SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State swimming and diving team continues action this week, ending a two-week break from competition to face UC San Diego, UC Davis, and Mountain West foe Boise State at the Canyonview Aquatic Center in La Jolla, Calif. on Friday at 2:00 p.m. Fans looking to attend the meet are advised that to park at UC San Diego a purchased day pass is required. The meet is free to attend.
The Aztecs have enjoyed a successful start to the 2018-19 campaign, owning a pair of dual meet wins over San Diego and Pepperdine, a first-place finish at a home relay meet against Washington State and Nevada, and most recently, a second-place finish at the Chick-fil-A Invitational hosted by Fresno State, where the Aztecs only trailed two-time national runner-up California.
The meet in La Jolla will serve as SDSU's final tune-up meet before the Mizzou Invitational on Nov. 15-17, which will serve as SDSU's premiere event before the Mountain West Championships in February.
The Aztecs competed against all three of Friday's opponents at one point during the 2017-18 season. SDSU and UCSD placed first and second, respectively, in November 2017 during the A3 Invitational, while a month prior, the Aztecs defeated UC Davis, 155.5-136.5, in a road dual meet. Boise State and SDSU were the Mountain West's top two finishers at the MW Championships last February, finishing first and second, respectively.
The Aztecs have benefited from a strong all-around performance early in the season. SDSU's top relay times in the 400 free (3:27.23), 800 free (7:31.49), and 200 medley (1:43.34) are all the best times in the Mountain West this year. SDSU's top times in the 200 free (1:34.53) and 400 medley (3:48.45) are also among the league's best, with both times standing second on the leaderboard.
Delaney Gallagher played a large role in SDSU's second-place finish at the Chick-fil-A Invitational, winning both the 1-meter and 3-meter diving competitions. For her efforts in Fresno, Gallagher collected her first career Mountain West Diver of the Week honor. The Aztec divers have particularly thrived on the 1-meter board, with Marie Yacopino (291.45), Ximena Lechuga (282.35) and Gallagher (282.25) all owning the second, third, and fourth best scores in the Mountain West this season.
The Aztecs have 12 times this season that rank within the Mountain West's top three, including McKenna Meyer's top time in the 400 IM of 4:21.88 and Kristina Murphy's conference-best time in the 200 breast at 2:16.92. Murphy, in her first collegiate season, leads the Aztecs with three times that rank inside the conference's top three, including the Mountain West's second-fastest 200 IM time of 2:05.37 and third-fastest time in the 100 breast of 1:03.88.