SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State swim and dive program opened its 2023-24 home schedule in style Tuesday with a 128-120 triumph over Mountain West rival Air Force in a dual meet at Aztec Aquaplex.
The Aztecs registered the fastest time in all 14 swim events, winning nine to claim their 11th straight victory against the Falcons and keep their record unblemished at 6-0 on the season.
Evonne Stehr captured two event titles that counted towards the Scarlet and Black's team score, while Christiana Williams, Reka Nyiradi and Alex Roberts also won a pair of individual races, highlighting a balanced result sheet that featured additional victories from Summer West, Avery Turney, Meredith Smithbaker, Alyssa Schiller and Paige Mitchell.
SDSU took control from the outset, grabbing the top two spots in the 200 medley relay, where the combo of Stehr, Moa Bergdahl, Roberts and Smithbaker touched the wall with a winning time of 1:44.12, while the team of Riley Tapley, Williams, Rachel Hubka and Schiller finished a close second after clocking in at 1:44.91.
The Aztecs kept the momentum rolling in the 1,000 freestyle, where West took home the crown thanks to her effort of 10:30.87, followed by Mitchell, who placed second at 10:35.22, both of which marked season-fast swims.
SDSU duplicated the feat with another 1-2 finish in the 200 freestyle, as Nyiradi (1:49.66) and Turney (1:53.34) logged season-best times of their own.
Not to be outdone, the Scarlet and Black boasted the top-three competitors in the 100 backstroke, where Roberts touched the wall with a triumphant effort of 55.04, followed in succession by Tapley (56.35) and Abby Storm (58.13).
As the morning progressed, Williams continued the Aztecs' winning ways in the 100 breaststroke with a victorious swim of 1:02.59, while Bergdahl clocked in at 1:04.10 to place second.
Shortly thereafter, Stehr posted a winning time of 25.28 in the 50 butterfly, while Charlotte Sevin (26.10) took third, followed closely by Emily Tenczar (26.19).
The SDSU faithful were soon treated to a dramatic finish in the 50 freestyle, where Smithbaker and Schiller tied for first with after both swimmers touched the wall at 23.40, while Hubka followed right behind in third at 23.68.
After a short break, the Aztecs showed no signs of slowing down, as Turney emerged victorious in the 100 freestyle with a clocking of 50.87, while Nyiradi placed second with a season-fast effort of 51.47.
Moments later, Stehr won the 50 backstroke with a sprint of 26.44 for her second event title of the day, while Sevin (28.31) and Tenczar (28.50) took sixth and seventh, respectively.
With a comfortable lead on the team scoreboard, the Aztecs' results in the final five events of the meet were scored as exhibitions.
Nevertheless, the 50 breaststroke featured another exciting finish, as Williams (29.03) held off Smithbaker (29.19) and Bergdahl (29.22) for the crown, while Liberty Edwards (31.62) was fourth in the race.
In the 500 freestyle, Mitchell logged the fastest time in the event with a season-best 5:02.59, while Wilma Johansson (5:06.19) edged out West (5:06.87) for second.
Likewise, Nyiradi followed with her second first-place performance of the meet with a season-fast 55.81 in the 100 butterfly, while Tapley took second after completing the race at 57.10.
Later in the 100 individual medley, the Scarlet and Black flashed its dominance by recording the six-fastest marks in the event, led by Roberts (55.29), who finished nearly two seconds ahead of Stehr (57.19), while West (58.56) took third, followed by Tapley (58.71), Williams (59.50) and Bergdahl (1:00.85).
The Aztecs put the finishing touches on a successful day with the fastest time in the 400 freestyle relay, as Turney, Johansson, Nyiradi and Schiller joined forces for a winning effort of 3:29.88.
San Diego State will break for the next two-plus weeks before returning to action for a double dual meet vs. Cal State East Bay and Concordia-Irvine on Friday, Jan. 5, at Aztec Aquaplex. First swim is slated for 10 a.m. PT.
Aztecs Defeat Air Force in Home Opener
