Oct. 5, 2016
THIS WEEK IN AZTEC SWIMMING
The San Diego State swimmers and divers will be on the road this week for a dual meet followed by participation in their first invitational event of the 2016-17 season. The Aztecs will be in Malibu, Calif., on Thursday, Oct. 6, for a dual meet against Pepperdine at the Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool. Competition gets underway at noon and the meet will be streamed live with the link available at www.GoAztecs.com. On Friday (Oct. 7), the Aztecs will travel to Fresno for the two-day Chick-fil-A Invitational being hosted by Fresno State. Action gets underway at 11:00 a.m. (PT) on Friday and continues Saturday morning at 10:00 a.m. Live stats for the meet will be available with the link posted on GoAztecs.com.
HEAD COACH MIKE SHRADER
San Diego State Head Coach Mike Shrader is in his 10th season with the Aztecs and has compiled a dual meet record of 116-15 (.885) during his tenure. Shrader has been named the Mountain West Coach of the Year on five occasions (2014, 2013, 2011, 2010, co-coach in 2009). Including eight seasons as head coach at Nevada, his career record is 205-27-1 (.882).
PENTATHLON VICTORY
San Diego State got its 2016-17 campaign off on a positive note with a victory in the annual Pentathlon against the University of San Diego by the score of 33-24. In the meet which featured races in the 100 free, 100 fly, 100 breast, 100 back and 100 individual medley, freshman McKenna Meyer edged teammate Frida Berggren for the individual title at the meet with a total time of 4:54.23, just 0.26 second ahead of Berggren. Meyer's effort included three first-place finishes (100 freestyle, 100 backstroke, 100 breaststroke), one second place (100 individual medley) and a third place (100 butterfly). Berggren won the pentathlon title in both 2013 and 2014.
NCAA TOP 30
Although it's early in the season, three Aztecs have recorded times that rank among the top 30 in the NCAA during the 2016-17 campaign. McKenna Meyer and Frida Berggren have posted the seventh (4:26.15) and 10th (4:29.47) fastest times respectively in the 400 individual medley. Berggren also has the number 20 mark in the 100 butterfly (56.50) with Summer Harrison posting the 29th-best mark in that event (56.90). Meyer ranks 30th in the nation in both the100 freestyle (52.50) and the 100 breaststroke (1:06.54).
BERGGREN RETURNS
Frida Berggren has returned to the Aztecs for the 2016-17 season after taking last year off to return to Sweden to train for the Olympics. Berggren, a junior, competed for San Diego State during the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons. She set the school record in the 200 butterfly in 2015 (1:58.08), a mark that was bettered by Summer Harrison (1:58.01) last season. Berggren also holds SDSU all-time top 10 times in the 200 freestyle (6th ââ'¬" 1:47.26), 200 individual medley (3rd - 1:59.63) and 400 individual medley (2nd - 4:12.34). She is also a member of the school record 800 freestyle team.
TOP TIME RETURNEES
The Aztecs return a total of 10 swimmers this season who have recorded program top 10 times in multiple events during their SDSU careers. That list of includes:
Frida Berggren ââ'¬" 200 Free, 200 Fly, 200 IM, 400 IM
Corinn Casper ââ'¬" 500 Free, 1000 Free, 1650 Free, 400 IM
McKenna Garfein ââ'¬" 100 Back, 200 Back
Samantha Guttmacher ââ'¬" 50 Free, 100 Fly, 200 Fly
Summer Harrison ââ'¬" 100 Fly, 200 Fly
Rachael Kelch ââ'¬" 200 Fly, 200 Back, 200 IM, 400 IM
Caroline Mitchell ââ'¬" 500 Free, 1000 Free, 1650 Free, 200 Fly, 400 IM
Kate Santilena ââ'¬" 100 Fly, 100 Back, 200 Back
Cailey Steffens ââ'¬" 50 Free, 100 Free
Andrea VanderMey ââ'¬" 100 Fly, 200 Back
In addition, the four returning divers are also among the all-time top 10s on one or more boards including:
Alexandra Caplan ââ'¬" 1-Meter, 3-Meter, Platform
Makena Chamoures ââ'¬" 1-Meter, Platform
Nicole Dutton ââ'¬" Platform
Payton Gabris ââ'¬" Platform