COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The San Diego State swimming and diving took control of the 2022 Mountain West swimming and diving championship on day two and never looked back totaling 1,541.5 points to easily win its sixth conference title in the last 12 years.
SDSU's 1,541.5 is the highest team score in Mountain West history, bettering UNLV's 1,349 from last year.
Day four of the Championships opened with the 1650 Freestyle and Ryan Dulaney, the lone Aztec in the race finished in a time of 17:08.34, cutting over 10 seconds off her previous best.
In the 200 Backstroke, San Diego State placed three swimmers into the finals with Alex Roberts its highest placed finisher touching the wall in a personal best 1:55.67 and finishing in second place. Riley Tapley was the fourth-place finisher in a time of 1:58.37 and Mai McKenna came home in 11th place in a season-best 2:00.45. Evonne Stehr recorded a 2:07.74 in the prelims.
Each of the four Aztecs who swam in the 100 Freestyle set either a career or season best. Mia Ryan was the top finisher for SDSU clockingM a career-best 49.71 which was good for second place. With a season-best time of 49.92, Meredith Smithbaker was the fourth-place finisher. Sammy Geyer swam a career-best 49.53 for ninth place and Cassie Phillips was 16th with a season-best 51.97.
The two Aztecs competing in the 200 Breaststroke, Klara Thormalm and Kristina Murphy, finished in second and third, respectively. Thormalm swam a 2:09.72 and Murphy clocked a career-best 2:11.07.
Wilma Johansson was San Diego State's best finisher in the 200 Butterfly clocking a 2:00.52. In a pair of career-best times, Emily Gebhardt and Lizzie Menzmer swam 2:01.84 and 2:02.24 to finish 10th and 13th, respectively. Paige Mitchell, in the prelims, touched the wall in 2:07.21.
In the Platform competition, SDSU had half the divers in the final and overall, five Aztecs posted Zone E Championship qualifying scores. Ximena Lechuga Gonzalez, the 3-meter springboard champion, leading the way with a second-place finish and 305.10 points. It is a career-high and she reclaims the top all-time score in the event for a diver from The Mesa. Gillian Garcia, who totaled 280.70, was fourth with her career best and A Zone E qualifying total. Also totaling a high enough score to exceed the Zone E standard were Gina Cazares, Valentina Lopez Arevalo and Emma Duggan. Cazares finished in sixth place with a 258.35, a career best. Lopez Arevalo was seventh with a 238.70 and in 11th place Emma Duggan produced her career-best score of 234.95.
In 19th place with 203.75 was Summer Wesmoreland. Jules Harrison was right behind her in 20th place with a 201.05 total and Olivia Zamudio finished with a 184.60.
With the title well in hand, the final event of the Championships was the 400 Freestyle relay and San Diego State capped its sixth Mountain West title with style. The team of Ryan, Geyer, Murphy and Thormalm touched the wall first in a time of 3:17.45. Also competing, but as an exhibition, the team of Stehr, Menzmer, Tapley and Gebhardt swam a 3:26.21.
2022 Mountain West Championships
College Station, Texas
Final Results
1. San Diego State (1,541.5 points)
2. Nevada (1,277.5 points)
3. UNLV (1,249 points)
4. Wyoming (888.5 points)
5. Colorado State (760 points)
6. Fresno State (691.5 points)
7. Air Force (678 points)
8. San Jose State (597.5 points)
9. New Mexico (378.5 points)
-SDSU-