The LSU swimming and diving team is set to take on Texas A&M on Saturday in what will be a senior day meet for both squads.
LSU swimming coach Dave Geyer said that senior day is his favorite dual meet of the year as it allows LSU to send off athletes who have represented the program well.
Geyer also noted the importance of overcoming the emotion that senior day can bring and putting out a good performance.
Texas A&M is ranked No. 2 in the country on the women’s side, and the squad includes Cammile Adams, who competed in the 2012 Olympics.
“[Texas] A&M is a top 5 program in the country on the women’s side, and on the men’s side they have a strong senior class. … It’s going to be a heck of a dual meet on that side,” Geyer said.
The LSU men are coming off a 185-112 win against SMU, while the women joined in on the victory against Oklahoma Baptist on Jan. 11.
Senior diver Sean McKinney was a huge part of both of those victories, earning him Southeastern Conference Male Diver of the Week honors.
“I think it’s very deserving for Sean,” said LSU diving coach Doug Shaffer in a press release. “He’s broken the record two times this year so it’s a show of his improvement. We came off a grueling schedule. He deserved it another time this year, but he has continued to persevere and eventually it came around. I’m proud of him for continuing to push and try to reach his goals.”
McKinney broke the school record on the 3-meter with a score of 425.70 against Oklahoma Baptist. This is the second time this season that McKinney has broken the record. In the meet against SMU, McKinney finished second on the 1-meter with a score of 349.35 and third on the 3-meter with a 360.23.
However, both the women ‘s and men’s squads are going into Saturday’s matchup at less than full strength.
“Our big obstacle this week is to get healthy,” Geyer said. “We’ve lost a few people already this week, and it seems that a bug is going around so I just hope we got a full roster come Saturday.”
All eyes are on the SEC Championships as the team heads into the second semester, and Geyer said any meet this semester helps the team swim a little faster.
“If we stay on focus and do what we need to do, it should be a great meet and the results will take care of itself,” Geyer said.
The Saturday senior day meet begins at 1 p.m. in the Natatorium.