The LSU-Alabama rivalry will make its way into the LSU Natatorium as the Tigers’ swimming and diving teams try to turn the tide of their season and earn their first victories against the Crimson Tide at 3 p.m. today.Alabama’s men (1-1) are trying to rebound from a loss to Florida State and Alabama’s women haven’t lost this season. The Tigers (0-1, 0-1) and Lady Tigers (0-2,0-2) join the football, volleyball, and ice hockey teams as LSU squads facing Alabama this weekend. LSU coach Adam Schmitt said the swimming and diving teams purposely scheduled this meet the same weekend as the LSU-Alabama football game.”We do that to hopefully get the tailgaters and people around campus to come and check out swimming,” Schmitt said. “A lot of these fans have never seen a swim meet. I think they’d be pleasantly surprised to see how entertaining it is and how fun it is to watch.”LSU senior Brandon Selts said the meet has a little more buzz because it is a rivalry. “A lot of the guys just really want to beat them when they come to town or whenever we see them,” Selts said. “Any SEC school really — but it is just something special with Alabama. It is just one of those deals where we just want to step up.”Schmitt said the teams schedule the location of the meet based on which football team has a home game. He said when he arrived at LSU, Alabama coach Eric McQullham told him it was something the teams had been doing.LSU senior Katie Gilmore said she always looks forward to the dual meet with Alabama.The Loxley, Ala., native said the last trip the Tigers made to Alabama, where the men and women came out on top 194-106, 172-127, respectively, was exciting. “Last year, walking around the Alabama campus, we were getting booed, and things were thrown at us,” Gilmore said. “It was just a lot of fun, and we got pumped up.” Gilmore said she also gets to see some of her former teammates when the team faces the Tide.”Some I was on a zone team with, it is like a different competition in club swimming, so a lot of them are my friends — but it is a we’re not friends until the end of the meet kind of thing.” Gilmore joked.
 
 
 
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