COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – After competing in its final meet of the regular season, the San Diego State swim and dive program was rewarded with two additional conference accolades on Tuesday when Valentina Lopez Arevalo was named Mountain West Diver of the Week, while fellow board mate Alina Skrocki received MW Freshman of the Week distinction.
The Aztec duo was honored for a pair of standout performances at the Lumberjack Diving Invitational, held Feb. 8-10 on the campus of Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona.
With their awards, SDSU has collected 11 conference weekly certificates during the 2023-24 campaign. Lopez Arevalo has garnered four MW Diver of the Week accolades this season, giving her five conference plaudits for her career, including a freshman of the week honor in 2022. Meanwhile, Skrocki was recognized by the league for the first time as a collegian.
Lopez Arevalo posted top-four finishes in all three events at the Lumberjack Invite, surpassing NCAA Zone qualifying standards in all six rounds (three preliminaries/three finals).
Lopez Arevalo capped her weekend stay with an event title in platform competition, where she compiled a two-round total of 536.50 points, including a score of 274.00 in the finals to easily outdistance the second-place finisher Mira Tinani of New Mexico State by 88.80 points. With her effort, the Aztec junior claimed her 14th individual crown of the year.
Earlier, Lopez Arevalo logged a second-place finish on the 1-meter springboard with an aggregate total of 565.50, falling short of a victory by just 12.50 despite amassing 290.80 points in the preliminary round. The Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico, native also placed fourth in the 3-meter springboard event with a combined score of 599.40, moving up one notch in the standings thanks to a final-round tally of 300.35 points.
A Flagstaff native, Skrocki made her homecoming a memorable one after finishing as the lone freshman in the field with three top-nine placements last weekend. She also eclipsed NCAA Zone qualifying marks on three occasions in the Grand Canyon State.
Like her Aztec teammate, Skrocki saved her best for last, logging third-place effort from the platform height with 447.30 overall points, bolstered by a season-best total of 238.75 in the preliminaries, which exceeded an NCAA Zone qualifying standard.
Earlier, Skrocki vaulted three places from the 12th spot to the ninth position in the 3-meter springboard (537.15) thanks to a final-round score of 283.75, which surpassed an NCAA Zone qualifying total as well.
Additionally, Skrocki opened the meet with a ninth-place showing on the 1-meter board (510.95), highlighted by a season-high total of 272.70 points in the finals to set another NCAA Zone qualifying mark.
The entire San Diego State swim and dive program will reconvene for the Mountain West Championships, slated for Feb. 21-24 in Houston, Texas. The Aztecs are aiming for their third consecutive conference title and fifth in the last six years.