It has been a season of change for LSU’s swimming and diving teams.
 
The No. 22 Tigers (1-3) and No. 22 Lady Tigers (4-1) received two new head coaches after Adam Schmitt resigned in the offseason. The teams are now under the direction of co-head coaches David Geyer and Doug Shaffer.
 
The records may not show it, but swimmers said the move has been a positive one. Senior swimmer James Meyers said the teams are feeling more confident than ever heading into the winter break.
 
Everyone seems to be having fun this season, Meyers said. He attributed it to Geyer’s way of conducting practices, which has kept everyone interested and relaxed.
 
Additionally, the swimmers have gotten more feedback from the coaches this season and incorporated it into the practices. Meyers said the coaches have held meetings with the team to make sure everyone stays on the same page.
 
“I feel like everyone is just really enjoying the sport and happy about their performance,” Meyers said. “The communication and the friendship with the coaches right now is really good.”
 
The Lady Tigers started out their season on Oct. 22 with wins against Notre Dame and Alabama. The Tigers lost to both Auburn and Alabama that weekend, but senior Clint Hallum said the competition did a good job of knocking the rust off.
 
The Tigers and Lady Tigers dual meet against Florida State on Oct. 30 has been perhaps the biggest meet of the season so far. The Seminoles beat the Tigers in a heartbreaker last season, getting by them in the last race of the meet.
 
Meyers said it felt good to get revenge this year, as the Tigers knocked off Florida State in the same fashion. The Lady Tigers also avenged their loss against a talented Seminoles team to get their third straight win.
 
Some swimmers, like senior Jane Trepp and junior Andrei Tuomola, are swimming at or above the level they set during Southeastern Conference Championships last season. Trepp broke four school records and two pool records that weekend and currently holds the nation’s top time in both the 50-yard freestyle (22.16 seconds) and the 100-yard butterfly (52.11 seconds).”
 
The teams have had the benefit of some standout freshmen who have jumped in right away. Freshman diver Daniel Helm has been named the SEC Male Diver of the week twice, while freshman swimmer Michael Saco holds the second-best time on the team for the men’s 100-yard freestyle.
 
Freshman Torrey Bussey has already notched NCAA provisional times for the 200-yard breaststroke and 100-yard breaststroke.
Her time of 2 minutes, 14.65 seconds in the 200-yard breaststroke leads the Lady Tigers.
 
“I know a lot of the upperclassmen are really excited to see what we can do,” Bussey said. “With our freshman class coming in we want to change that pace, and we’re excited to see where we can go this season.”
 
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