After four days of rest, the LSU swimming and diving teams are returning to action to compete in the Art Adamson Invitational in College Station, Texas, from Nov. 20-22.
Both the men’s (1-3, 0-3 Southeastern Conference) and women’s (3-2, 1-2 Southeastern Conference) teams are coming off impressive performances against Incarnate Word on Nov. 15. The women’s team defeated the Lady Cardinals, 203-92, while the men’s team won 188-104.
The men’s and women’s teams placed in several top spots at the meet. The swimming teams swept in eight different events throughout the meet: men and women’s 200-freestyle, men and women’s 100-backstroke, women’s 200-butterfly, women’s 200-backstroke, men’s 200-breaststroke and men’s 100-butterfly.
Senior swimmer Frank Greeff and sophomore swimmer Kara Kopcso both placed first in three events. Greeff said last Saturday’s meet was a good swim across the board and a momentum booster going into the Art Adamson Invitational.
Greeff said he was pleased with his times during the Incarnate Word meet, despite not racing in his usual individual medley, butterfly and freestyle events. He said his personal outing in off-events gave him a mental lift and allowed him to realize how his versatility can be utilized in future meets.
“I’m happy with the times I put up for this time of the season,” Greeff said. “I think it’s a good spot to be at to kind of mentally help me get the confidence for the [Art Adamson Invitational], knowing that [these are other events] I can do. Personally, I was really satisfied with what I swam and the times I went.”
Swimming coach Dave Geyer said the elite competition from the different schools at this meet will help gauge where the team stands at the midway point of the season. He said an increased amount of rest during the past four days was key in preparing for the three-day meet.
“I told the team [the past few days that this] is a time to be a little bit selfish in terms of their needs,” Geyer said. “At this point, they know their bodies better than most, and what works for them and what doesn’t work for them in terms of getting some natural rest into the meet.”
Based on how the meet is formatted, consisting of a preliminary stage and the final round, Geyer said he’s looking to see how the team makes adjustments and improvements over the course of the three days.
Diving coach Doug Shaffer said the divers have trained well and continued to progress forward into midseason competition. He said he’s excited about this meet because not only is it the team’s first time competing in the platform events, but it is also the perfect time for the team to set itself up for upcoming invitational meets leading up to the postseason.
Shaffer said although the physical work the team puts into practice and training is essential, its mental approach is more important. He said the different shifts throughout an event will demand a lot from the divers, both mentally and emotionally.
“The length of our competitions can be physically demanding, but it’s not like we’re doing weights and training for three hours a day,” Shaffer said. “That can be physically more demanding,” “When you put it all together, the ups and downs of competition [will] test our minds a little bit more in our preparation.”