Aztecs Set to Host USD in Annual Pentathlon Meet
SAN DIEGO – San Diego State swimmers commence their 2024-25 season on Friday, Sept. 13, when they play host to the University of San Diego in the annual pentathlon meet between the two schools at Aztec Aquaplex. First race is set for 1 p.m., and admission is free.
SDSU posted a 15-0 record in dual meets last and has not been defeated in its last 65 duals since Jan. 8, 2018, a span of over six years. In addition, the Aztecs have completed an unblemished dual-meet schedule in nine of the last 10 years.
Head coach Mike Shrader, who is entering his 18th season at the helm of the SDSU program, earned Mountain West Swim Coach of the Year honors for the 10th time in his career last spring after directing the Scarlet and Black to its fifth conference championship in the last six seasons and eighth in the last 14 campaigns.
The accomplished Aztec staff also features Joe Spahn, who begins his third season as the program's associate head coach and fifth overall, along with Roland McDonald, who was tabbed Mountain West Diving Coach of the Year for the third time in his tenure on The Mesa in 2024.
At the 2024 conference meet, SDSU logged a triumphant team total of 1,487.50 points, capturing seven individual gold medals and winning four of five relay events before collecting a league-high 56 all-Mountain West honors.
Friday's meet will mark the 13th time in the last 14 seasons in which San Diego State opened its season with a pentathlon meet against USD, with the Scarlet and Black winning all 12 previous encounters.
Although individual standings were not kept at last season’s installment held at USD’s home pool, the Aztecs claimed all 11 event titles and boasted at least the top-four finishers in nine of those competitions.
Among returners, SDSU was paced by Reka Nyiradi, who was victorious in three races, while Mai McKenna was a double winner as well.
Nyiradi was triumphant in the 100 freestyle (51.86), and the 100 butterfly (58.06), before wrapping up the day with another win in the 400 individual medley (4:28.55). In addition, McKenna posted the fastest times in the 100 individual medley (59.61) and 50 breaststroke (29.98) before placing second behind Nyiradi in the 400 IM (4:37.16).
Entering the season, the Aztecs also welcome back their two NCAA Championship participants from a year ago in Alex Roberts and Christiana Williams.
Roberts earned her second straight Mountain West Swimmer of the Year award in 2024 after collecting five all-conference accolades at the league meet, highlighted by a gold-medal winning performance in the 200 backstroke while contributing to SDSU’s victorious 200 and 400 medley relay teams.
At the NCAA Championships, Roberts finished 19th in the preliminaries of the 200 back after completing the race with a career-best time of 1:52.76, eclipsing her own program and conference standard of 1:52.89 set at the 2023 Mountain West meet.
Meanwhile, Williams qualified for the NCAA meet in the 200 breaststroke after claiming a gold medal at the conference meet with a season-fast swim of 2:09.19. The Tucson, Arizona, product was also invited to compete in the 100 breast at the national championships on the strength of her NCAA "B" Cut times during the year, highlighted by a career-fast time of 59.91 vs. USD on Jan. 26, 2024, which ranks fourth in school history. For her efforts against the Toreros, she was named MW Swimmer of the Week.
Not to be outdone, Meredith Smithbaker is also back in the mix after setting a personal best last summer in the preliminaries of the 50-meter freestyle (25.65) at the 2024 US Olympic Team Trials in Indianapolis, Indiana, where she finished second in her heat and tied for 43rd overall after entering with a No. 79 seed in the event.
Last season, Smithbaker won five gold medals at the MW Championships in the 50 free, 100 free, 200 free relay, 200 medley relay and 400 medley relay. The Fort Collins, Colorado, native set career-best times in the 100 free (48.54) and 50 free (22.24), which rank second and third on the school's all-time charts, respectively.
Following the pentathlon, San Diego State and USD will renew acquaintances for another dual meet at Aztec Aquaplex on Friday, Sept. 27, starting at 1 p.m.