Oct. 23, 2008
SAN DIEGO -
Complete Release in PDF Format
THIS WEEK
San Diego State (0-1; 0-1 MWC) returns to action this weekend as it welcomes Air Force, Colorado State and New Mexico to the Aztec Aquaplex for a Mountain West Conference quad meet on Saturday, Oct. 25. The first race is set to get underway at 1 p.m. (PST).
SCOUTING THE FALCONS
Air Force opened its season at the WAC Shootout (Oct. 10-11) and went 1-5 on the weekend. Senior captain Jane Hwang led the Falcons with four top 10 finishes, while freshman Lauren Shetley paced the divers with a second-place showing in the 3-meter event.
SCOUTING THE RAMS
Colorado State kicked off the 2008-09 campaign by hosting the Early Bird Invitational in which the Rams ran away with the team title. CSU, which was picked to finish fifth in the MWC, won every event in the two-day meet. Nora Kennedy (100 fly, 200 fly) and Kathleen McCleary (200 free, 1650 free) led the way with a pair of individual victories each.
SCOUTING THE LOBOS
New Mexico will begin its dual-meet season with Saturday's competition. The Lobos return 12 letterwinners and welcome 16 newcomers in 2008-09. Junior Ashley Grisdale, a two-time all-MWC performer in the butterfly, is one of UNM's top returnees.
SERIES HISTORY
Since the inception of the Mountain West Conference in 1999-00, San Diego State leads in its all-time dual-meet series with Air Force by a 7-2 count, but trails New Mexico (5-2) and Colorado State (8-0).
SDSU has won two of its last three meetings with the Falcons, including a 167-63 victory in its home debut at the Aztec Aquaplex last year. The Scarlet and Black was not as fortunate against the Rams, however, as it remained winless in the series with a 185-110 loss at the USD Sports Center Pool. The Aztecs and Lobos did not compete last year due to the San Diego wildfires.
LAST TIME OUT
In its season opener, SDSU led Utah after 11 events but was unable to hold on as the Utes eventually pulled out the 168-132 victory. Despite the loss, there were many bright spots for the Scarlet and Black. The quartet of Brooke Vessey, Jeanette Engzell, Elisabeth Krueger and Alexis McCoy captured the 200 medley relay with the second-fastest time in school history. Engzell also swept the 100 and 200 breaststroke events, while Vessey finished ahead of the pack in the 100 backstroke. Ashley Flynn chipped in with a first-place performance in the 1000 free.
TRI-CAPTAINS
SDSU will have a trio of swim captains this season in sophomore Noelle Holland and juniors Jessica Morrill and Kyla Power.
Holland (Casa Grande, Ariz.), who swam personal bests in the 100 and 200 fly as a true freshman last year, earned recognition for her work in the classroom as she was selected to the MWC all-academic team in addition to being named a scholar-athlete.
Morrill, meanwhile, was a double-winner twice in 2007-08 and earned her first career MWC swimmer of the week award after claiming the 100 and 200 breast vs. Air Force/TCU. The Rio Vista, Calif., native also holds the sixth-best mark in school history in the 200 breast.
Power (San Jose, Calif.) is coming off a strong sophmore campaign in which she won three events and established lifetime bests in the 50 free, 200 free, 500 free and 200 backstroke. She is also a two-time MWC scholar-athlete and all-academic selection.
YOUNG GUNS
The Aztecs have many new faces this year as 13 newcomers are on board for the 2008-09 season. With nine freshmen and four transfers, the incoming class will look to make an immediate impact in its first year on The Mesa.
Freshman Jeanette Engzell has already made her presence felt, winning the 200 and 100 breaststroke with the third- and fourth-fastest times, respectively, in school history. Classmates Ashley Flynn, Bojana Duric, Elisabeth Krueger and Kelsy Diener, along with sophomore transfer Allison Hall, have also found themselves ranked among SDSU's all-time top 10 in their young Aztec careers.
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
After compiling a perfect 3-0 dual-meet record in its first year of competition at the Aztec Aquaplex in 2008, the Scarlet and Black returns to the state-of-the-art on-campus facility with high hopes. SDSU will host five meets at the Aquaplex throughout the season. The 112,000 square-foot Aztec Aquaplex features a 50-meter competition pool, a recreational pool and a hydrotherapy spa. The competition pool can accommodate a multitude of swimming and diving events.
ON DECK
SDSU will return to the pool next weekend when the divers head to the USC Trojan Diving Invitational (Oct. 31-Nov. 1) in Los Angeles, Calif. The rest of the team, meanwhile, will play host to Fresno State in a non-conference dual meet on Nov. 1.