Texas A&M
LSU
Oldest School Record Falls as Aggies Beat Rival LSU Tigers
Jan 23, 2010 | Men's Swimming and Diving
Jan. 23, 2010
Texas A&M freshman swimmer Omar Enriquez took down the oldest school standard in the record book as the No. 19 Aggies upset LSU, 161.5-138.5, on Saturday at the LSU Natatorium.
Enriquez, from San Andrés Tuxtla, Mexico, swept the distance races with victories in the 500- and 1,000-yard freestyles, but it was his 9:13.42 clocking in the 1,000 that eliminated the 27-year old record of 9:14.17 set by Rick Walker in 1983.
“Omar swam a tremendous race, and it was a pivotal race for us since we had just got beat in the medley relay,” Aggie head swimming coach Jay Holmes said. “I didn't expect to lose that relay, so it was nice for Omar to turn the momentum right back our way. After the meet I called Rick (Walker), who is now the coach at Southern Illinois, and he congratulated Omar on a great race. He hated to see his record fall but knows that it had to happen for us to get to where we want to be as a program.”
After the Aggies fell in the opening 400 medley relay, Enriquez's 1,000 free victory spurred A&M to five straight victories and a solid lead in the team race. The Tigers had beaten the Aggies in two consecutive dual meets, but double wins from Enriquez, senior Nikita Denisyako, junior Balazs Makany and junior Bryan Snowden gave A&M the edge over the Tigers.
“LSU is a quality team, so I was very pleased that we were able to turn things around after the first race,” Holmes said. “We did a good job of stepping up on the blocks and racing today. We're still working hard in workouts and the team is tired, but they still found a way to swim fast.”
Denisyako contributed wins in the 100 backstroke (48.95) and 200 back (season-best 1:47.14), Makany hit the all first in the 100 free (season-best 44.68) and the 200 free (1:39.95) and Snowden swept the 100 breaststroke (season-best 55.67) and 200 breast (2:02.27). Also contributing victories were junior Boris Loncaric in the 200 butterfly (season-best 1:50.07) and sophomore diver Cam McLean on the 1m springboard (359.17). McLean also contributed a solid season-best of 392.25 on the 3m board in a runner-up finish.
