SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State swim and dive program garnered two conference weekly accolades on Tuesday, as Christiana Williams earned Mountain West Swimmer of the Week honors, while Valentina Lopez Arevalo was named MW Diver of the Week. The announcement was made by the league office in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
With her award, Williams received MW Swimmer of the Week distinction for the first time in her career, while Lopez Arevalo collected her third conference weekly certificate of the season and fifth as a collegian.
Both student-athletes were recognized for their performances in the Aztecs' 146-121 triumph over San Diego on Jan. 26 at Aztec Aquaplex, helping the Scarlet and Black remain unbeaten with a 15-0 record in dual meet competition this season. With the result, SDSU extended its winning streak to 65 dual-meet victories dating back to Jan. 8, 2018, a span of over six years.
Against the Toreros, Williams captured the 100 and 200 breaststroke event titles, recording NCAA "B" cut times in both races while setting a pair of Aztec Aquaplex pool records.
In the 100 breast, Williams became the fourth SDSU swimmer in program history to surpass the 1-minute barrier, touching the wall with a career-fast clocking of 59.91, which leads the Mountain West and ranks 33rd in the nation.
Similarly, the Aztec senior set a season best in the 200 breast with a time of 2:10.74, which tops the league and ranks 36th in the country.
Later in the meet, Williams finished second in the 200 individual medley with another season-fast clocking of 2:04.36. The Tucson, Arizona, native also swam the breaststroke segment of SDSU's "C" 200 medley relay team that placed third with a time of 1:43.37, as the Scarlet and Black claimed the top-four spots in the event.
Lopez Arevalo, meanwhile, won both the 1-meter and 3-meter springboard competitions against USD, providing her with 13 event titles this season. The Aztec junior also established another pair of NCAA Zone qualifying marks in the process.
A native of Zapapon, Jalisco, Mexico, Lopez Arevalo totaled 294.68 points on the 1-meter board to capture the crown and later racked up 308.55 points in 3-meter action, which gave her six consecutive event titles in dual-meet competition. Both figures represented her third-highest scores of the season in those respective events.
San Diego State divers will be back on the boards next week when they travel to the Grand Canyon State for the NAU Lumberjack Invitational, Feb. 8-10, in Flagstaff, Arizona.
The Aztecs will be seeking their third consecutive conference crown two weeks later when they head to the Lone Star State for the 2024 Mountain West Championships, Feb. 21-24, in Houston, Texas.