Dec. 29, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format
THIS WEEK
After three-and-a-half weeks since its last competitive match, San Diego State (4-4; 2-4 MWC) will be in action for the first time since Dec. 6 when it hosts Cal State East Bay in a dual meet on Wednesday, Dec. 31. Action gets underway at 9:00 a.m. (PST) at the Aztec Aquaplex.
LAST TIME OUT
San Diego State evened its season record at 4-4 with a 179-117 victory at Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday, Dec. 6. The Aztecs opened the meet by finishing first and second in the 200 medley relay, then taking eight of the top nine spots in the first three individual events.
Leading the way for the Aztecs was junior Kyla Power, who captured first place in the 1000 freestyle, 50 freestyle and 200 individual medley. It was her first appearance of the season in the 50 free while her time of 2:14.36 in the 200 IM was her personal season best.
Freshmen Lisa Tompkins and Jeanette Engzell were double winners in their individual events for San Diego State. Tompkins won the 50 and 100 breaststroke while Engzell took top honors in the 50 butterfly and 100 backstroke. It was Engzell's first attempt of the season in the fly race and she also swam on the winning 200 medley relay team that got the meet underway.
Aztec divers took second through fourth place in both the one- and three-meter. In the one-meter, Caitlin Atkinson (2nd - 256.73) and Alex Barstad (3rd - 244.65) both established personal season-high point totals. The same held true in the three-meter diving for Atkinson (2nd - 244.51) and Megan Flanagan (3rd - 236.73).
SEASON-BEST TIME
Freshman Elisabeth Kruger set a personal and season team best in the 200 freestyle in the meet at Cal State Bakersfield with a time of 1:56.12.
Krueger, a freshman from Eriangen, Germany, also has the Aztecs' top mark in three other events this season including the 200 butterfly (2:06.72), 200 IM (2:09.74) and 400 IM (4:35.66). She has also been a member of four relay teams (200 free, 400 free, 200 medley, 400 medley) that have turned in the team's top time this fall.
ENGZELL-ENT
Freshman Jeanette Engzell has emerged as one of the top breaststroke specialists in the Mountain West Conference. She currently owns the top times in the MWC this season in both the 100 (1:05.47) and 200 (2:19.80) breast.
The first-year Aztec has already etched her name into the SDSU record book as those times in the 100 and 200 breast rank fourth and second respectively all time for an SDSU swimmer. Engzell is also a member of the 200 and 400 medley relay teams that have recorded the second and seventh fastest times in school history during the 2008-09 season.
MISS VERSATILITY
Sophomore Brooke Vessey has proven to be one of the Aztecs' most versatile swimmers this season. She has recorded the team's top times in both the 50 and 100 free as well as the 100 butterfly and the 100 backstroke. She was also on the 400 free and 200 medley relay squads that have SDSU's top times this fall.
ALL-TIME TOP 10 TIMES
The newcomers among the Aztec swimmers and divers are making an immediate impact on the program. A total of 16 new marks and one relay time have been added to the all-time SDSU top 10's. Ten of the new individual entries are by true freshmen with three others by transfers in their first year at SDSU.
Among the freshmen, Elisabeth Kruger now appears in the top 10 in four events: 100 fly (seventh), 200 fly (sixth), 200 IM (eighth) and 400 IM (ninth).
Freshman Jeanette Engzell has made her presence felt, with the second- and fourth-fastest times in school history in the 200 and 100 breaststroke respectively.
Classmates Ashley Flynn (1000 free-6th), Bojana Duric (500 free-10th; 1000 free-4th), and Kelsy Diener (200 back-5th) have also found themselves ranked among SDSU's all-time top 10 in their events.
Others who have registered SDSU top 10 marks this season include junior Jessica Morrill (100 breast-8th) and sophomore Brooke Vessey (100 back-5th and 100 fly-6th) along with first-year Aztec (soph transfer) Allison Hall (200 fly-9th)
In addition, diver Alex Barstad, a junior transfer from Minnesota, has recorded the seventh-best mark in the one-meter and eighth-best score in the three-meter.
RELAY TOP 10s
Two relay quartets have recorded all-time SDSU top 10 marks this season. In the 200 medley relay, the foursome of Brooke Vessey, Jeanette Engzell, Elisabeth Krueger and Alexis McCoy turned the second-best time ever (1:46.31). In the 400 medley relay, the team of Kelsy Diener, Engzell, Krueger and McCoy had the seventh-best Aztec mark ever in that event (3:55.73).ÂÂ
ON DECK
Up next for the Aztec swimming and diving squad is a trip to the islands to compete in the University of Hawai'i Invitational on Thursday, January 8, at the Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Complex.