Jan. 28, 2011
Complete Results | Photo Gallery
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State swimming and diving team secured the program's first-ever Mountain West Conference regular season dual meet championship as it defeated Wyoming, 161-128, Friday afternoon at the Aztec Aquaplex. With the win, the Aztecs improve to 16-0 overall and finish league competition with a perfect 8-0 mark.
SDSU won 12 of the meet's 14 swimming events as well as both diving competitions with five Aztecs finishing first in two individual events apiece. Along the way the Aztecs set four new Aztec Aquaplex facility records and one school record while also recording eight marks that will go into the all-time SDSU top 10 list.
The Aztecs opened the meet with a win in the 200 medley relay as the foursome of Leona Jennings, Katelyn Weddle, Kim Bierwith and Emilee Jennings won with a time of 1:43.70. That mark goes down as the second-fastest time for the Aztec Aquaplex and the fourth-best time in Aztec history.
In the next event, freshman Kelly Marquenie established a school record in the 1000 freestyle, winning with a time of 9:53.71 to break the mark she set earlier this season by over four seconds. She would later add a first-place finish in the 500 free with a pool record time of 4:51.56.
Stephanie Koch added to SDSU's win total by taking the 200 free in 1:50.69. She also captured gold in the 100 freestyle as she improved on her Aquaplex-record time with a 50.92. Senior Brooke Vessey made her final home appearance a memorable one by winning both the 100 and 200 butterfly in times of 56.41 and 1:03.44 respectively.
SDSU's other double winner in the individual swimming events was sophomore Leona Jennings, who took first in both the 100 back (55.57) and 200 back (2:03.45). In addition to her part in the opening 200 medley relay, Jennings closed out the meet by swimming the anchor leg of the 400 free relay that turned in the top time of the day (3:26.82).
That 400 free relay mark, turned in by a quartet that also included Jessica Crider, Stephanie Koch and Emilee Jennings, goes down as the second-best ever at the Aquaplex and fourth-best in school history.
San Diego State's fourth pool record on the afternoon came courtesy of senior Kim Bierwith, who won the 50 free in a time of 23.44. Katelyn Weddle continued to SDSU's run of top finishes by taking the 100 breaststroke with a mark of 1:03.44.
In addition to being a member of both winning relay teams, senior Emilee Jennings had times in a pair of individual events that ranks among the all-time Aztec top 10. Her mark of 23.55 in the 50 free is third-best while her 51.82 in the 100 free ranks ninth. She finished second and third in those events during Friday's meet.
In the diving, Kristen Meier captured both the 1-meter (297.98) and 3-meter (305.03) competitions for the fourth straight meet as SDSU swept the top three places in the former and took first, third and fourth in the latter.
Junior diver Rafaella Suarez, competing in just her first meet of the 2010-11 campaign, finished third in both events with scores that rank among the top 10 in program history. Her mark of 261.98 in the 1-meter stands seventh while her score of 262.80 in the 3-meter is ninth.
The SDSU swimming and diving team resumes action tomorrow (Saturday, Jan. 29) when it travels to La Jolla for a double dual meet against Hawai'I and UC San Diego with the first event scheduled to get underway at noon at UCSD's Canyonview Pool.