BATON ROUGE, La. – A total of eight Tigers from the swimming and diving program walked across the graduation stage Friday morning at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
Swimmers Megan Barnes (Information Systems and Analytics), Chloe Cheng (Animal Sciences), Andrew Garon (Computer Engineering), Stuart Higdon (Agricultural Business), and Sofia Sartori (Sport Administration) all earned a bachelor’s degree. All five Tiger swimmers have been with the program for four seasons. Graduate Assistant Delaney Crowder, who has been with the Tigers for two seasons, earned a Master’s of Sport Administration.
Barnes, a native of London, England, qualified for the NCAA Championships every season and is an SEC Champion in the 400-free relay. She has received five All-American honors for her relay performances at NCAAs. Barnes also holds two school records individually (200-free, 500-free) and two as part of a relay team (400-free relay, 800-free relay).
Cheng, a Hong Kong native, swam with the Tigers for four seasons. At the 2026 SEC Championships, she earned a spot in the A Final of the 200-IM, where she placed eighth, earning important points for the squad.
Garon, a native of League City, Texas, is a two-time qualifier for the NCAA Championships, representing the Tigers in four different relay events. He anchored the All-American 200-free relay squad in 2025.
Higdon, a Tallahassee, Florida native, spent all four years with the Tigers. He competed in eight different individual events in his senior season, notably earning points for the Purple and Gold at the 2026 SEC Championships in the 200-fly.
Sartori, a native of San Bonifacio, Verona, Italy, qualified for the NCAA Championships in her junior and senior seasons. In 2026, she earned All-American status in the 200-fly. She also holds the school record in the 200-fly.
Kilian Bishop (Business) and Thomas Dowling (Chemistry) also earned a bachelor’s degree on Friday. Both Bishop and Dowling competed with the Tigers in past seasons.
For the latest news on LSU swimming and diving, fans can follow the team’s social media outlets at lsuswimdive on Facebook, Instagram, and X. Fans can also donate to the Excellence Fund here.