Aztecs Roll Past USD in Pentathlon Meet
The juggernaut that is the San Diego State swim and dive program appears ready to roll once again in 2024-25 after the Aztecs cruised to a 33-24 triumph over the University of San Diego in their annual pentathlon meet on Friday at Aztec Aquaplex.
SAN DIEGO – The juggernaut that is the San Diego State swim and dive program appears ready to roll once again in 2024-25 after the Aztecs cruised to a 33-24 triumph over the University of San Diego in the annual season-opening pentathlon meet between the two schools on Friday at Aztec Aquaplex.
With the victory, SDSU has captured all 13 meetings against the Toreros in pentathlon competition dating back to 2011.
“We were extremely thrilled with our results today,” said Aztec associate head coach Joe Spahn. “The performances by our freshmen were particularly impressive, and this group seems poised to contribute to our success this year. We can’t wait to see them develop over the course of the season.”
SDSU boasted the top 11 pentathlon finishers, including sophomore Reka Nyiradi, who claimed the individual title with a combined time of 4.53.92, topping freshman Liv Peebles (4:55.89) by nearly two seconds.
Senior Mai McKenna finished a solid third with a clocking of 4:57.13, followed by fellow classmate Wilma Johansson (4:58.32), while freshman Alli Mann (4:59.09) rounded out the top five.
Elsewhere, junior Moa Bergdahl (5:00.51) was slotted sixth in the final standings, while sophomore Charlotte Sevin (5:06.00) took seventh, followed by freshman Kaydence Bispo (5:06.28), senior Summer West (5:08.78) and two additional freshmen in Grace Mering (5:09.22) and Eva Allan (5:11.80).
Nyiradi emerged victorious in a pair of individual pentathlon events, including the 100 butterfly, where she touched the wall at 56.39, edging Mann, who clocked in at 56.80. The Budapest, Hungary, native also bested the field in the 100 individual medley with a time of 59.04, while Peebles finished second (59.16).
Other pentathlon event winners included Mann in the 100 free (51.26), Peebles in the 100 back (56.91) and Bergdahl in the 100 breast (1:02.64).
In head-to-head scoring, points were awarded to only to the top three finishers from each squad on a 12-11-10-9-8-7 basis.
The teams swam additional races at the Aquaplex. These events were not scored in the final results but gave both the Aztecs and Toreros benchmarks to continue their early season training with.
Two-time defending Mountain West champion Meredith Smithbaker sprinted to a winning time of 23.52 in the 50 freestyle, edging Mann (23.57) by 0.05 seconds.
Likewise, Johansson was a narrow winner in the 50 butterfly, touching the wall at 25.83, while Nyiradi (25.94) was a close second.
Additionally, Abby Storm recorded the fastest time in the 50 back, clocking in at 26.42, while Peebles (26.87) and Nyiradi (27.54) took second and third, respectively.
Rounding out the day’s events was Bergdahl, who posted a winning effort of 29.68 in the 50 breast, with Johansson (31.33) and West (31.51) following in succession.
San Diego State returns to the pool in two weeks when it renews acquaintances with USD in another dual meet at Aztec Aquaplex on Friday, Sept. 27, starting at 1 p.m. PT.