At its midseason recess, the LSU swimming and diving squads head to winter break after a monumentally successful fall semester, with the chance to accomplish even bigger feats in the spring.
The No. 14 LSU men’s team (2-1, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) finds itself ranked higher than it has been at any point under the current coaching staff of swimming coach Dave Geyer and diving coach Doug Shaffer.
The Tigers’ fall was highlighted by a first place finish in the Phil Hansel Invitational in Houston, Texas on Nov. 17, where the men’s squad bested three other programs and totaled 1047.5 points in the three-day event.
Among a host of top placements, senior Craig Hamilton finished first in the 1650-yard freestyle, sophomore Michael Young won the 200-yard backstroke and sophomore Frank Greeff won the 200-yard butterfly.
“For the midpoint in the season, those three guys are moving forward really well and excelling in the water,” Geyer said. “Craig wants to return to NCAA’s and get a top-eight finish in the mile. Frank and Michael both want that experience for the first time. They are doing everything they can to get that.”
Also at the Phil Hansel Invitational, junior diver Daniel Helm won the platform event with a score of 369.90 — the second best mark in program history — and junior Sean McKinney finished third with the program’s fifth-best all-time score.
The No. 19 Lady Tigers (5-1, 2-1 SEC) posted a fourth place finish in the Phil Hansel Invitational, with freshman diver Cassie Weil finishing in second place on the platform.
In her collegiate debut, Oct. 20 at Auburn, Weil shattered the program’s all-time three-meter mark with a 372.68 and also won the one-meter with a score of 289.13.
“Cassie Weil was truly the standout of the meet,” Shaffer said after the event. “Her debut performance was phenomenal.”
Also on the women’s side, the 400-yard medley relay team of sophomore Kätlin Sepp, junior Torrey Bussey, junior Rainey White and sophomore Amber Carter posted a LSU Natatorium record time of 3:43.21 in a first place finish.
After the squads’ final competition of the semester in the Phil Hansel Invitational, Geyer said the progress made in the fall gives him confidence for the spring.
“We are halfway through the year, and where we are compared to where we were last year, I think we are in a really good spot,” Geyer said.
LSU freshman Grant Grenfell swims the men's 200-yard backstroke during the swim meet against Alabama on November 2, 2012.
