LSU Gold

Tigers Shine in Day 1 of the Rocky Mountain Invitational

by Kirby Koch
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Tigers Shine in Day 1 of the Rocky Mountain Invitational

COLORADO SPRINGS – The LSU swimming and diving team returned to action Friday as they participated in Day One of the Rocky Mountain Invitational in Colorado Springs, CO at the Air Force Academy’s Cadet Natatorium.

“It was a great experience to be here at Colorado Springs and the Air Force Academy,” head swimming coach Rick Bishop said. “The team raced really well; they learned a lot about how to race at altitude and under adverse conditions. While at times we’re solid, they weren’t as fast as everyone wanted but still very good performances. Our learning in terms of how to deal with lack of oxygen and still getting up and racing against really good competition. It’s just making us better as a team, and we’re excited about tomorrow and the opportunity going forward.”

“I couldn’t be happier with our performance on this the 22nd day of October,” head diving coach Doug Shaffer added. “This a great challenge for us, which will make us stronger!”

IN THE POOL

The Tigers began the meet with an impressive start as both the men and women won the 200-yard medley relay with times of 1:29.46 and 1:43.16. In the 200-yard IM, Hannah Bellina finished first with a time of 2:06.58, while David Boylan and Emil Hassling finished first and second with times of 1:52.47 and 1:52.69, respectively.

In the 50-yard free, the Curry siblings both placed first with Peyton finishing with a time of 23.45 and Brooks finishing with a time of 19.59. In the long-distance event 500-yard free, Jolee Liles finished second with a time of 5:04.69.

For the 200-yard fly, freshman Jenna Bridges grabbed her first win with a time of 2:05.76, while Bellina finished behind her with a time of 2:06.68. In the 100-yard breaststroke Emilie Boll finished second with a time of 1:04.78. For the men, Mitch Mason and Aaron Parrott claimed first and second with times of 55.45 and 55.67.

In the 200-yard free, Katarina Milutinovich placed first with a time of 1:50.90, while for the men Emil Hassling claimed second place with a time of 1:42.45. For the 100-yard back, Sarah Grace Thompson finished second with a time of 57.46, while the men took the top-3 spots. Freshman Griffin Curtis finished first with a time of 49.88, James Henderson placed second with a time of 51.15, and Nicholas Toepfer claimed third with a time of 51.21.

In the final event of the night, the women’s ‘A’ relay team claimed first place in the 400-yard free with a time of 3:26.61.

ON THE BOARDS

Divers competed in two events overall with a remaining exhibition competition on the platform. The men competed on the one-meter springboard, where Juan Celaya-Hernandez claimed first place with a score of 437.05. Freshman Adrian Abadia finished second with a score of 356.80, while freshman Zayne Danielewicz placed fourth, finishing with a score of 300.95.

For the women, they competed on the three-meter springboard, where the Tigers took the top-3 spots. Anne Tuxen finished first with a score of 320.85 and Montserrat Gutierrez Lavenant placed second with a score of 316.55. Freshman Maggie Buckley claimed third place with a score of 312.10.

Day 1 Final Result Totals (LSU Men vs. Opponent)
vs. Wyoming (144-42)
vs. Denver (132-54)
vs. Air Force (122-64)

Day 1 Final Result Totals (LSU Women vs. Opponent)
vs. Wyoming (140-46)
vs. Denver (128-58)
vs. Air Force (147-39)

UP NEXT

The Tigers return to the Cadet Natatorium Saturday at 10:00 a.m. MT to compete in the following events:

400 Medley Relay
400 IM
Women’s One-Meter
100 Free
200 Back
200 Breast
Women’s Three Meter
100 Fly
1000 Free
200 Freestyle Relay
Women’s Platform – Exhibition

LIVE STATS

Swimming results can be found on Meet Mobile

Diving: lsul.su/3B0iQwm