The LSU swimming and diving teams have been waiting a long time to get back into competition mode.
They finally got a chance to show what they could do with meets against Auburn, Notre Dame and Alabama on Friday and Saturday.
The Lady Tigers (2-1) opened up the new season with a 155-142 win over Notre Dame but fell Saturday to Auburn, 175-123. They got their first Southeastern Conference win since the 2008 season in Tuscaloosa the next day with a 198-101 win over Alabama.
The Tigers (0-2) didn’t fare so well, falling 212-88 to Auburn, the reigning SEC champions. They kept it closer against Alabama but lost 161-139.
The Tigers haven’t participated in a meet since they finished 16th in the Men’s NCAA Championships on March 28. It’s been even longer for the Lady Tigers, who finished in a tie for 30th in the Women’s NCAA Championships on March 20.
It’s been quite an offseason with the resignation of former head coach Adam Schmitt and the promotion of David Geyer and Doug Shaffer to head coaches.
“The Lady Tigers pulled one through in the end against Notre Dame, and we had some good results,” Geyer said in a news release. “On the men’s side, we had some first-meet jitters and got behind early, but we fought back and did the things we needed to compete and showed some heart and desire throughout the meet.”
LSU’s All-American senior Jane Trepp had three victories, winning the 50-yard freestyle twice and the 100-yard butterfly. Sophomore Amanda Kendall won the 200-yard freestyle twice and the 100-yard freestyle.
Freshman swimmer Torrey Bussey had a successful start to her career, winning the women’s 200-yard individual medley twice, along with the 100-yard and 200-yard breaststroke events.
Sophomore diver Rebecca St. Germain, last season’s SEC Freshman Diver of the Year, picked up right where she left off with two wins in the one-meter springboard. Her score qualified her for the NCAA Zone Diving Regional.
On the men’s side, sophomore Craig Hamilton won the men’s 500-yard freestyle and the 1,000-yard freestyle on Friday.
The Lady Tigers won 13 of 16 events on Saturday to emerge victorious against Alabama, while the Tigers won seven events in their loss.
“The Lady Tigers came out from the beginning and raced well throughout the meet to take the victory,” Geyer said in a news release. “The men had another great battle with Alabama. We knew it was going to be a slug fest, and we were in a position to win in the end but came up short.”
Junior diver Brian Gemberling and freshman Daniel Helm joined St. Germain with qualifying scores for the NCAA Zone Diving Regional.
 
 
 
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Contact Katherine Terrell at [email protected]