The Texas A&M swim team couldn’t ask for a better start to the season. The men’s and women’s teams are both ranked No.14 in the nation, and both have achieved a 5-1 record.
It’s likely that Louisiana State University will be nothing more than a bump in the road this Friday when the Aggies pay them a visit. The teams may even be more preoccupied with the casinos in Baton Rouge than with breaststrokes or relays. However, they know they must sustain their focus, or risk gambling a near-perfect season away.
“They’re going to come after us with all they’ve got,” said A&M men’s head coach Mel Nash. “They’re going to give us more of a challenge than we had anticipated.”
Junior Alfredo Jacobo also said LSU isn’t quite the underdog they seem to be.
“(LSU) always swims pretty fast towards the end of the season,” Jacobo said. “Our team is in a good place, but we must maintain our focus.”
Junior swimmer Danielle Townsend said it should be a good match up, but she hasn’t thought too much about other teams. Townsend said in order to keep her focus, she concentrates on one match at a time.
“I just get in and go,” Townsend said. “If you overthink it too much, you psych yourself out.”
Jacobo and Townsend are both coming off season-bests after previous weekend meets. Jacobo placed first in the 100-yard breaststroke championship final at the Dallas Morning News Classic, while Townsend finished first in the 100- and 200-yard freestyle against top-ranked Texas.
Friday’s meet holds a little more for A&M women’s head coach Steve Bultman. Bultman helped start LSU’s swimming program more than 30 years ago and said he is pleased to see the program where it stands today.
“I want to see them do well all the time … except of course when they’re going against us,” Bultman said.
The men’s team will finish its stay in Louisiana with a meet on Saturday against Louisiana-Monroe, while the women’s team will take on Louisiana-Monroe and Tulane.
Nash said he hopes to cross the Texas state line with a couple more marks in the win column, but isn’t too overconfident.
“You’re going into cajun country,” Nash said. “You’ll never know what’s going to happen.”