SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State swim and dive program kept its unblemished record intact this season after sweeping Alaska Fairbanks (157.50 to 82.50), Loyola Marymount (157-94) and Fresno State (151-138) in a quad meet Monday at Aztec Aquaplex.
The Aztecs posted the fastest times in 11 of 14 swimming events and were awarded first-place points in nine while capturing both diving competitions to raise their record to 11-0 on the year.
Meredith Smithbaker, Reka Nyiradi, Mai McKenna and Valentina Lopez Arevalo were double winners for the day, while Riley Tapley, Christiana Williams and Moa Bergdahl also emerged triumphant in individual races, helping the Scarlet and Black extend its winning streak to 61 consecutive dual-meet victories, a span of exactly six years.
SDSU wasted little time asserting itself on Monday, as Evonne Stehr joined forces with Bergdahl, McKenna and Rachel Hubka to capture the event title in the 200 medley relay after completing the race in 1:42.21, which ranks sixth in Aztec Aquaplex history.
Additionally, the Aztecs received a second-place effort from the team of Alex Roberts, Williams, Tapley and Smithbaker (1:44.60), while the foursome of Abby Storm, Liberty Edwards, Emily Tenczar and Alyssa Schiller finished fifth as an exhibition at 1:50.63.
Summer West was SDSU's top swimmer in the 1,000 freestyle after touching wall in fourth at 10:50.12, while Paige Mitchell was fifth at 10:52.34, followed by Raya Embury-Brown, who took seventh with a clocking of 11:06.47.
At this juncture, the Aztecs reeled off seven consecutive victories, starting with the 200 freestyle, where Nyiradi (1:51.22) edged Avery Turney (1:53.22) for the crown.
Shortly thereafter, SDSU duplicated the feat in the 100 backstroke, as Tapley completed the race with a winning time of 56.22, just ahead of Storm, who placed second at 58.18, while Roberts (58.97) tied for third.
Moments later in 100 breaststroke, Williams catapulted into fourth place in pool history with a victorious clocking of 1:02.16, while Bergdahl placed third with a swim of 1:03.44.
Likewise, McKenna vaulted into sixth place on the all-time Aztec Aquaplex charts after besting the field in the 200 butterfly with an effort of 2:02.28, while Wilma Johansson placed third at 2:05.59, followed by Charlotte Sevin (2:07.75), who finished in the fifth spot.
Additionally, Smithbaker cracked the pool's top 10 list, climbing into the seventh position after winning the 50 freestyle with a time of 23.41, while Hubka (24.25) took third, followed by Stehr's fifth-place performance of 24.59.
After a short break, Smithbaker logged her second victory of the day, taking home the gold in the 100 freestyle after touching the wall at 50.94, while Turney placed second with a time of 52.28, followed by Schiller's fifth-place swim of 53.69.
As the meet progressed, the Aztecs displayed their depth once again in the 200 backstroke, where Nyiradi registered her second victory of the morning with a time of 2:03.09, while Roberts finished in the second spot with a clocking of 2:08.18, followed by Storm's fourth-place effort of 2:09.00.
SDSU's event title streak was halted in the 200 breaststroke, where Williams (2:15.10) placed second behind Fresno State's Aliz Kalmar (2:13.81), while Bergdahl (2:18.52) took third for the Scarlet and Black. Williams' performance was good for eighth in pool history.
Nevertheless, the Aztecs owned a comfortable lead on the team scoreboard at this point in the meet, and consequently, their final four swimming events were counted as exhibitions.
In the 500 freestyle, West was SDSU's top competitor with a second-place time of 5:11.09, followed closely by Johansson, who touched the wall at 5:11.74.
In the 100 butterfly, McKenna posted the fastest swim of the event with a career-best 54.74, which ranks fourth in Aztec Aquaplex history, while Tapley finished third with a season-fast swim of 55.47.
Later in the 200 individual medley, Bergdahl was the first competitor to touch the wall, clocking in at 2:05.92 to edge Nyiradi (2:06.00) and Stehr (2:06.75) in a thrilling finish.
The Aztecs grabbed the top two spots in the 400 freestyle relay, with the team of Smithbaker, McKenna, Schiller and Turney combining for a winning time of 3:26.66, which ranks sixth on the facility's all-time list, while the combo of Hubka, Storm, Tapley and Johansson took second at 3:31.11.
Over in the diving pool, Valentina Lopez Arevalo was victorious in both the 1-meter and 3-meter events. The SDSU junior eclipsed an NCAA Zone qualifying standard on the 3-meter springboard with a winning total of 290.18 points, while teammates Jessica Schroeder (234.38), Olivia Zamudio (232.80) and Summer Westmoreland (218.03) finished third, fourth and fifth, respectively.
Earlier on the 1-meter board, Lopez Arevalo totaled 259.43 points for her ninth event title of the season, while Zamudio (235.88), Westmoreland (231.45) and Schroeder (207.15) placed second, third and fifth, respectively.
San Diego State will return to the competition pool on Tuesday, Jan. 9, when it tangles with Alaska Fairbanks in another dual meet at Aztec Aquaplex. The Aztecs-Nanooks clash will be conducted as swim-only meet with a pentathlon format, starting at 10 a.m. PT. Admission is free.
Aztecs Surge to Quad Meet Sweep at Home
