Aztec Swim and Dive Continues Successful Week at Two Meets
San Diego State swimmers maintained their lofty perch in the team standings at the Trailblazer Invitational after completing another six events on Friday at Utah Tech’s Human Performance Center Pool in St. George, Utah.
ST. GEORGE, Utah – San Diego State swimmers maintained their lofty perch in the team standings at the Trailblazer Invitational after completing another six events on Friday at Utah Tech’s Human Performance Center Pool.
Through 12 overall events, the Aztecs lead the eight-team field with 605 points, while UC San Diego remains in second with 548.50 points, followed by Fresno State (489 pts), UC Davis (370 pts), California Baptist (137 pts), Utah Tech (134 pts), San Diego (122 pts) and Pacific (61.5 pts).
SDSU claimed three event titles while recording 10 additional top-eight finishes to highlight another successful day.
The Aztecs advanced three swimmers to the “A” finals of the 100 backstroke, where Abby Storm posted a winning time of 52.16, while Liv Peebles finished second with a career-fast clocking of 53.86, which ranks seventh on the program’s all-time list. In addition, Alex Downing placed sixth in the race after logging a personal-best effort of 54.81.
Kaydence Bispo also emerged victorious in the 200 freestyle with a career-fast time of 1:47.49, which ranks eighth in school history, while Alli Mann completed a season-best swim of 1:48.23 to finish second.
Not to be outdone, SDSU’s top 400 medley relay team took home the proverbial gold medal, as the quartet of Storm, Moa Bergdahl, Mann and Alyssa Schiller combined for a triumphant time of 3:34.20, which ranks fourth on the program’s all-time charts. Highlighting the victory was Storm’s 100 backstroke split of 52.03, which marks a personal best and ranks second in school history.
Additionally, the Aztecs’ “B” team of Peebles, Roni Black, Emily Tenczar and Bispo finished fourth in the event with a clocking of 3:40.96.
Mann placed second in the 100 butterfly with a time of 53.36, while Peebles was slotted seventh after posting a career-fast clocking of 55:01. Earlier in the morning preliminaries, Mann recorded a collegiate-best sprint of 53.28, which ranks sixth on SDSU’s all-time performance list.
In the 100 breaststroke, Bergdahl touched the wall in second place with a career-fast time of 59.53, which ranks third in school history, while Black placed sixth with a season-best effort of 1:02.07.
Elsewhere, Reka Nyiradi finished second in the 400 individual medley after completing the race at 4:18.13, while Elisa Branca took seven with a career-fast swim of 4:23.87. In addition, Amber Janky captured the “B” final of the event with a collegiate-best clocking of 4:19.04, which ranks 10th on the Aztecs’ all-time charts.
Meanwhile, San Diego State divers continued their weekend meet at the Lumberjack Invitational in Flagstaff, Arizona, where five Aztecs advanced to the finals of the 3-meter springboard.
For the second day in row, Isabella Gomez and Alina Skrocki eclipsed NCAA zone qualifying marks. Gomez finished third with a score of 315.35, while Skrocki followed in fourth with a total of 309.25, both of which marked season bests.
In addition, Meja Palmer (260.45) took eighth, Keira Kuderka tied for ninth (253.15), while Sophia Hineline (245.60) was slotted 11th.
Both meets will conclude for the Aztecs on Saturday, with the swimming contingent participating in the 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 200 breaststroke, 200 butterfly, along with the finals of the 400 freestyle relay. Preliminaries are scheduled to get underway at 10 a.m. MT/9 a.m. PT, while finals are slated for a 5 p.m. start (4 p.m. PT).
Additionally, SDSU divers will compete from the platform height, beginning with the preliminary round at 10:30 a.m. MT/9:30 a.m. PT.