The finish line is on the horizon for the LSU swimming and diving team as it competes in the NCAA championship, where it has sent 17 athletes to take a shot at winning a medal.
Taking place at the McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta, the women’s team has sent nine athletes to compete across 15 total events from March 18 to 21.
As the competition kicked off on Wednesday morning, Zoe Carlos-Broc, Martina Bukvic, Avery Littlefield, and Michaela de Villiers found themselves reaching all-American status in the 200-medley relay with a time of 1:35.26.
Finishes in the 800-free relay composed of Giulia Zambelli, Megan Barnes, Bukvic, and Nicole Santuliana also allowed the Tigers to sit in 17th place as they wrapped up the first day of competition.
Though not competing in any individual races, Santuliana earned a spot on the 800-yard freestyle relay for the Tigers, backed by program-record marks in both the 1000-yard and 1650-yard freestyle, along with exceptional performances throughout the season.
Carlos-Broc, who also qualified for the 100-yard breaststroke and 200-yard individual medley, is coming off an encouraging conference weekend in which she earned LSU one of its seven medals in the 100-yard breaststroke and set a new program record. Her performance in the individual medley has been just as exceptional, with top-two finishes across multiple meets.
Senior Sofia Sartori found a spot in both the 100 and 200-yard butterfly. Swimming alongside her in each of these events are Littlefield and Zambelli, respectively.
All three Tigers have found fast times in these events, with Satori and Zambelli holding three of the top-five marks across each within the program record books. Satori also qualified to compete in the 200-yard backstroke.
Continuing down the list, Tigers on the women’s team will be seen in the 50, 100, 200 and 500-yard freestyle. De Villiers holds top-five marks for the program in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle, both of which she will swim following her strong showings at the SEC tournament.
Her fellow senior teammate, Barnes, will also showcase her talent in both the 200 and 500-yard freestyle after her record-breaking performance in the conference championship as well.
Along with the freestyle swims, Bukvic and Grace Palmer find themselves punching a ticket to the 100 and 200-yard breaststroke races, respectively. Bukvic swam an exceptional race in Knoxville, finishing in the top five, and has consistently reached the podium in almost every meet this season.
Similarly, Palmer holds the second-highest mark in the program for the 200-yard breaststroke and has placed no lower than fifth in every race she has finished this season.
The men’s team is assembled by eight total athletes who will be seen across 12 events between March 25 and 28.
Carson Paul will be the only diver LSU sends to the championship, punching his ticket into the 1-meter, 3-meter and platform diving events. After returning from the SEC tournament with a gold medal, expectations will be high.
Standout swimmer Jere Hribar was also a first-place finisher at the conference championship and has earned a spot in three of his own events, including the 50, 100, and 200-yard freestyle.
Hribar has been among the top performers on the team in each meet this season and has written his name in the record books multiple times, setting up an exciting performance in Atlanta.
The men’s team will also see four relay events that include the 200 and 400-yard freestyle and medley relays.
Diggory Dillingham and Simon Meubry find themselves a part of the freestyle teams that both earned new program records at the SEC tournament, along with a silver medal in the 200-yard freestyle.
Caleb Ellis qualified on the medley teams along with Stepan Goncharov, who swims in all four of the relays. After a bronze finish at the conference championships in the 200-yard medley and noteworthy results all season long, the LSU men’s relay teams stand out as some of the most exciting events ahead of the NCAA championship.
Capping off the lineup are sophomores Volodymyr Lisovets and Nikola Simic in the 100-yard breaststroke and 1650-yard freestyle, respectively. Both swimmers have garnered strong finishes throughout the season and contributed exceptional performances at SECs.
With just one meet left in the season, Tiger fans are hoping for these athletes to find splashing success as they end an impressive and historic season.
