Aztecs Set for Double Dual Meet vs Vandy, USD on Friday

SAN DIEGO – After a lengthy hiatus, the San Diego State swim and dive program opens a busy month of competition on Friday, Jan. 2, when it welcomes Vanderbilt and San Diego to Aztec Aquaplex for a double dual meet, beginning at 10 a.m. PT.  Admission is free.

The Aztecs will square off against the Commodores and Toreros in 14 swimming events. The morning’s action features one flight of the 1,000 freestyle along with two heats of the 200 medley relay, 200 freestyle, 100 backstroke, 100 breaststroke, 200 butterfly and 50 freestyle.

Following a 15-minute break, the meet resumes with another pair of heats in the 100 freestyle, 200 backstroke, 200 breaststroke, 500 freestyle, 100 butterfly, 200 individual medley and 200 freestyle relay. A 10-minute break is also scheduled between the 100 fly and 200 IM. In the interim, SDSU will also battle USD in 1-meter and 3-meter diving.

Aztec swimmers have been idle since capturing the team title at the Utah Tech Trailblazer Invitational, Nov.19-22, in St. George, Utah. SDSU led wire-to-wire, totaling 882.50 points to easily outdistance second-place UC San Diego (761.50 pts), followed by UC Davis (535 pts) and California Baptist (222 pts).

Since the beginning of the 2017-18 campaign, the Aztecs have competed in 20 regular-season invitational meets and have finished outside of the top three just once during that span, logging seven first-place performances, 10 second-place efforts and a pair of third-place results.

San Diego State displayed its trademark depth, posting 22 top-three placements, featuring nine event titles. The Aztecs emerged triumphant in all three freestyle relays (200, 400, 800) to go with a crown in the 400 medley relay.

In addition, the Scarlet and Black received two individual victories apiece from Abby Storm (100, 200 back) and Kaydence Bispo (50, 200 free), while Alyssa Schiller won the 100 free.

As a result of those efforts, Storm owns the Mountain West’s fastest time in the 200 back (1:53.27), which ranks 27th nationally as of Jan. 1. Additionally, SDSU’s 800 free relay team of Bispo, Reka Nyiradi, Amber Janky and Melanie Quinto boasts the conference’s top effort at 7:13.77, which is slotted 33rd in the country.

SDSU is 5-0 in dual meets this season, extending its winning streak to 80 straight victories after sweeping California Baptist (267.50-117.50) and UC Santa Barbara (214.50-164.50) in a double dual at CBU’s Lancer Aquatics Center, Oct. 31-Nov.1, in Riverside, California. The Aztecs have not lost a dual meet since dropping a 153-147 decision to Colorado State at home on Jan. 8, 2018, a span of nearly eight years.

Including their annual pentathlons, San Diego State has been victorious in 38 consecutive meetings against USD dating back to the 2000-01 campaign. The Aztecs have faced the Toreros on two occasions this season at USD’s home pool, recording a 33-24 triumph in a pentathlon meet on Sept. 19, before posting an 81-67 decision in a distance meet the following week on Sept. 26.

In that first encounter, SDSU boasted the top 11 pentathlon swimmers, including Roni Black, who claimed the individual title with a combined time of 4:59.01, edging defending champion Reka Nyiradi (4:59.50) and Liv Peebles (4.59.81) by less than one second, while Sierra Tallman (5:01.35) and Alli Mann (5:02.60) rounded out the top five.

In the second meeting, the Aztecs captured all eight scheduled events, posting at least the top three finishers in six of those races. Mann stole the spotlight that day, winning the 150 free (1:21.03), 150 fly (1:31.03) and 400 free (4:04.32) while swimming the third leg of SDSU’s victorious 200 free relay team (1:36.51).

USD last competed in a double dual meet against Chapman and Fresno Pacific on Dec. 6 in Orange, California, where it logged 14 first-place finishes.

Meanwhile, Vanderbilt is coming off a 10th-place standing at the Phill Hansel Invitational, Nov. 19-21, in Houston, Texas. The Commodores are 2-3 in dual-meet action this season, opening the fall slate with a 160-101 home victory over North Florida on Oct. 4, followed by a 206-46 triumph at McKendree on Nov. 1 in Columbia, Missouri.

The Aztecs are 4-0 all-time vs. Vandy in head-to-head competition, posting a 168-94 victory in the last meeting between the two squads in San Diego on Oct. 14, 2016.

Following Friday’s action, San Diego State continues its busy schedule on Monday, Jan. 5, when Pepperdine and Cal State East Bay invade Aztec Aquaplex for another double dual meet, starting at 10:30 a.m. PT.

-SDSU-