Courtesy: LSU Athletics
BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU swimming and diving, in conjunction with the athletic department, announced the 2022-23 competition schedule Thursday, which includes four home meets alongside invitationals and tri-team meets.
“LSU Swimming & Diving will have the opportunity to host some great competitors here in Baton Rouge for the 2022-2023 season,” head swimming coach Rick Bishop said. “Our schedule will allow us to compete against the best of the country including Olympians and NCAA Champions. As we compete in arguably the best conference in the country, these meets will prepare us for the great SEC and NCAA Championships. Representing the Purple and Gold of Tiger Nation is a privilege and honor that all of the swimmers, divers and coaches are excited about carrying into each competition. We are looking forward to a great year. GEAUX TIGERS!”
“We are excited to have the opportunity to compete against great diving programs both in and outside of the SEC,” head diving coach Drew Livingston said. “Every challenge will help us be prepared to be at our best at the SEC and NCAA Championships. We are looking forward to representing LSU against some of the best teams in the country!”
LSU opens the 2022 season on Sept. 17 with the annual Purple and Gold Intrasquad meet at 10 a.m. CT inside the LSU Natatorium. Similar to years past, the team will split into two teams and compete in a traditional dual meet before taking on its first opponents not in the purple and gold, Vanderbilt and Tulane.
The Vanderbilt and Tulane meet will be held inside the LSU Natatorium and has a start time scheduled for noon. The meet will consist of LSU women’s swimming and diving only as the Commodore and Green Wave programs only possess a women’s team.
The Sept. 23 meet serves as LSU swimming and diving’s celebration of the 50-year anniversary of women’s athletics at the university.
Following its first competitive meet outside the program, LSU travels to South Carolina on Oct. 8 to take on the Gamecocks at 9 a.m. CT. South Carolina, the first of four SEC dual meets, returns a 2021-22 SEC Co-Female Diver of the Year, Brooke Schultz, shaping up for an intense battle inside the Carolina Natatorium.
LSU follows their first dual meet of the season up by returning to Colorado to face the Air Force Falcons and Denver Pioneers in an uber-competitive tri-team meet. Unlike the 2021 meet, teams will face off in Denver at the El Pomar Natatorium on Oct. 15.
After its trip to Denver, LSU has two consecutive home SEC dual meets against Auburn (Oct. 27) and Alabama (Nov. 4). The LSU-Auburn meet’s scheduled start time is set for noon CT inside the LSU Natatorium, while the LSU-Alabama meet start time is 1 p.m CT.
The meet between the Tigers and Crimson Tide coincides with the LSU-Alabama football game on Nov. 5. LSU swimming and diving is set to host an alumni weekend with activities and details to be announced in the coming weeks.
Before heading into the Thanksgiving holidays, the Tigers will compete in midseason meets at separate institutions. The swimming team heads to the Art Adamson Invitational in Bryan-College Station for the fourth season in a row, while the diving heads to the Texas Diving Invitational in Austin for a third consecutive season.
The Art Adamson Invitational begins on Nov. 16 and concludes on Nov. 18. The Texas Diving Invitational starts on Nov. 17 and closes on Nov. 19.
Prior to kicking off the Spring portion of the schedule, the LSU diving squad heads to the Plains from Dec. 17 to Dec. 20 to compete in the Auburn Diving Invitational. Following the Christmas holidays, the Tigers return home to host Florida State on Jan. 7. In the 2021-22 season, the Seminoles were scheduled to compete at the LSU Natatorium, but COVID issues within the FSU program prevented it.
LSU closes out the regular season dual meet slate at Texas A&M, the second of three opportunities the Tigers have to compete at the Rec Center Natatorium.
To start the postseason run, LSU and its fellow SEC members head to Bryan-College Station for the 2023 SEC Championships. The Tigers look to improve on the success from the 2022 SEC meet, where LSU placed ninth on the men’s side and eighth on the women’s side. This year’s championship starts on Feb. 14 and ends on Feb. 18.
The postseason continues at the NCAA Diving Regionals, which occur from March 6-9. The NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships begin on Mar. 15 and conclude on March 18. The Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships start on March 22 and end on March 25.
Many of the start times will be announced closer to their scheduled competition dates. Follow @LSUSwimDive on all social media accounts to stay up-to-date on start times and anything LSU Swimming and Diving related.
I predict the swim team will get more wins than the football team this season, however, the football team will get more press coverage.