Nov. 3, 2011
THIS WEEK
San Diego State begins its 2011-12 home season by hosting a double dual meetagainst Mountain West foe Colorado State and UC Davis on Saturday, Nov. 5, at the Aztec Aquaplex. The first event is scheduled to get underway at 12:30 p.m.
HEAD COACH Mike Shrader
San Diego State head coach Mike Shrader is in his fifth season with the Aztecs and has compiled a dual meet record of 54-13 (.806) during his tenure. Shrader was named the Mountain West Coach of the Year each of the past three seasons (co-coach in 2009). Including eight seasons as the head coach at Nevada, his career record stands at 143-25-1 (.849).
AZTEC TAKE TWO AT CAL POLY
SDSU picked up a pair of victories in back-to-back dual meets at Cal Poly on Oct. 21 and 22. With several different events on each day's program, the Aztecs won the first meet by a score of 168-130 and captured the following day's competition 180-112.
In the first meet (Oct. 21), sophomore Kelly Marquenie and diver Kristen Meier won two events apiece. Marquenie won the 200 free and 1000 free races while Meier captured first in both the one-meter and three-meter diving. The following day, the Aztecs were led by junior Stephanie Koch, who won both the 50 and 100 free and was also a member of the winning 200 medley and 400 free relay squads.
SWIMMER & DIVER OF THE WEEK
Junior Stephanie Koch earned Mountain West Co-Swimmer of the Week honors, while senior Kristen Meier received MW Diver of the Week honors for competition from Oct. 17-23, 2011. It was the first weekly honor for Koch and fifth of Meier's career.
Koch, from Boone, Iowa (Ames HS), won three individual events and three relays in the Aztecs' back-to-back dual meets against Cal Poly. On Oct. 21, she won the 50-yard freestyle and was second in the 100 free to go along with a first in the 200 free relay (1:36.15). The next day she won the 50-free for a second time and picked up the win in the 100-free, while swimming legs of the winning 200-yard medley relay (1:46.31) and 400-yard freestyle relay (3:34.07).
Meier, from Walden, N.Y. (Valley Central HS/George Mason), took first place in the 1-meter and 3-meter springboard events on both days of competition at Cal Poly, improving her scores the second day in each event. On Friday, she scored 256.95 in the 1-meter and 283.70 in the 3-meter. On Saturday, she improved to 280.13 in the 1-meter and 307.57 in the 3-meter.
NEWCOMERS SHINE
A pair of Aztec newcomers wasted little time in making their marks as they won events at the dual meet at UNLV (Oct. 8) with times that will enter the school's top 10 list. Junior Gemma Johnson, a transfer from the University of Sydney (Australia) won the 100 butterfly in a time of 55.56, third-best in school history. Freshman Taylor Lakey (Southridge HS in Beaverton, Ore.) took the 200 butterfly event in 2:04.80, a time that places fourth on the SDSU all-time top 10 chart.
TOP 10 RELAY MARKS
Aztec relay teams have turned in three times this season that rank among the all-time top 10 marks in school history. The times (and their rankings) include:
200 Free Relay.....1:36.15...7th....at Cal Poly 10/21 (G. Johnson, S. Koch, C. Bailey, M. Macklin)200 Medley Relay...1:44.72...7th....at UNLV 10/8 (E. Jennings, K. Weddle, G. Johnson, S. Koch)200 Medley Relay...1:44.78...8th.....at Cal Poly 10/21 (E. Jennings, K. Weddle, L. Whitfield, G. Johnson)
THE STREAK CONTINUES
San Diego State has a streak of 41 straight dual meet wins against non-conference opponents. The last loss to a non-MWC team was a defeat at North Texas on Nov. 17, 2006. In current head coach Mike Shrader's four seasons at SDSU, the Aztecs have not lost a dual meet to a non-conference foe. SDSU has now won its last 26 dual meets dating back to the 2009-10 season. Its last loss came against Wyoming on Jan. 29, 2010, in Laramie.
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
San Diego State completed its second consecutive undefeated home season during its 2010-11 campaign. After finishing a perfect 7-0 in home meets last season, the Aztecs have won their last 17 consecutive dual meets at home. SDSU's record at the Aztec Aquaplex stands at 26-3 since the facility opened in the spring of 2008.
AZTECS ADD TWO MEETS TO SCHEDULE
San Diego State has added a pair of meets to its 2011-12 schedule. On Saturday, Dec. 17, Cal Poly will visit the Aztec Aquaplex for a dual meet set to begin at 12:00 p.m. SDSU will also participate in the Mountain West Time Trials on Sunday, Feb. 26, at 10:00 a.m. in Oklahoma City. That meet will come after the conclusion of the conference championship meet and is an opportunity for swimmers to qualify for the NCAA Championships.