The LSU swimming and diving teams broke seven records en route to a men’s sixth place finish and a women’s seventh place finish at the Southeastern Conference Championships in College Station, Texas, this weekend.
“It is a good direction that we are going in,” swimming coach Dave Geyer said in a news release. “School records and top times show that we are making improvements in our program year after year.”
All seven new records came in swimming events.
Senior Andrei Tuomola had a hand in three of them as he tied the program record in the 100 freestyle with a time of 43.22 seconds and set a new mark with a 53.02 second time in the 100 breaststroke. He was also part of the record-setting men’s 400 medley relay team including sophomores Michael Young and Frank Greef and freshman Gabe Rooker that was clocked at 3:10.42.
Tuomola is the first LSU athlete to swim the 100 freestyle that fast since former LSU coach Adam Schmitt 25 years ago.
“That has been on our record board for a while,” Geyer said. “[Tuomola] has been eyeing three records on that board. He got one, tied one and we should have a shot at NCAAs to get them all.”
The remaining four records were set in the 200 backstroke by senior Nick Kunkel (1:43.81), 200 backstroke by freshman Danielle Stirrat (1:56.76), 200 butterfly by Greeff (1:44.58) and the men’s 800 freestyle relay by the team of Greef, senior Craig Hamilton, sophomore Dillon Love and Kunkel (6:25.67).
Freshman diver Cassie Weil was named SEC Freshman Diver of the year. Weil finished fifth in the three-meter event with a score of 327.70 and sixth on the platform event with a score of 271.85. She is diving coach Doug Shaffer’s seventh diver to be honored with the award.
“It was well deserved,” Shaffer said. “She was the top freshman performer of the SEC Championships.”
The Tigers also took home two bronze medals with junior Daniel Helm’s one-meter diving score of 372.10 and Tuomola’s 100 breaststroke.
Now the Tiger swimmers await the results of conference championships around the nation to see which student-athletes will make the trip to Indianapolis, Ind., for the NCAA Championships on March 21 for the women and March 28 for the men.
“I feel good about our men’s side as far as what we can take to the NCAA meet,” Geyer said. “We will take a look at results around the nation and see where we are at with things.”
The LSU diving team will get a chance at qualifying for NCAA Championships at NCAA Zone “D” Regionals on March 11 in Houston.
