The #25 LSU Tigers went 3-0 in a regional quad meet at home on Saturday, topping the Rice Owls (233-133) in the big showdown on the day. Rice went 2-1, while the Tulane Green Wave went 1-2 and the University of Houston was 0-3.
While LSU dominated the day, our recap will start with the Rice Owls, who continued to build momentum in the form of a school-record breaking swim (with one seemingly coming every other meet lately for Seth Huston’s squad).
This time, it was Rachel Moody, who over the last year has broken the 100 breaststroke school record four times. It began at this same meet in 2014, and has happened three times since: including a 1:00.93 on Saturday to win the 100 breaststroke.
Moody coupled that with a win in the 200 breaststroke (2:15.70) and was easily the premier swimmer in her discipline at this meet.
Aside from her, however, this was an LSU-Tiger dominated day in Baton Rouge. Sophomore Kara Kopcso was impressive by winning the 100 fly in 52.91, in-turn beating Rice All-American Casey Clark, who placed 2nd in 54.00.
This is the second-straight year where Kopcso has had a really strong meet heading into the SEC conference championship. Last year, it was in the 200 fly against Texas A&M, where she took down Aggie Olympian Cammile Adams. This year, Kopcso came down to the 100 fly and took on the best non-LSU swimmer in the meet, Clark, and once again showed some fortitude.
Kopcso also won the 200 IM (1:59.57) and 400 IM (4:20.36).
The Tigers’ best-known swimmer is probably senior sprinter Amber Carter. She had a good, but not great go individually at this meet. She placed 2nd in the 50 free in 23.38 (behind Rice’s Alicia Caldwell in 23.21), but did have one really outstanding relay split: a 49.56 on the anchor of the 400 medley that won in 3:37.41. That’s a big time for LSU in January.
LSU swimmer had a decent breaststroke split in the 400 medley relay. Swam a 1:00.96.