COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The San Diego State swim and dive program collected two additional conference awards on Tuesday, as Mai McKenna (San Jose, Calif.) was named Mountain West Swimmer of the Week, while Ximena Lechuga Gonzalez (Tijuana, Mexico) received Diver of the Week recognition.
With her honor, McKenna garnered her first career MW accolade, while Lechuga Gonzalez merited diver of the week distinction for the ninth time as an Aztec and second occasion this season.
The SDSU teammates were recognized for the period spanning Dec. 6-Jan. 8, giving the Scarlet and Black seven such plaudits thus far during the 2022-23 campaign.
A native of San Jose, California, McKenna won two event titles that counted towards the Aztecs' team score in a 126-115 dual-meet victory over the University of San Diego at home on Dec. 19. She also posted the fastest time in another race after SDSU built a commanding lead. All three of her individual performances represented Aztec Aquaplex pool records and collegiate bests.
McKenna claimed the 100 backstroke crown with a 53.92 clocking, which ranks fifth in school history, before emerging triumphant in the 200 backstroke with an effort of 1:58.32. Later with the Aztecs in complete control on the team scoreboard, the SDSU sophomore logged the fastest time in the 200 individual medley at 2:00.30, which ranks seventh on the program's all-time charts.
Not to be outdone, McKenna also established a pool standard in the 50 backstroke after leading off the Aztecs' "C" 200 medley relay team with a split of 25.30 to mark another personal best, as the quartet helped SDSU capture the top three spots in the event.
In addition, McKenna helped the Aztecs to matching 127-118 wins over Incarnate Word and Cal State East Bay last week, as the Scarlet and Black registered their 47th and 48th consecutive dual-meet victories dating back to January 2018. Once again, she swam the backstroke leg of SDSU's second-place "B" team in the 200 medley relay before finishing third in her first collegiate entry in the 200 butterfly (2:12.73).
Meanwhile, Lechuga Gonzalez posted a trio of top-three finishes to lead the Aztecs at the CBU Lancer Diving Invitational, held Dec. 16-17 in Mission Viejo and Riverside, California. The SDSU senior captured the 1-meter springboard competition with a winning score of 276.90 points to eclipse the NCAA Zone qualifying barrier (265). With her victory, she now has four event titles to her credit this season.
Lechuga Gonzalez added a pair of third-place results in the 3-meter springboard (270.53 pts) and platform competitions (235.50), the latter of which marked a season best and also surpassed the NCAA Zone qualifying barrier (225).
San Diego State returns to the competition pool on Friday, Jan. 13, when it squares off against Pepperdine for the second time this season to highlight Senior Day festivities at Aztec Aquaplex. First swim is slated for 11 a.m. PT. In addition, SDSU divers will travel to Los Angeles for the UCLA Bruin Diving Invitational on Saturday, Jan. 14.