April 25, 2002
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This Week
Fifth-ranked San Diego State heads to Los Angeles this weekend to compete in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships at the McDonald Swim Complex on the USC campus. Tied for sixth-place in the conference, the Aztecs receive the seventh seed for the tournament due to a goal differential tiebreaker. San Diego State will face eleventh-seed UC Irvine in the first round Friday at 9:15 a.m., and then possibly advance to face USC later that afternoon.
The Schedule
MPSF First-Round - Fri., Apr. 26
Gm 1 8:00am #8 Hawaii vs. #9 UCSBGm 2 9:15am #7 SDSU vs. #10 UCIGm 3 10:30am #6 SJSU vs. #11 PacificGm 4 11:45am #5 LBSU vs. #12 CSUNGm 5 1:00pm #1 Stanford vs. Gm, 1 WinnerGm 6 2:15pm #2 USC vs. Game 2 WinnerGm 7 3:30pm #3 UCLA vs. Game 3 WinnerGm 8 4:45pm #4 Cal vs. Game 4 Winner
The Standings...The Record
San Diego State is currently tied for fifth in the nation heading into the conference tournament. It holds a record of 18-3, and 5-6 in MPSF play.
Last Week
The Aztecs finished their regular season at UCSD with an 8-7 win over the Tritons, capturing the inaugural Harper Cup. Junior Ashleigh May scored the game-winning goal for the Aztecs with :03 left on the clock. Amber Prestegard was the leading scorer with four goals, while Holly Hartzell added three. Heather Stiles recorded fifteen saves in the cage.
The Harper Cup was named for UCSD men's water polo coach Denny Harper, who previously coached the Triton women's team to five national championships. Harper, a 1978 graduate of SDSU, coached both UCSD women's coach Larry Sanders and Aztec coach Carin Crawford when they were students at UCSD.
Senior Farewells
The Aztecs will be saying goodbye to five seniors at the end of this season. Goalkeeper Heather Stiles, driver Lisa Weise, and utility players Whitney Winlow, Beth Merlo, and Katie Clark are ending their careers as Aztecs.
* Lisa Weise came to SDSU after spending two years at Riverside Community College. As an Aztec, the two-meter has totaled 40 steals, 10 assists, and eight goals in two seasons. As a senior, Weise has seen action in 30 games.
* Whitney Winlow is the lone four-year senior on the Aztec squad. The Nevada native has seen action in every game since her freshman year, playing 146 games as an Aztec. The senior has amassed 57 goals, 27 assists and 134 steals in her four years at San Diego State. Winlow was named all-MPSF as a freshman, and is currently fifth on the record list for career steals.
* Beth Merlo transferred to SDSU from Merced Junior College. In her two years as an Aztec, Merlo has seen action in 61 games, recording 33 steals, 11 assists and eight goals.
* Katie Clark spent two years at Riverside Community College before joining the Aztec squad. In 31 games, the senior has totaled eight assists and two goals. Out of the pool, Clark has achieved academic excellence in the classroom and is a Big Red Award winner for her academic success.
*Heather Stiles came to San Diego State via Sierra Community College. As the leading goalie for the Aztecs, Stiles has recorded 210 saves in her two years on the squad, placing second on the career list. Her 199 saves this year places her fourth on the single season record list and 191 saves as a junior places her fifth. An all-around player, Stiles has added two assists and 10 steals while in the cage this season.