SAN DIEGO – San Diego State swimmers open their 2023-24 campaign on Friday, Sept. 15, when they visit the University of San Diego in the annual pentathlon between the two schools at USD Sports Center Pool. First swim is set for 1 p.m. PT.
SDSU posted a 14-0 ledger in dual meets last season and has not been defeated in its last 50 duals dating back to Jan. 8, 2018, a span of over five years. In addition, the Aztecs have completed an unblemished dual-meet schedule in eight of the last nine seasons.
Head coach Mike Shrader, who is entering his 17th season at the controls of the SDSU program, received Mountain West Swim Coach of the Year recognition for the ninth time in his career last spring after leading the Scarlet and Black to its fourth conference championship in the last five seasons and seventh in the last 13 campaigns.
At the 2023 conference meet, Shrader's Aztecs set a MW record with a team score of 1,638 points, capturing 10 individual gold medals and sweeping all five relay events. Following the league championships, San Diego State student-athletes garnered a conference-high 59 all-MW accolades, including 39 individual plaudits.
Not to be outdone, Wilma Johansson was named MW Swimmer of the Meet, while Moa Bergdahl was voted MW Freshman of the Meet.
Johansson took home gold medals in the 200 and 500 freestyle while contributing to SDSU's victorious 800 freestyle relay team. In addition, the current Aztec senior placed second in the 200 butterfly with a school-record time of 1:57.17.
Bergdahl, meanwhile, received top freshman recognition last spring after collecting a silver medal in the 100 breaststroke to go with top-seven placements in the 200 breaststroke (5th) and 200 individual medley (7th).
Friday's meet will mark the 12th time in the last 13 seasons in which the Aztecs have opened their season with a pentathlon meet against USD, with the Scarlet and Black winning all 11 previous encounters.
This year's pentathlon will crown a new individual champion following the graduation of former SDSU star Kristina Murphy, who won consecutive titles at the meet in 2021 and 2022.
Last season, the Aztecs boasted the top nine pentathlon finishers, including Meredith Smithbaker, who placed second with a combined time of 4:57.55, followed by fellow returners Riley Tapley (4:58.16), Evonne Stehr (5:01.17), Alex Roberts (5:02.70), Mai McKenna (5:05.81), Avery Turney (5:06.32), Bergdahl (5:09.08) and Johansson (5:10.18).
Roberts will look to build on a spectacular junior campaign when she was named Mountain West Swimmer of the Year following the 2022-23 season.
A native of Visalia, California, Roberts earned five all-conference honors at the MW Championships, highlighted by a pair gold-medal winning performances in the 100 and 200 backstroke while contributing to SDSU's victorious 200 and 400 medley relay teams. She also took home a bronze medal in the 100 butterfly.
Roberts qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 200 back after setting a conference and school record with a winning time of 1:52.89 at the MW meet. She was also invited to compete in 100 back and 100 fly at the NCAA Championships thanks to her efforts in those events at the league meet as well.
Additionally, the Aztecs also welcome back Christiana Williams, who qualified for NCAA Championships in the 200 breaststroke after setting a conference and school record with a swim of 2:08.23 during the first day of time trials at the Mountain West Championships last spring. She later took home the gold medal in the "A" finals of the same event after clocking in at 2:08.86.
Williams was also invited to participate in the 100 breaststroke at the national meet on the strength of her NCAA "B" cut times during the 2022-23 campaign. The Tucson, Arizona, posted a winning time of 1:00.23 in the "A" finals at the conference meet, which ranks fourth in school history.
Following its clash with the Toreros, SDSU returns to the pool with a full squad, including divers, on Friday, Sept. 30, when it travels to the Central Coast to battle Cal Poly in a dual meet, starting at noon PT in San Luis Obispo, California.