SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State swim and dive program returns to the pool this week when it heads north for a pair of dual meets in San Luis Obispo, California, featuring Cal Poly and Fresno Pacific.
The Aztecs will battle the host Mustangs in a single meet at Anderson Aquatic Center on Friday, Sept. 29, starting at noon PT. The Scarlet and Black will then remain on the Central Coast the following day, Sept. 30, for a repeat engagement with Cal Poly at 10 a.m., adding Fresno Pacific to the mix for a double dual format.
SDSU boasts a spotless 13-0 record against the Mustangs in the all-time series dating back to 2002. The Aztecs are 4-0 vs. Cal Poly at home, 7-0 in San Luis Obispo and 2-0 at a neutral site.
The Aztecs registered a 150-135 victory in the last meeting between the two squads on Dec. 20, 2021, at Aztec Aquaplex. In 14 swimming events, SDSU recorded the fastest time in 12 races, winning nine.
Among Aztec returners, Wilma Johansson was triumphant in the 200 backstroke (2:11.56) and 1000 freestyle (10:36.55) and joined Paige Mitchell in contributing to SDSU's 40O free relay team that logged the fastest time in that event (3:34.79).
In addition, Riley Tapley and Alex Roberts swam two legs of SDSU's victorious 200 medley relay team (1:45.21), with the former notching the fastest time in the 100 fly (56.42).
Roberts (2:08.76) and Mai Kenna (1:01.32) logged a pair of second-place swims in the 200 fly and 100 back, respectively, while Evonne Stehr produced the second-best time in the 200 individual medley (2:11.22).
Saturday's meet will mark the Aztecs' first-ever encounter against Fresno Pacific, which competes in the Pacific Collegiate Swim and Dive Conference, with several of its affiliates appearing on SDSU's schedule this season, including Alaska Fairbanks, Cal State East Bay, Concordia-Irvine and Loyola Marymount.
The Aztecs posted a 14-0 record in dual meets last season and have not been defeated in their last 51 duals dating back to Jan. 8, 2018, a span of over five years. In addition, the Scarlet and Black has completed an unblemished dual-meet schedule in eight of the last nine seasons.
SDSU extended their streak with a season-opening triumph over the University of San Diego in the annual pentathlon meet between the two schools on Sept. 15 at the Toreros' home pool.
The Aztecs captured all 11 events and boasted at least the top-four finishes in nine of those competitions. Individually, SDSU was led by the freshman duo of Reka Nyiradi and Trine Forss, who each won three races, while Mai McKenna was a double winner as well.
Nyiradi was victorious in the 100 free (51.86), 100 fly (58.06) and 400 individual medley (4:28.55), while Forss claimed titles in 100 back (58.44, 50 fly (26.47), 50 back (27.51).
Additionally, SDSU received a trio of winning efforts from Christiana Williams in the 100 breast (1:04.06), Paige Mitchell in the 500 free (5:14.40) and Rachel Hubka in the 50 free (24.08).
San Diego State returns to action on Thursday, Oct. 5, when it drives up the coast to face Pepperdine in a dual meet, beginning at 10:30 a.m. PT in Malibu, California. The Aztecs will continue their weekend excursion with a quick trip to the Central Valley for the Fresno State Invitational, Friday and Saturday, Oct. 6-7, in Fresno, California.