Dec. 5, 2007
Complete Release and Top Times in PDF Format
SAN DIEGO -
THIS WEEK
The San Diego State swimming and diving team (2-1, 0-1 Mountain West Conference) will continue its road swing this week as the Aztecs head to Wyoming for a conference meet against the Cowgirls (3-1, 1-0 MWC) on Saturday at 11 a.m. (PST).
PREVIOUSLY ON THE MESA
SDSU captured every event in its non-conference meet at NCAA Division III member Cal State East Bay, en route to a 120-76 victory.
Senior Ana Dowell and sophomore Kyla Power led the Aztecs as they both had a pair of first-place finishes. Dowell captured the 200 and 500 free, while Power won the 100 backstroke and the 100 butterfly.
SCOUTING THE COWGIRLS
Led by 10th-year head coach Tom Johnson, Wyoming is off to a 3-1 start in dual meet action. The Cowgirls recently finished sixth out of 12 teams at the Husky Invite in Seattle, Wash., and were led by sophomore Cassie Stelow, who set two school records. Wyoming also returns five all-MWC performers from last year.
SERIES HISTORY
Since the inception of the MWC in 1999-00, SDSU trails the series with Wyoming, 4-1. The Cowgirls won the last meeting 133.5-73.5 on Nov. 21, 2006 at the Ray and Joan Kroc Community Center. The Aztecs' lone win came in 2003-04, when they defeated Wyoming 174-126, in San Diego.
THE COACHING STAFF
Mike Shrader, who spent the past eight years as the head coach at Nevada-Reno, begins his first season at San Diego State. While at Nevada, Shrader led the Wolf Pack to an 89-12-1 record, two conference titles and four NCAA championship appearances.
Brendon Bray, who came to The Mesa from the University of Washington, begins his first season as an assistant coach at SDSU, while Jim Wynne enters his sixth year as the Aztec diving coach.
DOWELL SHINES EARLY
Senior Ana Dowell led the Aztecs at Cal State East Bay last Saturday, capturing both the 200 and 500 free. On Nov. 17, Dowell had a second-place finish in the 100 free, swimming a personal-best 54.33 at Utah. Dowell also finished second in the 50 free (25.41) and third in the 100 fly (59.49) at that meet.
ATKINSON LEADS DIVERS
Sophomore Caitlin Atkinson placed second in both the one-meter (217.55) and three-meter (227.35) events at the double dual meet vs. Utah and Boise State (Nov. 17). Atkinson was also the only Aztec to qualify for the finals in both springboard events at the USC Diving Invitational on Nov. 2.
Junior Megan Flanagan had a solid day at Utah, finishing third on the one-meter and fourth on the three-meter boards.
SENIOR LEADERS
The Aztecs have selected their five seniors as captains for the 2007-08 season, and the group's accomplishments show why they deserve to be in such a leadership position. Brittany Daly swam the fourth-best time in Aztec history in the 1,000 free last year, while Ana Dowell held the team's top marks of the season in both the 100 and 200 fly. Christine Graham and Kathleen Merrill each swam personal-bests in the 100 and 200 breaststroke events in 2006-07, and Katie Smith currently ranks among the top five all-time at SDSU in the 100 and 200 backstroke.
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
Since the 1999-00 season, the San Diego State women's swimming and diving team has called the Ray and Joan Kroc Community Center its "home." But this year, the squad makes the transition from the Kroc Center to a state-of-the-art swimming facility on campus, the Aztec Aquaplex.
The 112,000 square-foot Aztec Aquaplex features two pools, one for competition and another for recreation, in addition to a hydrotherapy spa. The competition pool can accommodate a multitude of swimming and diving events with its one- and three-meter springboards.
The Aztecs' first home meet is scheduled for Jan. 4, 2008, against TCU and Air Force.
AZTEC NOTES
- Of the 29 swimmers and divers on SDSU's roster, 15 are either freshmen or sophomores.
- The Aztecs captured every event in its non-conference meet at Cal State East Bay.
- San Diego State was scheduled to host its first two meets of the season at the Aztec Aquaplex, but they were postponed due to the wildfires in San Diego County.
- Of the cancelled dual meets, Air Force has been rescheduled for Jan. 4, and Colorado State will make its way to San Diego on Jan. 9. The meets against New Mexico and UNLV have yet to be rescheduled.
ON DECK
The Aztecs will take a break after their dual meet with Wyoming before returning to action on Jan. 4, 2008, when SDSU plays host to TCU and Air Force in its first home contest at the Aztec Aquaplex.