BATON ROUGE – Ten LSU swimmers will compete at the 2011 ConocoPhillips USA Swimming National Championship staged at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif. August 2-6.
Along with selecting this year’s USA Swimming National Champions, the event will serve as a selection meet for the 2011 Pan American Games, set for October 15-22 in Guadalajara, Mexico.
“We are excited for the culmination of the summer season,” Co-Head Coach Dave Geyer said. “We had a core group of athletes that stayed in Baton Rouge, not only to excel in the water, but also in the classroom. All of these athletes are going to try to get their Trial cuts for next year or perform a time that will put them into national consideration for their respective country. It’s a big meet, but a very different setting compared to our conference championships and NCAAs.”
Junior Amanda Kendall will compete in four events over the course of the week: 100 meter butterfly, 200m freestyle, 50m free and 100m free. Kendall swam to a 100 fly time of 1:01.28 and finished 23rd overall in last year’s US Nationals. She tied for seventh at the 2011 NCAA Championships while earning First-Team All-America Honors with her performance in the 100yd fly. She looks to translate her success on short course yards to long course meters competition and improve from her lifetime 100m fly best of 1:00.87.
Kendall, LSU’s record holder in the 100yd free and the 200yd free, qualified for US Nationals in the 50m free and the 100m free with her spring double performance earlier this month at the Texas Senior Circuit #4. She posted a time of 25.84 in the 50 free as well as a time of 55.78 in the 100 free.
Junior Sara Haley, LSU’s record holder in the 200yd fly, will join Kendall in the 100m fly and will also compete in the 200m fly. She registered a time of 1:02.28 in the 100 fly and a time of 2:15.71 at the Texas Senior Circuit #4.
Edinburgh, Scotland native junior Craig Hamilton will compete in the 400m free and the 1500m free. Hamilton emerged as LSU’s best distance swimmer his sophomore year and carries international experience. He competed for the prestigious British Gas Open Water in the 2009 FINA World Championships.
Hamilton qualified for US Nationals in the 400m free with his performance earlier in June at the LA TAQ Summer Classic and in the 1500m free at NCAA Championships. He clocked in at 4:03.78 in the 400m free and at 15:02.32 in the 1650yd free while setting the school record.
Fellow Edinburgh, Scotland native, junior Sally Wood, will compete in both the 200m and 400m individual medley. Wood carries international experience as a qualifier for Great Britain’s Olympic Trials in 2008 and as member of Scotland’s Tri-Nations team in 2009.
Wood qualified for US Nationals in the 200m IM at SEC Championships with a 200yd IM time of 2:01.75. She qualified in the 400m IM at the LA TAQ Summer Classic with a time of 4:55.54.
Junior Chelsea Griffiths brings experience from her participation at 2010 US Nationals. She will compete in the 100m back after cranking out a 100yd time of 55.42 at SEC Championships.
Junior Audrey Lawson also brings experience from her participation in the 2009 US Open and the 2010 ConocoPhillips USA Swimming National Championship. She will compete in the 200m fly following her time of 2:16.13 at the Texas Senior Circuit #4.
Junior Jana Ruimerman will compete in the 100m back and the 200m back following a successful season where she earned NCAA All-America Honorable Mention in the 200yd back en route to posting the second fastest mark in school history. She qualified for this event at the LA TAQ Summer Classic following a time of 2:18.10 in the 200m back. She qualified for the 100m back at NCAA Championships after swimming a personal best of 54.58 in back leg of the 200yd medley relay.
Junior Nick Kunkel, one of two LSU scorers in the 200yd back at SEC Championships and top-10 program record holder in the 100yd back and 200yd back, will compete in the long course meter version of those events. He scored times of 49.22 in the 100yd back and 1:46.74 in the 200yd back at SEC Championships.
Sophomore Jessica Kopcso will swim in the 100m breast. She recorded an NCAA-cut in the 100yd breast (1:02.89) and finished 19th at SEC Championships to register a qualifying time for US Nationals.
Sophomore Emily Schwabe will challenge her opponents in the 200m breast after qualifying with a 200yd breast time of 2:15.33 and a 15th place finish SEC Championships.
For more information, please visit usaswimming.com
Schedule of events:
*LSU athlete participating
August 2
W 100m Butterfly*
M 400m Freestyle*
W 200m Individual Medley*
M 100m Breaststroke
W 400m Freestyle
M 400m Individual Medley
M 4x100m Free Relay
August 3
W 100m Backstroke*
M 200m Freestyle
M 100m Backstroke*
W 200m Freestyle*
M 200m Butterfly
W 4x100m Free Relay
August 4
W 100m Breaststroke*
M 100m Butterfly
W 50m Freestyle*
M 50m Freestyle
W 400m Individual Medley*
W 4x200m Free Relay
August 5
M 100m Freestyle
W 200m Butterfly*
M 200m Individual Medley
W 200m Backstroke*
W 800m Free/ M 1500m Free (heats)*
M 4X200m Free Relay
August 6
W 800m Free (Final)
W 100m Freestyle*
M 200m Backstroke*
W 200m Breaststroke*
M 200m Breaststroke
M 1500m Free (Final)*
M/W 4x100m Medley Relays*