Aztecs Capture Team Title at CBU's Rick Rowland Joust

RIVERSIDE, Calif. –  The San Diego State swim and dive program captured its second straight team title on Saturday after dominating the final 10 events of the Rick Rowland Joust on the campus of California Baptist University.

The Aztecs posted eight individual victories and won two relays to finish the swim-only meet with a total of 1,140 points, easily outdistancing second-place UC Santa Barbara (877.5 pts), while the host Lancers (818.5 pts) were slotted third, followed by Biola (395 pts) and The Master’s University (253 pts).

Ginger Kiefer was triumphant in three events (500 free, 200 back, 400 IM), while Roni Black (50 breast, 200 breast) and Alli Mann (100 free, 100 fly) were also double winners. In addition, Melanie Quinto was victorious in the 50 back, as the Scarlet and Black recorded 25 top-five placements on the day to wrap up a highly successful weekend at Lancer Aquatics Center.

Since the beginning of the 2017-18 season, SDSU has competed in 22 regular-season invitational meets and has finished outside of the top three just once during that span, logging nine first-place performances, 10 second-place efforts and a pair of third-place results.

The Aztecs set the tone for the rest of the day in the 200 medley relay, where the quartet of Quinto, Black, Mann and Alyssa Schiller joined forces for a winning performance of 1:39.87, while the SDSU “B” team consisting of Liv Peebles, Elisa Branca, Charlotte Sevin and Camile Seiley took third with a clocking of 1:42.12.

Kiefer subsequently recorded the first of her three victories after completing a swim of 4:54.46 in the 500 free, while Amber Janky finished just outside the top five with a sixth-place effort of 5:02.43.

Moments later, SDSU featured the three top-five swimmers in the 50 breast, where Black took home the crown after touching the wall at 29.28, while Grace Mering (29.62) was a close third, followed by Branca (30.00), who was slotted fifth.

The Aztecs also sported three of the top-five competitors in the 100 free, led by Mann, who bested the field with a season-fast time of 49.16, while Schiller (50.54) and Seiley (50.75), placed fourth and fifth, respectively.

Not to be outdone, San Diego State’s tremendous depth was very much on display in the 200 back, where the Aztecs boasted the top five finishers, including Kiefer, who collected her second event title with a season-best clocking of 1:57.89, while Quinto (1:59.26), Mering (2:00.78), Peebles (2:01.42) and Janky (2:02.45) followed in succession.

SDSU showed no signs of letting up in the 200 breast, where Black picked up her second victory of the day after completing the race in 2:14.33, while Branca finished fourth at 2:20.81.

The scene soon shifted to the 100 fly, where Mann struck gold for the second time of the meet after matching her season best with a time of 53.00, while Sevin touched the wall in second at 54.81, followed by Peebles, who was slotted fifth at 56.23.

It was full steam ahead for the Aztec victory train in the 50 back, where Quinto topped the field with a sprint of 25.31, while Alex Downing followed in second at 26.53.

Shortly thereafter, Kiefer completed her winning trifecta in the 400 IM with a victorious swim of 4:18.85, while Sierra Tallman finished fifth at 4:28.70.

SDSU soon completed an unblemished afternoon in the 400 free relay, where the foursome of Kaydence Bispo, Schiller, Quinto and Tallman teamed up for a winning time of 3:21.85, while the Aztecs’ “B” squad of Janky, Abby Slater, Mering and Kiefer clocked in fifth at 3:27.27.

San Diego State swimmers will return to the competition pool for the Utah Tech Trailblazer Invitational, Nov. 18-21, in St. George, Utah, while Aztec divers will journey to the Grand Canyon State that same weekend for the first installment of the Lumberjack Invitational, Nov. 19-21, in Flagstaff, Arizona.