The LSU women’s swimming and diving team swept the competition this weekend, defeating Houston 278-75, Tulane 287-65 and Rice 223-124 in Houston, Texas.
The Lady Tigers beat each squad by 99 points. They can attribute these blowout wins to the fast start they had Friday night.
LSU took nine of the 11 events Friday with help from a pair of strong performances on the diving board by junior Alex Bettridge and sophomore Cassie Weil.
Bettridge scored a win on the 1-meter dive, recording a 308.50, with Weil finishing fourth in that same event, scoring a 264.50.
Weil went on to record a win of her own on the 3-meter dive with a score of 331.50.
The strong diving performances were complemented by great performances in the pool.
The Lady Tigers also got off to a hot start in swimming, finishing first and second in the 200-yard medley relay.
Junior Amber Carter earned one of her two wins in the 100-yard butterfly, clocking in at 53.81 seconds. Carter was accompanied by senior teammate Torrey Bussey, who finished the same event in third with a time of 54.81.
In the next event, Lady Tigers’ junior swimmers Katlin Sepp and Jennifer Reese finished first and second in the 100-yard backstroke with Sepp finishing at the 55.45 mark and Reese at the 55.60 mark.
Freshman Kara Kopcso got on the board receiving her first of two wins of the night in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:49.01. Her teammates, sophomores Stacey Stanfield and Megan Cox, were able to finish second and third for a one, two, three finish.
Kopcso continued her dominant season, recording her second win Friday night in the 200-yard individual medley earning a time of 2:00.38, marking her season best in that event.
The Lady Tigers finished their successful day one on Friday winning in the 400-yard freestyle relay, and LSU swimming coach Dave Geyer said he was happy with what he saw.
“I think the women were in a great spot mentally when we got to the pool on Friday,” Geyer said. “They were loose, they were having fun and they were in their own element.”
The Lady Tigers began action again on Saturday morning to a slower start than the one they had Friday night.
Geyer said the start to the meet on Saturday was sluggish for them. The Lady Tigers recorded two top three finishes in the first two events compared to three top three finishes in the first two events on Friday.
LSU turned the slow start around when sophomore Danielle Stirrat finished first in the 200-yard backstroke, clocking in at 1:56.96.
“Stirrat had a terrific meet,” Geyer said. “She posted the fastest time in the 200 freestyle on Friday and followed that up with a great 200 backstroke today.”
Kopcso stood out again on Saturday getting her third win of the weekend in the 400-yard individual medley with a time of 4:23.51 and increasing her team-high total to 11 wins of the year.
“[Kopcso] had another solid meet and it’s fun to watch,” Geyer said. “The whole women’s team brings their own significance to the team. … They all understand their roles and are willing to make contributions to the team.”
This week signifies the end of many Lady Tigers’ careers. Geyer said he is appreciative of the seniors as they finished out their careers putting forth a positive attitude and finishing with great swims.
After a strong outing this weekend by the women and an already finished regular season for the men, LSU swimming and diving will continue to train for the start of the Southeastern Conference Championships, which begin on Feb. 18.