MALIBU, Calif. – The San Diego State swimming and diving team jumped out to an insurmountable 66-11 lead after four events and went on to an 81-65 victory over the Pepperdine Waves at the Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool on Thursday.
The victory is the program's 29th straight dual meet win and improves the Aztecs' record in duals this season to 2-0. San Diego State has not lost a dual meet since Jan. 8, 2018, and, since the 2016-17 season, the Aztecs have defeated the Waves 11 straight times, including six straight in Malibu.
In the opening event, the 200-medley relay, the Aztecs recorded four of the top five times, but only counted its first and second place finishes. The team of Mia McKenna, Klara Thormalm, Kristina Murphy and Lizzie Menzmer earned the victory in a time of 1:45.35, with Alex Roberts, Jessie McMurray, Riley Tapley and Meredith Smithbaker coming in second in 1:47.09. Lexi Anderson, Ashlyn Hemphill, Fiona Trotz-Chavez and Cassandra Phillips had the third fastest time, 1:49.02, but they, along with Lauren Torchiana, Brynlee Busskohl, Paige Mitchell and Ryan Dulaney who compiled the fifth fastest time, 1:51.19, did not figure into the scoring after their races were exhibitioned.
Emily Gebhardt (26.07), Wilma Johansson (26.48) and Brynlee Busskohl (26.95) finished first, second and fourth, respectively, in the 50 fly to cap the Aztecs scoring in the event. Hemphill (27.54), Jessie McMurray (28.04) and Ryan Dulaney (28.34) swam the race as an exhibition.
In the 50 back, San Diego State swept the first three spots with Evonne Stehr winning in 26.50 seconds. Tapley and Anderson were second and third, respectively, in times of 26.80 and 28.01.
The 50 breaststroke saw the Aztecs take the top five positions, but only the first three scored. Smithbaker (29.51), Sammy Geyer (30.31) and Busskohl (30.88) touched one, two, three. Stehr and Alex Roberts swam as an exhibition in times of 31.50 and 32.25, respectively.
In the final three races – the 50 free, 100 IM and 200 free relay, all the Aztecs' swims were exhibitions.
In the 50 free, San Diego State had five of the six fastest times, including the top three. Cathy Cooper was the fastest in the pool with a 24.29, while Gebhardt (24.62) and Trotz-Chavez (24.94) touched the wall with the second and third quickest times. Hemphill (25.15), Paige Mitchell (25.60) and McMurray (26.27) rounded out the Aztecs' finishers.
Murphy (58.39) and Tapley (58.48) were the only swimmers to finish the 100 IM in under a minute. Roberts clocked the third fastest time with a 1:01.04 and McKenna came home in 1:03.06.
In the final swimming event, the 200 free relay, San Diego State again had four of the top-5 times. The team of Geyer, Menzmer, Murphy and Cooper finished in the quickest time (1:36.40). Phillips, Thormalm, Dulaney and Gebhardt touched second in 1:37.72, while Smithbaker, Johansson, Trotz-Chavez and Stehr were the third fastest at 1:39.63. Mitchell, Anderson, McKenna and Torchiana finished in 1:43.73, the fifth team to touch the wall.
Six Aztecs competed on 1-meter board, the lone event diving event of the day, and San Diego State took the top three spots led by Summer Westmoreland (248.04 points). Lexi Letts was second with a score of 237.90, and Olivia Zamudio finished in third with a score of 233.94. San Diego State's other three divers were Juliana Harrison, who recorded a personal best of 215.34, Gilliam Garcia had a total of 191.86 and Emma Duggan finished at 158.77. Harrison, Garcia and Duggan dove as an exhibition.
THE NOTE
San Diego State extends its dual meet unbeaten streak to 1,368 days. The last time a team defeated the Aztecs in a dual meet was on Jan. 8, 2018, a 153-147 loss to Colorado State.
NEXT UP
The Aztecs will spend the next two days, Friday and Saturday, in Fresno, Calif., competing in the Chick-Fil-A Invitational. The first swim on Friday, the 200-medley relay, is scheduled to start at 11 a.m. Other team competing in the event are UCLA, California, Washington State, and San Jose State as well as the host Fresno State.
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Aztecs Cruise To Victory At Pepperdine
