Aztec Swimmers Dominate Season-Opening Pentathlon Meet at USD
It was business as usual for the San Diego State swim and dive program, which turned in another dominating performance on Friday in a 33-24 triumph over the University of San Diego in the annual season-opening pentathlon meet between the two schools.
SAN DIEGO – It was business as usual for the San Diego State swim and dive program, which turned in another dominating performance on Friday in a 33-24 triumph over the University of San Diego in the annual season-opening pentathlon meet between the two schools at USD Sports Center Pool.
With their victory, the Aztecs have captured all 14 meetings against the Toreros in pentathlon competition dating back to 2011.
SDSU boasted the top 11 pentathlon swimmers, including freshman Roni Black, who claimed the individual title with a combined time of 4:59.01, edging defending champion Reka Nyiradi (4:59.50) and sophomore Liv Peebles (4.59.81) by less than one second, while freshman Sierra Tallman (5:01.35) and sophomore Alli Mann (5:02.60) rounded out the top five.
Elsewhere, freshman Melanie Quinto (5:04.78) was slotted sixth in the final standings, while senior Moa Bergdahl (5:05.28) took seventh, followed by sophomore Kaydence Bispo (5:07.78), fellow classmate Elisa Branca (5:08.31), freshman Amber Janky (5:10.06) and junior Charlotte Sevin (5:11.81).
Mann emerged victorious in a pair of pentathlon events, including the 100 free, where she touched the wall at 50.96, topping Bispo, who clocked in at 51.60, while senior Alyssa Schlller took third at 52.06.
An Orange County native and five-time all-Mountain West honoree in 2025, Mann also bested the field in the 100 fly with a time of 56.62, while Nyiradi (57.27) edged Sevin (57.98) for second place.
Other pentathlon event winners included Bergdahl in the 100 breast (1:03.53), where she finished ahead of Black (1:04.80) and Branca (1:06.05), while Tallman (59.89) was triumphant in the 100 individual medley, where she nipped Peebles (59.95) at the wall in a thrilling finish.
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 USD on Friday. These events were not scored in the final results but gave both the Aztecs and Toreros benchmarks to continue their early season training with.
Mann sprinted to a winning time of 23.88 in the 50 freestyle, besting Camille Seiley (24.45), while Quinto took third (24.82).
Similarly, Tallman was a narrow winner in the 50 butterfly, touching the wall at 26.78, while Sevin (26.85) was a close second.
In addition, Storm recorded the fastest time in the 50 back, clocking in at 26.89, while Peebles (27.09) and Alex Downing (27.91) were slotted second and third, respectively.
As the meet progressed, Bergdahl took home her second crown of the day thanks to a winning effort of 29.69 in the 50 breast, with Black (30.63) and Branca (30.81) following in succession.
Rounding out the day’s festivities, Nyiradi captured the 500 freestyle with a victorious swim of 5:11.05, while Bispo completed the race in 5:14.87 to finish second.
San Diego State returns to USD Sports Center Pool on Friday, Sept. 26, when it renews acquaintances with the Toreros in another dual meet, starting at 1 p.m. PT.