Sept. 7, 2007
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State women's swimming and diving team will hold two Red and Black meets at the Aztec Aquaplex, first-year head coach Mike Shrader announced Friday. The intrasquad meets will take place on Friday, Sept. 21 and Friday, Oct. 12, with both set to start at 2:30 p.m. PT.
The Aztecs, who return 18 letterwinners, will have a fresh look this season with Shrader beginning his first season at the helm of the program. Shrader, who came to SDSU from Nevada-Reno, brings a wealth of experience and success to San Diego. In his eight seasons at Nevada, Shrader led the Wolf Pack to an impressive 87.7 winning percentage, four NCAA championship appearances, two conference titles and a perfect 18-0 record in 2007.
"I am extremely excited to be part of the Aztec family," said Shrader. "I look forward to building a program that San Diego State fans will be proud of and that will compete for championships. We want to move up in the highly competitive Mountain West Conference, as well as become consistently ranked nationally."
Looking to rejuvenate the Aztec swimming and diving program, Shrader will count on his five senior captains to guide a fairly young SDSU squad. Brittany Daly, Ana Dowell, Christine Graham, Kathleen Merrill and Katie Smith will provide the senior leadership in 2007-08. Last year, Daly swam the fourth-fastest time in Aztec history in the 1,000 freestyle, while Smith had the team's best individual finish at the Mountain West Conference championships when she placed sixth in the 100 backstroke.
Despite finishing ninth at the MWC championships in 2006-07, the SDSU swimming and diving team compiled a 9-8 mark in dual meet competition, recording its most wins since the 2002 season. The Aztecs also saw their first-ever NCAA Zone E Diving Regional qualifiers in junior Megan Flanagan and sophomore Caitlin Atkinson.
San Diego State will also get to compete on The Mesa for the first time with the opening of the Aztec Aquaplex earlier this year. After the two Red and Black meets, the Aztecs will begin their home schedule with a conference triple-dual meet, as they host Air Force, Colorado State and New Mexico on Saturday, Oct. 27.
The triple-dual meet will mark the first-ever SDSU swimming competition to be held at the Aquaplex. The facility has a 50-meter competition pool, with two one- and three-meter diving boards,as well as a recreation pool and hydrotherapy spa.
2007-08 Roster