Aztecs Prepare for Busy Weekend with Two Meets
SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State swim and dive program resumes its busy early-season schedule this week when it travels up the coast to battle Pepperdine in a dual meet on Thursday, Oct. 9, before continuing north to the Central Valley for the Fresno State Invitational, Friday and Saturday, Oct. 10-11, in Fresno, California.
The Aztecs will square off against the Waves at Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool in Malibu, California, beginning at 10:30 a.m. PT in the first of two head-to-head meetings between the schools this season. Pepperdine will travel to “America’s Finest City” for the rematch in a double dual meet on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026.
SDSU has emerged triumphant in all 24 encounters with the Waves since 2001, including a 95-52 victory in Malibu last season. The Aztecs captured all seven swimming events, including two relays, while winning a diving title to punctuate another dominating performance. In addition, the Aztecs recorded the top five fastest times in two individual races and featured three top four swims in three other events.
San Diego State swimmers are coming off an 81-67 victory over the University of San Diego in a dual meet at the Toreros’ home pool on Sept. 26. In a showdown featuring modified distances, the Aztecs were victorious in all eight scheduled events, posting at least the top three finishers in six of those races to defeat their crosstown adversary for the second week in a row.
Individually, Alli Mann captured the three event titles (150 free, 150 fly, 400 free) and swam on SDSU’s triumphant 200 free relay team, while Abby Storm (150 back), Moa Bergdahl (150 breast) and Reka Nyiradi (300 IM) also turned in winning performances, helping the Aztecs secure their 77th consecutive dual-meet victory dating back to January 2018.
Meanwhile, San Diego State will face Mountain West foes Air Force, San José State, Washington State and the host Bulldogs at the Fresno State Invitational. WSU is in its second and final season as a MW swimming affiliate member. The Aztecs and Bulldogs will join the Cougars as part of a new Pac-12 Conference for the 2026-27 campaign.
Friday's action at the Fresno State Aquatics Center gets underway at 11 a.m. PT, with a second session to follow at 6 p.m., while Saturday's competition begins at 10 a.m. Heats will be timed finals, and a link to streaming video will be available on GoAztecs.com.
SDSU has finished second in all eight previous appearances at the Fresno State Invite since 2016. Last year, the Aztecs secured the runner-up position with a two-day total of 920 points, trailing only UCLA's tally of 1097.50 points, while Fresno State (712.50) took third. In addition, Washington State finished fourth with 696 points, while San José State (340 pts) and Hawai’i (126 pts) rounded out the meet.
Individually, San Diego State was paced by Reka Nyiradi, who led the entire field with 74 points, capturing two event titles in the 500 freestyle (4:56.66) and the 400 individual medley (4:20.04) while placing second in the 200 backstroke (2:00.30) and 200 butterfly (2:02.38).
Additionally, Nyiradi anchored the Aztecs’ second-place 800 freestyle relay team and swam the third leg of SDSU’s third-place 200 free and 400 free relay squads.
Following this week’s events, San Diego State will have a three-week hiatus before returning to the competition pool Oct. 31-Nov.1 for a quad meet at California Baptist in Riverside, California, where the Aztecs will also battle Denver and UC Santa Barbara.