Three members of the LSU women’s swimming team are on the list of qualifiers for this year’s NCAA Championships.
Senior Cissy Schepens and juniors Stephanie Smith and Laura Jo Leininger will be making the trip to the women’s NCAA Championships, March 20-22, at Auburn.
Schepens returns to NCAAs after being a member of the 2001 NCAA champion team, the Georgia Bulldogs. Schepens, a Georgia native, began her career as a Tiger but competed one year for Georgia.
“I was kinda homesick,” Schepens said, but she decided to return to her “core group of friends” here at LSU.
Schepens qualified for nationals after swimming the 200-yard breaststroke in a time of 2″14.25 at the Texas-Bevo Invitational.
“I was surprised,” Schepens said. “I haven’t [qualified] in a year so I was kind of worried.”
Schepens said she is ranked 16th in the country and hopes to maintain that position. She said the top 16 at nationals get to move on to the next round of competition, and her goal is to be in that group.
Smith will be making her second trip to nationals after earning Honorable Mention All-American last season. Smith, the current LSU record holder in the 1,650-yard freestyle, will swim the event at NCAAs as well as the 500-yard freestyle.
Smith said she will try to rest a lot before nationals in order to get her body ready for the competition. She plans to focus on race strategies.
“I like to go out fast and be ahead,” Smith said.
Leininger, the 2002-03 team captain, will be making her first trip to nationals after swimming the 100-yard butterfly in 54.43 at the Texas-Bevo Invitational.
“I’m very excited,” Leininger said. “I feel like it’s all paying off.”
Leininger said she is most excited about getting to swim against the best of the best.
“I’m gonna go in relaxed and have fun with the whole experience,” she said. “It’s an opportunity out there for anyone to grab.”