BATON ROUGE, La. – The No. 14/18 LSU swimming and diving program is heading to Knoxville, Tenn., to compete in the 2026 SEC Swimming and Diving Championships at the Allan Jones Aquatic Center.
“We’re really excited for this championship,” said head coach Rick Bishop. “The SEC is the most competitive conference in all of college swimming. Our team is probably at the best it’s ever been, and we really feel like we’re ready to compete for spots at the NCAA level and challenge to win some events. There couldn’t be a better spot for us to be in. We’ve got a great team, and we’re looking forward to a great week.”
The Tigers will face off against the conference programs in a six-day meet, beginning on Monday, Feb. 16, and concluding on Saturday, Feb. 21.
Each day, live coverage of the meet will be streamed on SEC Network+, and live stats can be found on the MeetMobile app.
LSU holds one SEC Championship title, coming on the men’s side in 1988. Last season at the SEC Championships in Athens, Ga., the Texas Longhorns claimed the title, winning on both the men’s and women’s sides. The Tigers’ men’s and women’s squads each finished in seventh at the conference championships.
The Tigers will be led by men’s captains Jere Hribar, Jacob Pishko, and Carson Paul, as well as women’s captains Megan Barnes, Michaela de Villiers, and Sofia Sartori. Hribar currently holds the fifth-fastest time in the NCAA in the 50-free (18.75) and the fourth-fastest time in the 100-free (41.15). Sartori’s time in the 200-fly ranks 11th in the NCAA (1:53.29). Giulia Zambelli, Stepan Goncharov, and Jovan Lekic also hold top-20 times in their respective events.
The LSU men’s 200-free relay squad is slotted fifth in the NCAA (1:15.74); the 200-medley relay team sits seventh (1:22.42); and the 400-free relay squad ranks eighth (2:47.73). On the women’s side, the 200-medley relay squad sits 11th (1:35.06); the 200-free relay team ranks 12th (1:27.90); and the 800-free relay squad is also slotted at 12th (7:03.97).
The diving squad is led by Paul, who has put up season-best scores of 388.30 in the 1m, 428.60 in the 3m, and 439.75 on the platform. Other divers for the Tigers include sophomore Travis Keith, and freshmen Eve Nelson and Morgan Lalonde.
Meet Schedule (all times Central)
Monday, February 16
11 a.m. – Prelims: Men’s 1m diving
4 p.m. – Finals: Men’s 1m diving
Tuesday, February 17
10:30 a.m. – Finals: 1650-free
11 a.m. – Prelims: Women’s 1m diving
4 p.m. – Finals: 200-medley relay, 800-free relay, Women’s 1m diving
Wednesday, February 18
8:30 a.m. – Prelims: 100-back, 200-fly, 100-breast, Men’s 3m diving
4:30 p.m. – Finals: 100-back, 200-fly, 100-breast, Men’s 3m diving
Thursday, February 19
8:30 a.m. – Prelims: 100-fly, 400-IM, 200-free, Women’s 3m diving
4:30 p.m. – Finals: 100-fly, 400-IM, 200-free, Women’s 3m diving, 400-medley relay
Friday, February 20
8:30 a.m. – Prelims: 200-breast, 50-free, 500-free, Men’s platform diving
4:30 p.m. – Finals: 200-breast, 50-free, 500-free, Men’s platform diving, 200-free relay
Saturday, February 21
8:30 a.m. – Prelims: 200-IM, 100-free, 200-back, Women’s platform
4:30 p.m. – Finals: 200-IM, 100-free, 200-back, Women’s platform, 400-free relay