In a season marred by the dismissal of its superstar, the LSU women’s swimming and diving team can find comfort in the emergence of young talent.
In March, the Lady Tigers dismissed First Team All-American and Olympic hopeful Amanda Kendall for violating team rules. A non-swimming injury to her hand kept Kendall from competing in the NCAA Championships just weeks before her dismissal. The four-time US Pan-American Gold Medalist withdrew from classes and returned to her hometown of Fairfax, Va. upon dismissal.
“Our program and university has standards in place for our student-athletes to take advantage of in order to have success in the classroom, pool and society,” said LSU coach Dave Geyer in a news release. “It is disappointing when an athlete chooses to not uphold those required standards.” Geyer said the dismissal of Kendall had an effect on the Lady Tigers’ performance at the NCAA Championships, but the team rallied around each other.
“At first, I think there was an emotional drain from it,” Geyer said. “When you lose a leader like that – in the water – it certainly hurt us a little, but I think we have a lot more accountability within each other to perform in the water, in the classroom and in life.”
But despite the shadow Kendall’s dismissal may have cast upon the Lady Tigers’ season, the emergence of freshman diver Alex Bettridge proved to be a light of encouragement. In her first season, Bettridge posted a school record 366.85 three-meter dive score and qualified for the NCAA Championships.
Bettridge earned both of the Lady Tigers’ points at the NCAA Championships, gaining NCAA Honorable Mention All-American status.
“She worked hard. She had her target set and bought into the philosophy of the program,” said LSU diving coach Doug Shaffer. “We gave her an environment to succeed and excel in those areas, and it all worked out in the end.”
The Lady Tigers also received contributions from fellow underclassmen Sara Haley and Torrey Bussey, who each qualified for the NCAA Championships and will return to the Lady Tigers next season.
Similarities can be seen on the men’s side, where contributions from underclassmen highlighted the season.
Junior Craig Hamilton led the way for the Tigers. Hamilton earned the Tigers seven points at the NCAA Championships with a 10th place finish in the 1650-meter freestyle, setting a new LSU school record in the process.
“He really put himself in a position next year as a senior to contend for a [Southeastern Conference] championship and definitely contend to be top in the NCAA Championships,” Geyer said.
Sophomore diver Daniel Helm also showed a promising future for the Tigers, earning five points in his first NCAA Championships with a 12th place finish on the platform. Both Hamilton and Helm earned NCAA Honorable Mention All-American status for their performances.
They are joined by sophomore Frank Greeff and junior Ricardo Alvarado Jiminez who each had breakout seasons where they narrowly missed NCAA Championship qualification.
Geyer said the addition of Texas A&M and Missouri to the SEC will add a new dynamic to competition next season.
“Next year we’re going to add two more men’s teams and two more women’s teams, so the talent gets spread out a lot more in the water and the diving boards,” Geyer said.
 
____ Contact Spencer Hutchinson at [email protected]