There’s a feeling of excitement throughout the LSU swimming and diving teams.   “This is kind of the fun part where you roll the balls on the court and let them play,” said LSU swimming and diving coach Adam Schmitt. The No. 18 Tigers and Lady Tigers head to Auburn to compete in the Southeastern Conference championships today through Saturday.”This is the best part of the season for me,” Schmitt said. “We’ve gotten them ready to this point, and now, it’s about their goals and their ideas of what they want to do. “We’re going to let them dive in and go fast, and we’re shooting for fast times, school records, top-10 all-time school marks and getting as many people to NCAA [championships] as possible.”Both the Tigers and Lady Tigers finished sixth in the SEC championships last year and are hoping for top-5 finishes this year.”I expect some awesome things, especially in the relays,” said sophomore Hannes Heyl. “We’re looking sharp.”Heyl advanced to the NCAA championships and earned All-American honors last year as a freshman. He is expected to match those performances this season.LSU freshman swimmer Ben Decker swam the sixth-fastest 200-yard breastroke time in the conference this season in November with a 1 minute, 59.08-second performance.”We had some people pop out,” Schmitt said. “So what it allowed me to do was bring a couple alternates.”LSU seniors Katherine Noland and Katie Gilmore own the 10th and 11th fastest times 100 freestyle times in the conference this season. Noland also is in the top-10 in the conference in the 100 fly.LSU senior diver Niko Dalman scored the second-highest total in the one-meter event.”He’s competing at a higher level than he ever has,” diving coach Doug Shaffer said in a news release. “So I have nothing but optimism for his performance at SECs, and he’s demonstrated that he’s got the ability to contend for a championship.”The teams had a break before the championships, where they changed their training style and relaxed their routines.”It’s just a chance to recover form a long season of training,” Schmitt said. “So their muscles and their system to kind of shut down a little bit and recover, which they don’t get to do all year.”LSU senior Monica McJunkin said the Tigers and Lady Tigers focused on the details during the lighter period, which included starts, turns and finishes.”We want to get there and not have to think about everything,” McJunkin said.   LSU left Baton Rouge on Monday to practice and get acclimated to the Auburn’s pool. “It’s a great pool, and it’s a great facility,” Schmitt said. “Once you get used to the lighting and the aesthetics, it’s going to be a good pool.” – – – -Contact Amos Morale at [email protected]