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LSU's St. Germain named SEC Freshman DIver of the Year
LSU diver Rebecca St. Germain was honored as the Southeastern Conference Female Freshman Diver of the Year, the league announced following the 2010 SEC Championships Saturday.
“It’s a tremendous honor for Becca to receive the SEC Freshman Diver of the Year award,” LSU diving coach Doug Shaffer said. “Becca has had an excellent year and has established herself as a standout in the elite SEC field of divers.
“What is truly inspiring about her accomplishments is that mid-year she had to have elbow surgery to remove a piece of floating cartilage, but this adversity never caused her to miss a beat. I’m proud of what Becca has accomplished and look forward to seeing her qualify for her first NCAA Championships at the Zone Regional in March.”
St. Germain emerged as one of the Lady Tigers’ top newcomers this season despite missing a portion of the season due to injury. The San Antonio, Texas, native claimed seven dual-meet victories in 10 competitions and registered the fifth-best one- and three-meter diving scores in school history with her top marks of 310.95 and 326.03, respectively.
She was also recognized by the conference on three occasions throughout the regular season. After sweeping the boards against Tulane, she was named SEC Female Diver of the Week and earned Freshman of the Week honors twice following her efforts versus nationally-ranked squads Tennessee and Texas A&M.
At the SEC Championships this week, St. Germain posted a ninth-place finish in the three-meter and finished 12th in the platform with the fourth-best mark in program history, 222.25.
St. Germain is the fifth men’s or women’s diver to earn SEC Freshman Diver of the Year honors under Shaffer’s tutelage in the past six years.
She will attempt to qualify for NCAA’s at the Zone Diving Regional, March 12-14.
“It’s a tremendous honor for Becca to receive the SEC Freshman Diver of the Year award,” LSU diving coach Doug Shaffer said. “Becca has had an excellent year and has established herself as a standout in the elite SEC field of divers.
“What is truly inspiring about her accomplishments is that mid-year she had to have elbow surgery to remove a piece of floating cartilage, but this adversity never caused her to miss a beat. I’m proud of what Becca has accomplished and look forward to seeing her qualify for her first NCAA Championships at the Zone Regional in March.”
St. Germain emerged as one of the Lady Tigers’ top newcomers this season despite missing a portion of the season due to injury. The San Antonio, Texas, native claimed seven dual-meet victories in 10 competitions and registered the fifth-best one- and three-meter diving scores in school history with her top marks of 310.95 and 326.03, respectively.
She was also recognized by the conference on three occasions throughout the regular season. After sweeping the boards against Tulane, she was named SEC Female Diver of the Week and earned Freshman of the Week honors twice following her efforts versus nationally-ranked squads Tennessee and Texas A&M.
At the SEC Championships this week, St. Germain posted a ninth-place finish in the three-meter and finished 12th in the platform with the fourth-best mark in program history, 222.25.
St. Germain is the fifth men’s or women’s diver to earn SEC Freshman Diver of the Year honors under Shaffer’s tutelage in the past six years.
She will attempt to qualify for NCAA’s at the Zone Diving Regional, March 12-14.
LSU's Spears, Hallum named to SEC Community Service Team
BATON ROUGE -- LSU swimmers Shanna Spears and Clint Hallum were each recognized on the Southeastern Conference Swimming and Diving Community Service Team Monday for their outstanding contributions to the local Baton Rouge community.
As team representatives of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Spears and Hallum spearheaded the men’s and women’s squads’ involvement in various community service events coordinated through the LSU CHAMPS/Life Skills program.
Spears and Hallum were instrumental in the teams’ participation in LSU’s annual “Christmas with the Tigers” event in which the squads raised money and bought gifts for an underprivileged child during the holiday season.
The duo also helped set up the swimming and diving table at the annual “Halloween BOOzar,” where they played games with children, signed autographs and handed out candy. In addition, they each visited local hospitals to cheer up young children and give them posters.
Spears also spent time mentoring middle-school students on a weekly basis to encourage them to set goals and strive for success, and she took part in “Give Kids a Smile Day,” a nationwide movement to provide a free teeth-cleaning and examination to children whose families cannot afford oral health care.
