in the 50 freestyle (21.97), fourth in the 100 breast and seventh in the 100 butterfly (52.11). Kendall, who earned four medals at the conference meet, is ranked fourth in the 100 free (47.90), sixth in the 50 free (22.04) and eighth in the 100 fly (52.14).
Goates will be instrumental to the Lady Tiger relay efforts and will compete in the 50 and 100 free.
Haley and Blalock qualified for the meet with their top times in the 200 fly. Haley, the program record-holder in the 200 fly (1:56.82), will also swim the 100 fly and 500 free, while Blalock will race in the 200 and 400 individual medley events in addition to the 200 fly. Both also have the potential to play roles in relay competition.
Bussey earned an invitation with her school-record mark of 1:58.23 in the 200 IM and will also compete in the 100 and 200 breaststrokes races, while Ruimerman will lead off both medley relays and take part in the 100 and 200 backstroke.
Betzen will swim a leg on at least one freestyle relay squad in addition to competing in the 100 breast and 200 IM, while White may see action in the 200 free relay.
The official psych sheet for the men’s NCAA Championships will be released Wednesday, March 9.