Nine members of the LSU Swimming and Diving team combined for 319 points to win the SMU Classic. The 200-medley relay team of Caley Oquist, Colleen O’Neil, Kara Kopcso and Amber Carter got off to another fast start with a time of 1:39.17. The 200-medley time was a meet record.
“The women were able to get off to another fast start,” LSU Swimming head coach Dave Geyer said. “Getting the win in the first event really set the tone for the day.”
Kopcso touched the wall first in the consolation final of the 500 free with a time of 4:51.86. In the 200-breast consolation final, Sophie Weber finished third with a time of 2:17.91.
Oquist, the LSU record-holder in the 200 back, touched the wall second in the event with a time of 1:56.23. Danielle Stirrat, who owns the second-fastest 200 back time in program history, took first in the consolation final with a time of 1:56.36.
Senior Alex Bettridge provided the Lady Tigers with a solid second-place finish on three-meter. The senior finished with a six-dive score total of 334.50.
“We knew our depth in this format would certainly be favorable to win the meet, and it was fun to see our women fight for the team title,” Geyer added. “Swimming fast in October is great, but this team recognizes there is a lot of work left in the season.”
After the diving break, Carter finished second in the 100-free championship final (49.60). Leah Troskot provided a nice win in the consolation final with a time of 50.34.
Kopcso came in to the meet with the fastest 200-fly time in the country. The sophomore finished third in the championship final with a time of 1:57.46. Cox finished third in the consolation final with a time of 2:02.63.
Weber wrapped up the individual events with a second-place finish in the 200 IM (2:00.83). O’Neil also finished third in the consolation final with a time of 2:02.33.
The team of Carter, Troskot, Stirrat and Oquist wrapped the Classic up with a third-place finish in the 200-freestyle relay. The time of 1:31.56 was under the meet record.
The LSU Swimming and Diving squad take the next weekend off from competition before going to Tuscaloosa, Alabama to take on Auburn and Alabama.
Tanja Kylliainen was named Swimmer of the Meet as the University of Louisville women’s swimming and diving team finished second in the SMU Classic.
The Cardinals were edged by LSU’s 319, Louisville posted 301 ahead of SMU’s 296, Southern California’s 283, North Carolina State’s 235 and Miami’s 218.
“We are very proud of the team effort our ladies put forth the entire meet,” said UofL head coach Arthur Albiero. “We competed tough against elite competition and more than held our own. More importantly, this meet is a good steap towards our season team goals.”
The Cards started the night off with a third place finish in the 200 Medley Relay with Erica Belcher (26.16), Andrea Cottrell (27.48), Kelsi Worrell (23.02) and Rachel Grooms (23.16) combined for a 1:39.82.
In the 500 freestyle, Abigail Houck went 4:48.73 in championship final for third, while Andrea Kneppers finishes second in the consol heat in 4:52.62.
In the 200 breast, Andrea Cottrell went 2:10.93 for second while Devon Bibault boarded a strong time of 2:16.72 in the consols for second.
The Cards finished fifth in both heats of the 200 backstroke with Erica Belcher going 1:58.8 and Abigail Houck finishing in 2:03.1.
In the 3-meter diving, Emily Stalmack posted a score of 225.10 for a sixth place finish.
Kelsi Worrell scored another win in the championship heat of the 100 freestyle with a time of 49.12. Rachel Grooms placed third in the consolation heat with a 50.65.
In the 200-fly, Tanja Kylliainen placed second in 1:57.3 while Devon Bibault also took second in consols with a time of 1:58.1.
In the 200 IM, Tanja Kylliainen touched first in the championship heat with a 1:59.48 while Erica Belcher was first in the consol heat in 2:00.77 which was the second fastest time in the field.
In the final event of the Classic, Kelsi Worrell (22.73), Rachel Grooms (23.32), Andrea Kneppers (23.47) and Abigail Houck 23.44 combined for a fifth place time of 1:32.96.
The SMU Classic uses an unusual format in the 21 year old event. Each team is represented by nine student-athletes with the institution entering one swimmer in each heat of every event. All teams also enter one relay team for each event, and one diver will compete in the one and three-meter events.
Nine members of the NC State women’s swimming & diving team concluded competition Saturday evening at the Dallas Morning Classic hosted by SMU.
The Wolfpack finished fifth overall in the meet with 235.5 points. LSU captured the meet title with 319 points, while Louisville (301.5), SMU (296), Southern California (283) and NC State (235.5) rounded out the top five.
Wolfpack Relays
- Lauren Poli, Natalie Labonge, Ashlyn Koletic and Lauren Rhodes teamed up to finish fourth in the 200 freestyle relay with a time of 1:31.34
- The final evening session started with the quartet of Alexia Zevnik, Kayla Brumbaum, Koletic and Poli placing fifth overall in the 200-medley relay stopping the clock at 1:41.64.
IM Notebook
- A native of Lasalle, Canada, Zevnik touched the wall with a time 2:03.86 to finish fourth in the 200 individual medley, while Brumbaum also scored points for the Pack with a time of 2:07.05.
Springboard Action
- Rachel Mumma totaled a score of 276.70 on her list of six dives in the three-meter competition to place fourth overall.
Breaststroke Breakdown
- Kayla Brumbaum finished fourth overall in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:16.71.
Wolfpack Fly
- Newcomer Yuri Nakano tapped the wall in the fourth position in the 200 fly with a time 2:01.27. The time is among the top 10 in program history.
Up Next
The Wolfpack swimming & diving program will travel to Atlanta, Ga., for a tri-meet against Florida State and Georgia Tech on Saturday, Oct. 25 at 11 a.m.