Hallum also participated in LSU’s “Sapphires ‘N Spurs” event where he played western-themed activities with local families and helped raise money and support for the Family Service of Greater Baton Rouge.
As team representatives of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Spears and Hallum spearheaded the men’s and women’s squads’ involvement in various community service events coordinated through the LSU CHAMPS/Life Skills program.
Spears and Hallum were instrumental in the teams’ participation in LSU’s annual “Christmas with the Tigers” event in which the squads raised money and bought gifts for an underprivileged child during the holiday season.
The duo also helped set up the swimming and diving table at the annual “Halloween BOOzar,” where they played games with children, signed autographs and handed out candy. In addition, they each visited local hospitals to cheer up young children and give them posters.
Spears also spent time mentoring middle-school students on a weekly basis to encourage them to set goals and strive for success, and she took part in “Give Kids a Smile Day,” a nationwide movement to provide a free teeth-cleaning and examination to children whose families cannot afford oral health care.
Hallum also participated in LSU’s “Sapphires ‘N Spurs” event where he played western-themed activities with local families and helped raise money and support for the Family Service of Greater Baton Rouge.
LSU women recognized by CSCAA for academics
The 24th-ranked LSU women’s swimming and diving team received Team Scholar All-America honors for this past fall semester from the College Swimming Coaches Association of America, the organization announced Thursday.
In order to earn Team Scholar All-America status, teams must post a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher, and the Lady Tigers tallied a team GPA of 3.06 for the Fall 2009. The squad was also recognized with Scholar All-America honors in both the fall and spring semesters last season.
“I am proud of the women for being recognized for their academic accomplishments,” LSU head coach Adam Schmitt said. “This honor highlights our program’s emphasis on academic success along with their athletic pursuits here at LSU.”
The Lady Tigers, who just wrapped up the dual-meet season with a 6-6 record, are currently preparing for the 2010 SEC Championships, which will begin Feb. 17 at the University of Georgia’s Gabrielsen Natatorium.
Tuomola named SEC Male Freshman of the Week
BATON ROUGE -- Following his performance in LSU’s win over the University of New Orleans last Friday, men’s swimmer Andrei Tuomola earned Southeastern Conference Male Freshman of the Week honors, the league announced Tuesday.
Tuomola won both of his individual events and helped the Tigers break a pair of pool records in relay competition. The Haarajoki, Finland, product swam to victory in the 100-yard breaststroke with a personal best of 56.25 seconds, the third-fastest mark in the conference this season, and also captured first-place in the 100 freestyle (45.91).
In addition, he swam the breaststroke leg on the team’s pool record-breaking 200 medley relay (1:32.62) and led off the men’s 200 free relay squad, which shattered another pool mark with a time of 1:24.86.
The accolade is Tuomola’s second of the season as he received the same honor after his performance against Tennessee on Oct. 16.
The freshman is currently ranked in the top 20 in the country in his three best events – the 50 and 100 free and 100 breast.
LSU will travel to Houston, Texas to take part in the in the Cougar Classic Fall Invitational, beginning Friday at 10 a.m. (CST).
Tuomola won both of his individual events and helped the Tigers break a pair of pool records in relay competition. The Haarajoki, Finland, product swam to victory in the 100-yard breaststroke with a personal best of 56.25 seconds, the third-fastest mark in the conference this season, and also captured first-place in the 100 freestyle (45.91).
In addition, he swam the breaststroke leg on the team’s pool record-breaking 200 medley relay (1:32.62) and led off the men’s 200 free relay squad, which shattered another pool mark with a time of 1:24.86.
The accolade is Tuomola’s second of the season as he received the same honor after his performance against Tennessee on Oct. 16.
The freshman is currently ranked in the top 20 in the country in his three best events – the 50 and 100 free and 100 breast.
LSU will travel to Houston, Texas to take part in the in the Cougar Classic Fall Invitational, beginning Friday at 10 a.m. (CST).
