Texas A&M vs. LSU
- January 22, 2022
- Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- SCY Dual Meet
- Team Scores
- Men: TAMU 154 LSU 146
- Women: TAMU 181.5 LSU 111.5 (exhibition impacted)
- Full results: Available on Meet Mobile: “2022 LSU vs Texas A&M”
Texas A&M traveled east to take on LSU on Saturday and the Aggies emerged victorious in both the men’s and women’s meet.
Men’s Meet Recap
The men’s meet came down to the wire, with Texas A&M coming away with an 8 point victory on the road to spoil the Tigers’ senior day.
Leading the way for the Aggies was Anze Fers Erzen, who won two individual events on the day. Erzen’s first win came in the 200 back, where he touched first in 1:47.46. The junior from Slovenia then played a pivotal role in leading a 1-2-3 Aggie sweep in the 400 IM, breaking a virtual tie with the Tigers and putting A&M in control of the meet with only the 400 free relay to go. Erzen touched first in that 400 IM in 3:54.56. Erzen’s lifetime and season bests both came at the Art Adamson Invitational, where he posted a 1:42.26 in the 200 back and 3:44.58 in the 400 IM.
Texas A&M also got two individual wins from distance swimmer Trey Dickey, who swept the 1000 and 500 free. The freshman from Murphy, Texas started his day with a win in the 1000, posting a 9:21.43 to touch first. He later returned to win the 500 as well, touching in 4:30.99. Dickey’s season bests stand at 9:07.68 in the 1000 and 4:26.48 in the 500, both from the Art Adamson Invite.
LSU American Olympian Brooks Curry led the way for the Tigers, sweeping the sprint freestyle races. In the 50 free, Curry broke his own LSU pool record in 19.42 to take the win. He later returned to win the 100 free as well, touching first in 43.76. Curry, who won a gold medal in Tokyo as a prelim-only member of the 4×100 free relay, holds the 3rd fastest time in the NCAA in the 50 free with a 19.02, while his 42.10 100 free stands 7th in the nation this season.
The Tigers also dominated on the boards, with All American fifth year senior Juan Hernandez sweeping both the 1 and 3 meter events. Hernandez won the 1 meter with a score of 388.95 and won the 3 meter with a score of 447.15.
Other individual event winners:
- 200 free: Mark Schnippenkoetter (TAMU): 1:39.23
- 100 back: Ethan Gogulski (TAMU): 49.15
- 100 breast: Andres Bustamante (TAMU): 54.59
- 200 fly: Gavin Rogers (LSU): 1:49.76
- 200 breast: Vincent Ribeiro (TAMU): 1:59.48
- 100 fly: Emil Hassling (LSU): 49.63
Women’s Meet Recap:
The Aggie women were dominant during their trip to the bayou, heading back to College Station with a 70 point victory while exhibitioning the last two events.
Sophomore All American Chloe Stepanek was the star Aggies, winning all three of her individual races. The Northport, New York native first won her signature event, the 200 free in 1:47.71, off of her season best of 1:45.02. She later returned to win the 100 free as well in 49.77, before completing her freestyle trifecta with a 4:53.20 victory in the 500. Stepanek’s season bests sit at 4:43.40 in the 500 and 49.15 in the 100 free in her sophomore year after finishing in the A final of both the 100 and 200 free at last year’s NCAAs.
Also impressing for the Aggies was freshman Sarah Holt, who swept the butterfly races on Saturday. The Shreveport, Louisiana native first won the 200 fly in her return to her home state, touching first in 1:58.95. She later returned to win the 100 fly as well, touching in 54.27 to take the win. Her 200 fly was a new lifetime best, while her season and lifetime best in the 100 fly checks in at 53.49 from November’s Art Adamson Invite.
The Tigers were led by their stout diving program, including mid-season addition Chiara Pellacani’s LSU debut. Pellacani, who competed at this past summer’s Olympic Games for her native Italy, swept both the 1 and 3 meter events. In the one meter, Pellacani posted a score of 315.45 to take the win and later returned to win the 3 meter as well in 350.70. Pellacani’s arrival should provide a huge boost for the Tiger women in the championship season, as the Italian is a 7-time medalist at the European Championships in various events.
Other individual event winners:
- 1000 free: Abby Grottle (TAMU): 10:03.19
- 100 back: Kaitlyn Owens (TAMU): 55.06
- 100 breast: Emilie Boll (LSU): 1:01.77
- 50 free: Bobbi Kennett (TAMU): 23.25
- 200 back: Aviv Barzelay (TAMU): 2:00.40
- 200 breast: Joelle Reddin (TAMU): 2:15.94
- 400 IM: Joelle Reddin (TAMU): 4:21.81
LSU will next suit up at the SEC Championships in Knoxville, while Texas A&M will host SMU on Friday for their final dual meet of the season.