The LSU women’s 200 medley relay swim team set a school record at the Bulldog Invitational in Athens, Ga., Sunday. Lindsay Staak, Lauren Harvey, Heather Brand and Colleen Bertirotti swam a school-record time of 1:42.15, shattering the previous mark which was set in 2002. Staak also was a part of the team that set the 2002 record. Several LSU swimmers — including Brand and Bertirotti — improved their individual NCAA Championship chances at the meet. The Bulldog Invitational also is known as the “Last Chance Meet” because it is the final opportunity of the season for swimmers to qualify for the NCAA Championships. In addition to being a part of the record-setting relay team, Bertirotti executed a career-best 23.27 second mark in the women’s 50 freestyle. She holds LSU’s third-fastest time in the event. Brand improved her previous mark of 54.67 in the 100 butterfly with a 54.54 performance Sunday. Miko Malberg became the first LSU men’s swimmer in eight years to swim a 50 freestyle time in less than 20 seconds. The freshman from Tallinn, Germany recorded a time of 19.95 seconds, the fifth-best finish in school history. Malberg went on to win the event with a time of 20.12 in the finals. Malberg improved his chances at receiving a higher seed for the Men’s NCAA Championships. His previous best time this year was 20.06 seconds, which he recorded at the Southeastern Conference Championships.
Swimmers look to qualify for NCAAs
March 1, 2005