For many student athletes, choosing a college can be one of the most difficult decisions of their young lives. For highly-recruited swimmer Brittany Thompson, it was one of the easiest decisions.
Thompson, an Austin, Texas native, had a bit of a different recruiting process than most. Her older sister, Lauren, is also on the LSU swimming and diving team. Growing up swimming together, the Thompson sisters decided they wanted a school that felt like home and found that serenity at LSU.
Brittany said Austin is not only close, but very similar to Baton Rouge, causing even their Texas A&M Aggie parents to completely and totally embrace Louisiana and its culture just as they have.
“The moment I stepped on the LSU campus, I knew that it was the place for me,” Lauren said. “It was so welcoming and it just felt like home.”
The sisters have an extremely close-knit bond. While normally having sisters on the same team might tear the two apart due to competitiveness, it is the opposite for the Thompson duo.
The Thompson sisters said they have an amazing ability to criticize each other while praising and motivating each other like no one else can and wanted to continue to do the same in college, knowing that they could be great team mates to each other and the rest of the team.
The two are said to have even shared the same swimming lane since they started swimming competitively. Brittany got to go behind the scenes as she would come to visit and watch Lauren during her early career for the Tigers.
During Brittany’s many times visiting Baton Rouge, she knew LSU was the school for her, and she made her commitment before even taking her official visit.
“My parents would always come to Baton Rouge to watch Lauren so I decided I might as well come and see what LSU was all about while watching my sister swim,” Brittany said.
While Lauren mainly swims the breaststroke and Brittany mainly swims backstroke, the two share common ground outside of the sport. Both Brittany and Lauren are marketing majors, and Brittany says it’s helpful to have an older sister’s guidance not only in the Natatorium, but in the classroom.
Lauren helps Brittany with her classes and any questions that may come about during the semester, aiding in such a way that would make her Brittany’s own personal counselor.
“I go to Lauren for everything, and she has really helped me out since starting school together,” Brittany said. “I am constantly asking for help or questions and it’s nice to be able to have that.”
These two infectiously upbeat personalities hope that after their swimming careers are over they can follow in their parents footsteps of becoming a pharmaceutical sales representative. Before Brittany and Lauren can make those dreams a reality, they have one last season together and they look forward to making the most of it.
The Thompson sisters and the rest of the LSU swimming and diving team are back at it this Jan. 12, in the Natatorium against Incarnate Word and Delta State at 11 a.m.

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Mitchell Scaglione

LSU senior Lauren Thompson swims the 200-yard breaststroke during the Tigers' victory in the LSU Natatorium, on Saturday, Jan. 12, 2019.