Jan. 20, 2003
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This Week
San Diego State travels to the Los Angeles area for a pair of dual meets this weekend. The Aztecs will face Loyola Marymount on Friday (Jan. 24) at 1:00 p.m., then take on Pepperdine the following afternoon at 1:00 p.m. These meets will be the second and third of five straight away contests for the Aztecs prior to the Mountain West Conference Championships to be held in Oklahoma City in mid-February.
Coaching Staff
San Diego State head coach Deena Schmidt is in her ninth season as head coach of the Aztec swimming and diving program. The former Olympian, who won a gold as a member of the 400 medley relay team at the 1972 Olympics, is a 1988 graduate of San Diego State. Schmidt is assisted by Greg Hutt, also in his ninth season, and first-year diving coach Jim Wynne.
Last Week
Last Friday (Jan. 17), San Diego State dropped a 144-88 decision at the University of Hawaii. The Aztecs' lone first-place finish came in the 200 freestyle where Hannah Ryan won in a time of 1:54.44. Teammate Amy Osback was just behind her in a time of 1:55.99. Those marks represent the top two times in that event for the team this season. Junior Megan Storey recorded a pair of second-place finishes, taking second in both the 500 freestyle (5:03.65) and 1,000 freestyle (10:15.67). Her time in the latter event established a new season best for the Aztecs.
Breaking Into The Record Book
Three Aztecs have recorded times that are among SDSU's top five all-time marks in their events. Senior Erin Kilpatrick now has the fourth-best time ever for an Aztec in the 500 freestyle with her 5:03.10 time achieved at the Speedo Cup in early December. She also has the fifth-best mark in the 100 backstroke (59.80), set at the same meet. Jill Karacozoff recorded the third-best Aztec time ever in the 200 breaststroke (2:22.42) last weekend at Hawaii. She already had the fifth-best mark in the 100 breaststroke (1:06.96) , which she set at the UCI Invitational earlier this month. In addition, freshman Emily Schmied has recorded the fifth-best SDSU time in the 200 IM at 2:07.96. Finally, the 800-meter freestyle relay quartet of Emily Schmied, Melissa Webb, Hannah Ryan and Kilpatrick turned in the third-fastest time in Aztec history when they swam a 7:41.56 at the Speedo Cup.
Aztec In The MWC Lists
Several swimmers are ranked among the Mountain West Conference's top 10s in their events during the 2002-03 season. Megan Storey holds the top mark in the MWC in the 1,650 freestyle this season at 17:10.57. She is also fourth in the 500 free. Erin Kilpatrick is listed in the top 10 in seven events while freshman Emily Schmied's name appears in the top 10 in three. Others among the top 10 in their individual events include Hannah Ryan and Jill Karacozoff.
The Real Storey
Junior Megan Storey has emerged as one of the top distance swimmers in the conference this season. She has recorded SDSU's top times in both the 1,000 (10.15.67) and 1,650 freestyle (17:10.57) events, and has the Aztecs' second-best mark in the 500 freestyle (5:03.65). Her time in the 500 free is just a half second behind team leader Erin Kilpatrick. In addition, She also has the squad's second-best mark in the 200 butterfly and fourth-best in the 100 yard butterfly.
Ryan Shows Free Form
Hannah Ryan's time in the 500 free (1:54.44) at last Saturday's meet at Hawaii was her fastest since her freshman year at San Diego State. Her personal best, set that season, is 1:52.65. Ryan has also recorded the team's third-best times in both the 500 freestyle (5:06.83) and 1,000 freestyle (10:31.48) this season.
Kilpatrick Among Team Leaders
Senior Erin Kilpatrick continues impress as one of the most versatile swimmers on the SDSU squad. Shoe owns the team's best times this season in the 500 freestyle, 100 backstroke and 200 butterfly. She is also a member of the 400 and 800 freestyle relay teams and the 400 medley relay squad that have all recorded the best marks for SDSU this season. The only event she has not swum this season is the breaststroke.
Karacozoff Leads Her Event
Third-year Aztec Jill Karacozoff continues to close in on personal bests in both the 100 and 200 breaststroke. She has set the pace for the Aztecs in those events this year, with a team-best 1:06.96 in the 100 and 2:22.42 in the 200. She is less than a second off her all-time mark in the 100 (1:06.21) and just over a second behind her personal best in the 200 (2:21.33). In the 200 breaststroke, she has improved her season best time by an average of over a second in the team's most recent two outings.
Schmied Leads The Youngsters
Emily Schmied has proven to be one of the top freshmen on this year's squad that includes seven first-year college athletes on its 19-women roster. She has the team's season-best times in both the 100 butterfly (58.10) and the 200 individual medley (2:06.55), marks she set in early December at the Speedo Cup. She is also a part of all five Aztec relay quartets (200, 400 and 800 free plus 200 and 400 medley) that have recorded the team's top times this season.
Looking Ahead
Following this weekend's meets at LMU and Pepperdine, the Aztecs will be at Cal Poly SLO on Friday, Jan. 31 at 1:00 p.m. They will continue north to face Fresno State the next day (Feb. 1) at noon. SDSU will then have a three-week break before traveling to Oklahoma City for the conference championship meet scheduled for Feb. 19-22.