FRESNO, Calif. – For the San Diego State swimming and diving team, the first day of the 2021 Chick-Fil-A Invitational featured a win from Klara Thormalm and multiple top-5 finishes and the team is in second place heading into Saturday, the final day of competition in the event.
San Diego State finished the day with 406.5 points and is just over 10 points ahead of third-place UCLA, which scored 395.5. Fresno State is fourth (206), followed by Washington State (171) and San Jose State (120.5). California is leading the event with 952.5 points.
The Aztecs had five top-five finishes in individual swimming events, including three top-five swims for Kristina Murphy and two top-five times in relays. In 3-meter diving three Aztecs finished in the top-five spots.
The evening session, and the first day for San Diego State, was highlighted by a Klara Thormalm win in the 100 Breaststroke. She finished in 1:01.80 and was the first of four Aztecs that finished in the top-eight in the race. Murphy was fifth in 1:03.24, Sammy Geyer was sixth in 1:03.33, and Meredith Smithbreaker touched in 1:03.86 and was eighth. Evonne Stehr, Brynlee Busskohl, Jessie McMurray and Ashlyn Hemphill finished in 16th, 18th, 24th and 31st in times of 1:05.77, 1:06.27, 1:07.36 and 1:08.94, respectively.
In the initial swim of the first session of the day, the 200 Medley Relay, the Aztec team of Alex Roberts, Geyer, Fiona Trotz-Chavez and Smithbaker finished in 10th place in a time of 1:47.39 and in 14th, in 1:48.45, was the team of Mai McKenna, McMurray, Lexi Anderson and Cathy Cooper.
In the 500 Free the Aztecs had four swimmers competing, led by the squad's best finish, a tenth-place result for Paige Mitchell who touched in 5:04.67. Two spots behind Mitchell, came Emily Gebhardt in 5:07.15. Ryan Dulaney (5:13.66) finished in 19th place and Wilma Johansson was 22nd in 5:14.75.
Four Aztecs swam the 200 IM, and San Diego State was led by a fourth-place finish by Murphy, who touched the wall in 2:04.40. Riley Tapley (12th place), Roberts (23rd place) and McKenna (39th place) finished with times of 2:07.05, 2:11.06 and 2:18.27, respectively. For Roberts, her time was a personal best in the event.
The fourth event of the session was the 50 Free and both Smithbaker and Thormalm finished in a tie for eighth place in 23.51. In addition, three other Aztecs finished in the top-20; Lizzie Menzmer (14th in 23.85), Cassandra Phillips (15th in 23.91) and Geyer (20th in 24.27). Cooper was 28th in 24.46 and Trotz-Chavez was 37th in 24.89. Hemphill came home in 25.02, good for 42nd place, and Lauren Torchiana was right behind her in 43rd place in 25.03. Rounding out the Aztecs competitors were McMurray (25.69) and Busskohl (25.72) who were 54th and 56th, respectively.
The final swim of the morning session was the 200 Free Relay. The Aztec squad of Thormalm, Phillips, Smithbaker and Menzmer took fifth place in 1:35.02. Stehr, Geyer, Gebhardt and Cooper were 11th in 1:37.49 and the team consisting of Torchiana, Trotz-Chavez, Hemphill and McMurray was 18th in 1:40.29.
After Thormalm's victory to open the night session, the second race was the 400 IM in which Murphy swam a 4:22.66 and finished in fourth, while Johansson was 15th in 4:31.04.
Ten Aztecs swam the 100 Fly and Phillips had the team's best time at 54.71 and fourth place finish. Menzmer (56.18), Tapley (56.61), Smithbaker (56.90) and Roberts were all in the top-25. In order they were 12th, 15th, 18th, and 21st to finish. Trotz-Chavez (58.85), Anderson (59.28), McMurray (1:01.87), Cooper (1:02.04) and Torchiana (1:03.12) placed 33rd, 36th, 42nd. 43rd, and 44th, respectively.
Mitchell swam a 1:54.20 in the 200 Free and finished in 17th place. Gebhardt was 20th in 1:54.66 and Dulaney was 25th with a 1:57.82.
The top Aztec finisher in the 100 Back was Tapley in eighth place in 57.00. Thormalm was right behind her in ninth and a swim of 57.34. In 16th, 18th, and 19th places were Roberts in 58.78, McKenna in 59.11 and Stehr in 59.21. Phillips (59.53) and Anderson (59.71) finished in 21st and 22nd place while Menzmer was 32nd in 1:02.61.
The final race of the night was the 800 Free Relay. The Aztecs team of Johansson, Mitchell, Murphy and Gebhardt, finished in third place in 7:36.91 and the squad of Smithbaker, Dulaney, Hemphill and Torchiana were the eighth team to touch the wall in a time of 7:55.28.
In 3-Meter Diving, San Diego State had three of the top-5 scorers, led by Emma Duggan's 260.80 and a second-place finish. In fourth and fifth places, respectively, were Ximena Lechuga Gonzalez (250.50) and Summer Westmoreland (244.45). They were followed, in eighth to 11th place, by Gillian Garcia (213.65), Juliana Harrison (209.20), Lexi Letts (196.95), and Olivia Zamudio (196.20). Gina Cazares completed her dives in 13th place with a score of 189.5.
In a 200 Fly time trial, swam prior to the first event of the day, Johansson swam a 2:00.57. It is the sixth fastest time in program history and bettered her previous career best by more than a second. Thormalm swam a 100 Breaststroke time trial and touched in 59.18. Thormalm, who owns the fastest time in program history in the event at 58.68, was half a second off her record and now has the two fastest times an Aztecs has ever achieved in the event.
The two-day event wraps up tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 9, with the first race scheduled to get under way at 10 a.m. PT.
-SDSU-
Aztecs In Second After Day One Of The Chick-Fil-A Invite
