Two members of the LSU swimming and diving teams have left the team for undisclosed personal reasons.
The Lady Tigers have been down two swimmers ever since Mary Beck and Morgan McGee informed coach David Geyer of their decisions to leave the team a few weeks ago.
“Morgan and Mary have swam since they were 4, 5, 6 years old,” Geyer said. “This is one of those sports where day in and day out, following that black line can get tough.”
Geyer said their decisions didn’t necessarily shock him, but it still felt a little unexpected. He said the entire team had a meeting at the beginning of the season where he told everyone they needed to be completely committed.
“I told the whole team that it’s a new program and we’re moving forward,” Geyer said. “We need to make the decision — either we’re in or we’re out. There’s not really a gray area in between.”
Beck had a lot of expectations surrounding her following a brilliant high school career. Swimming World Magazine named her the National Female High School Swimmer of the Year in both 2007 and 2008.
Beck began her career at the University of California but transferred to LSU after one season. She broke numerous school records but had an up-and-down year.
Geyer said Beck has been dealing with personal health issues and had a hard time balancing that with swimming.
“She knows her potential. She knows her talent level — we all do,” Geyer said. “The battle she was facing day in and day out with that, I think she just didn’t want to do it anymore.”
Geyer said McGee also battled illness in the past year and hasn’t been able to get in the water as much as she would like. It just made for a frustrating beginning to the season for her, Geyer said.
Beck and McGee were two of the Lady Tigers’ best swimmers in the backstroke. Losing them hurts, Geyer admitted, but the team won’t dwell on it.
“We all move forward pretty quickly,” Geyer said. “To think otherwise or do otherwise is just going to hurt the team.”
Junior swimmer Samantha Goates swam in the NCAA championship meet with Beck and Goates and is a close friend to both of them.
Goates said Beck and McGee are happy about their decisions, and she sees their departures as a way for the younger girls to step up.
“We have a group of girls here that are really quick,” Goates said. “People are stepping up; the freshmen are stepping up to fill those roles. I think in the long run, people are happy, and we’re getting the job done.”
 
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Contact Katherine Terrell at [email protected]