Jan. 6, 2012
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State swimming and diving team chalked up four dual meet wins during a five-team meet held Friday afternoon at the Aztec Aquaplex. The final results showed the Aztecs with victories over Rice (139-127), TCU (152-130), UC San Diego (159-123) and Washington State (154-112).
With the four wins SDSU improved to 12-0 on the season as it extended is dual meet win streak to 34 contests and its string of victories over non-conference opponents to 43.
San Diego State athletes recorded first-place finishes in a pair of relays and two diving events as well as eight of the 12 individual races. Double winners for the Aztecs included senior diver Kristen Meier as well as swimmers Kelly Marquenie, Katelyn Weddle and Leona Jennings.
Meier, who was one of three seniors honored prior to the start of the day's competition, set a new school record with a score of 355.60 on the three-meter board. She also captured top honors on the 1-meter springboard with a score of 3:07.40. Junior Rafaella Suarez finished second on the one-meter board with a mark of 278.35, the third-highest score in the event ever for an SDSU diver.
The Aztecs opened the meet with a win in the 200 medley relay with the foursome of Chelsea Bailey, Katelyn Weddle, Gemma Johnson and Stephanie Koch turning in a 1:43.70, a time that goes into the SDSU record book as the sixth-fastest ever. In addition, the second-place team of Leona Jennings, Natalie Meltzer, Loren Whitfield and Mikaela Macklin's time of 1:44.44 ranks 10th in the school record book.
Sophomore Kelly Marquenie then captured first in the 1000 free in 10:00.43 and would later take top honors in the 500 free with a mark of 4:54.76. Leona Jennings added to SDSU's point total with wins in the 100 backstroke (56.31) as well as the 200 back (2:02.49). Katelyn Weddle, who is just coming back after missing several weeks with an ear problem, showed little effect of the injury as she won both the 100 and 200 breaststroke with times of 1:02.96 and 2:17.33 respectively.
Other individual winners for SDSU included freshman Taylor Lakey in the 200 butterfly (2:03.62) and junior Gemma Johnson in the 100 butterfly (55.36). Berklie Oscarson finished second in the 200 fly in 2:04.02, recording the fifth-best time in that event in Aztec history
The Aztecs wrapped up the meet by turning in the fastest time in the 400 free relay as Marquenie, Koch, Macklin and Bailey went 3:27.64, the fourth-best time for the Aquaplex and eight-fastest in school history.
Up next for San Diego State is an abbreviated dual meet against Tulane on Tuesday, Jan. 10, that will get underway at 8:10 a.m. at the Aztec Aquaplex. The meet will consist of 100-yard races in the back, breast, fly and free along with a 100 individual medley and both diving events.