SAN DIEGO – After a two-week holiday hiatus, the San Diego State swim and dive program opens a busy month of five home meets on Friday, Jan. 5, when it welcomes Cal State East Bay and Concordia University Irvine to the Aztec Aquaplex, starting at 10 a.m. PT. Admission is free.
The Aztecs' double dual vs the Pioneers and Golden Eagles will feature 14 swim-only events, beginning with the 200 medley relay to be followed by the 1,000 freestyle, 200 freestyle, 100 backstroke, 100 breaststroke, 200 butterfly and 50 freestyle. After a short break, the meet resumes with the 100 freestyle, 200 backstroke, 200 breaststroke, 500 freestyle, 100 butterfly, 200 individual medley and 400 freestyle relay.
SDSU is 6-0 in dual meets this season, extending its winning streak to 56 consecutive victories after grounding Air Force by a 128-120 count on Dec. 19 at Aztec Aquaplex. The Scarlet and Black has not lost a dual meet since dropping a 153-147 decision to Colorado State at home on Jan. 8, 2018, a span of nearly six years.
Against the Falcons, San Diego State logged the fastest times in all 14 swim events, winning nine to claim its 11th straight victory over the Academy and improve to 15-2 in the all-time series since the 2000-01 campaign.
Individually, Evonne Stehr captured two event titles that counted towards the Scarlet and Black's team score, while Christiana Williams, Reka Nyiradi and Alex Roberts also won a pair of races, highlighting a balanced result sheet that included additional victories by Summer West, Avery Turney, Meredith Smithbaker, Alyssa Schiller and Paige Mitchell.
Nyiradi recorded three season-best swims on the day, winning the 200 freestyle (1:49.66) and the 100 butterfly (55.81) while missing another crown by just 0.60 seconds with a second-place finish in the 100 free (51.47). In addition, the Budapest, Hungary, native swam the third leg of the Aztecs' triumphant 400 free relay team that clocked in at 3:29.88.
For her efforts, Nyiradi garnered Mountain West Freshman of the Week accolades for the third time this season.
As of Jan. 4, the Aztecs boast five of the best individual times in the Mountain West so far this year along with three of the top relays (200 free relay, 400 free relay and 400 medley relay).
Reigning MW Swimmer of the Year Alex Roberts owns the top spot in the 50 fly (24.80) and the 200 back (1:53.45), the latter of which ranks 15th nationally entering the weekend.
Not to be outdone, Meredith Smithbaker is tied for 30th in the country in the 50 free (22.24) to go with a league-best performance in the 100 free (49.48), while Christiana Williams is slotted 34th nationally in the 200 breaststroke (2:10.79).
Earlier this season, Smithbaker collected a pair of Mountain West Swimmer of the Week awards earning her second honor after leading the Aztecs with 45 individual points at the Art Adamson Invitational, held Nov. 15-17 in College Station, Texas.
San Diego State also faced Cal State East Bay in a double dual meet last season, defeating the Pioneers and Incarnate Word by a 127-118 count at Aztec Aquaplex. The Scarlet and Black posted the fastest times in 13 of the 14 scheduled swimming events to raise their record to 4-0 in the all-time series.
Meanwhile, Friday's encounter will mark the Aztecs' first head-to-head meeting with Concordia. Both CUI and Cal State East Bay are both affiliates of the Pacific Coast Swim Conference.
In addition to SDSU, the Pioneers have two other Mountain West squads on their 2023-24 schedule, joining Simon Fraser in a double dual home meet against San José State on Jan. 12 in Hayward, California. Earlier in the fall, CSUEB dropped a double dual meet vs. Nevada (205-88) and host UC Davis (240-53) on Oct. 21.
The Pioneers have been idle for nearly six weeks after finishing third out of 16 teams at the La Verne Invitational, Nov. 17-19, in Monterey Park, California. CSUEB won four of five relays and was the top scoring NCAA Division II team that weekend.
Similarly, CUI has endured a long break of its own, last competing in a double dual with Biola and host Chapman, held Dec. 1-2. Individually, Rachel Maki was named PCSC Freshman of the Week on Dec. 5 after winning the 500 and 1,650 freestyle events at that meet.
Following Friday's encounter, San Diego State returns to the competition pool on Monday, Jan. 8, when it plays host to Alaska Fairbanks, Loyola Marymount and Fresno State in a quad meet at Aztec Aquaplex. UAF will remain in "America's Finest City" to battle the Aztecs in another dual meet the following day, Jan. 9. Both competitions are slated for a 10 a.m. start.