Feb. 24, 2011
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. - San Diego State swimmers and divers won three of five events and set a school record in another during the second day of the 2011 Mountain West Swimming & Diving Championships at the Oklahoma City Community College Aquatic Center. With a two-day total of 251 points, the Aztecs remained in first place ahead of BYU (207) and Wyoming (206). (See below for complete team standings.)
In the first final of the evening, the SDSU 400 medley relay team of Leona Jennings, Katelyn Weddle, Brooke Vessey and Stephanie Koch broke their own school record with a time of 3:38.97. That mark placed them third in the race and was an NCAA B Cut time, a mark that provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championship Meet in three weeks.
San Diego State's best showing of the session came in the 500 freestyle where the duo of freshman Kelly Marquenie and sophomore Melanie Garibaldi finished first and second respectively. Marquenie's time of 4:44.57 broke her own SDSU record by over two seconds and set a new MWC Championship record as well. Garibaldi, meanwhile, went 4:47.88 to set a personal best in the event with a time that ranks third in school history.
In the B Final of the 500 free, soph Jessica Crider picked up points by finishing fourth in 4:55.56. In the process she turned in a time that eclipsed her previous season-best by over six seconds as her mark in the final ranks sixth all-time for an Aztec swimmer.
In the 200 individual medley, Leona Jennings finished fifth with a time of 2:02.08. Ironically, teammate Mikaela Macklin was first in the B Final in the same time. Macklin had just missed qualifying for the A Final by .44 seconds in the preliminary heats for the event.
In the final swimming race of the evening, senior Kim Bierwith captured gold with a first-place finish in the 50 free in a school-record time of 22.69 as she became the first Aztec top break the 23-second mark in that event. Sophomores Stephanie Koch (23.26) and Emilee Jennings (23.48) scored points for the Aztecs by finishing fifth and sixth in the B Final. In addition, senior Allison Stuhr's time of 23.60 in the prelims goes into the SDSU record book as the fourth-best ever.
In the one-meter springboard, Kristen Meier became the first athlete to win two events during the meet as she took first with a score of 311.90 points, breaking her own school record in the process. Freshman Anna Steiner's mark of 256.95 (11th place) was a season-best and moved her into the No. 8 spot in the SDSU record book.
The 2011 MWC Championships continue on Friday with prelims in the 400 individual medley begin at 10:00 a.m. (CT). Other events being contested tomorrow include the 100 butterfly, 200 freestyle, 100 breaststroke, 100 backstroke, 200 free relay and platform diving.
Fans can visit 2011 MWC Swimming & Diving Championship Central to follow the action with a schedule of events, psych sheets and real-time results and scoring by clicking here.
TEAM SCORESSan Diego State...251Brigham Young.....207Wyoming...........206Utah..............190New Mexico........170TCU...............149UNLV..............141Colorado State....123Air Force..........64