LSU Tops Arkansas, 171-129

FAYETTEVILLE, Arkansas, November 4. THE LSU women's swimming and diving team recorded 16 season-fast times and secured its second straight meet win in a 171-129 victory at Arkansas on Saturday morning.

The Lady Tigers, who defeated Delta State last weekend, won nine of the 16 events led by a pair of individual victories from freshman swimmer Signe Larson and senior diver Hali Saucier.

With the victory, LSU remained a perfect 5-0 on the road in Fayetteville during its history. The Lady Tigers have also won 10 out of the last 11 meetings between the two.

"We came up here and accomplished what we set out to do — to get a victory," said head coach Adam Schmitt. "Arkansas came out ready to race, and we responded to the challenge."

Larson, a native of Portland, Ore., entered the season with high expectations as one of the top freshmen to come out of the state of Oregon. She delivered on Saturday by capturing the 100 breaststroke in a 1-2 finish with sophomore Victoria Givens, swimming a time of 1:05.26.

Larson then picked up a victory in the 200 breaststroke six events later, racing past Givens and helping the Lady Tigers to another 1-2 finish with a clocking of 2:21.63.

"Signe was the highlight of the meet," said Schmitt. "She really performed at a high level and was one of the differences in the meet."

Saucier ran her individual winning streak to five straight events by another sweep of the 1-meter and 3-meter. The senior posted a score of 284.50 in the 1-meter, followed by a winning mark of 293.10 in the 3-meter.

Saucier, the reigning LSU Female Student Athlete of the Week, has now won seven of the eight events she has participated in this season.

Junior Clare Schepens won the 1000 freestyle for the second straight week, holding off Arkansas' Kristen Thibodeaux with a time of 10:24.55.

Freshman Lauren Grandy took first-place honors in the 200 free (1:52.89), and freshman Katherine Noland won the 100 free (51.81).

The Lady Tigers captured both relays with season-fast times. Berit Aljand, Givens, Colleen Bertirotti and Katie Gilmore opened the meet with a winning swim in the 200 medley relay (1:45.88). Noland, Bertirotti, Gilmore and Sabrina Messmer then won by nearly two seconds in the 400 free relay (3:29.39).

LSU also recorded critical 2-3 finishes in three other events resulting in the margin of victory. Aljand and junior Stefanie Carver were second and third in the 100 back with times of 58.13 and 59.34, respectively.

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