Jan. 16, 2008
SAN DIEGO -
Complete Release and Top Times/Marks in PDF Format
THIS WEEK
The San Diego State swimming and diving team (5-4, 2-4 Mountain West Conference) will head to Colorado Springs, Colo., on Saturday, Jan. 19, for a non-conference double dual meet against Cal State East Bay and host Colorado College. The meet is slated to begin at 1 p.m. PT.
PREVIOUSLY ON THE MESA
The Aztecs dropped a 136-96 decision to undefeated BYU (8-0, 4-0 MWC) last Saturday in Provo, Utah. Freshman Brooke Vessey swam a season-best 25.33 in the 50 freestyle, which was good enough for second place, while classmate Gina DiDomenico also had a runner-up performance in the 200 individual medley with a season-best mark of 2:12.72.
SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
Cal State East Bay is 1-4 in dual meet action. The Pioneers, who are led by returning NAIA national qualifiers Allison Edminster and Melissa Grottkau, will return from a layoff of over a month on Friday, Jan. 18, when they square off with the Colorado School of Mines before Saturday's meet with the Aztecs and Tigers.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Colorado College boasts an 8-1 dual meet record, and is led by Leanne Dalton and Emily Stumhofer. Dalton holds the team's top times of the season in the 100 and 200 free, as well as the 100 and 200 fly. Stumhofer, meanwhile, is the leading Tiger in the 500 free, 100 back, 200 back, 200 IM and 400 IM.
SERIES HISTORY
This will mark the second meeting between SDSU and Cal State East Bay. The two teams competed earlier in the season (Dec. 1), with the Aztecs coming out on top, 120-76.
This will be the first meeting between San Diego State and Colorado College.
THE COACHES
Mike Shrader, who spent the past eight years as the head coach at Nevada-Reno, is in his first season at San Diego State. While at Nevada, Shrader led the Wolf Pack to an 89-12-1 record, two conference titles and four NCAA championship appearances.
Brendon Bray, who came to The Mesa from the University of Washington, begins his first season as an assistant coach at SDSU, while Jim Wynne enters his sixth year as the Aztec diving coach.
Anthony Garcia enters his 21st year as the head coach at Cal State East Bay, while Anne Goodman-James begins her second year at the helm of the Colorado College program.
FRESHMAN SENSATION
Freshman Brooke Vessey has wasted no time in contributing to the Aztec swimming and diving program as she currently holds the team's top times in two different events. Last week she clocked in with a season-best 25.33 in the 50 free. She also sits at the top of the season charts with a 59.86 mark in the 100 backstroke, which she achieved on Nov. 17.
ATKINSON QUALIFIES FOR ZONES
Sophomore Caitlin Atkinson qualified for the NCAA Zone E Diving Regionals when she captured the one-meter board with a season-best 269.10 in the Aztecs' double dual meet on Jan. 4. The NCAA diving zones will take place in Oklahoma City, Okla., from March 13-15.
DOWELL REMAINS CONSISTENT
Senior Ana Dowell swam a season-best 58.69 in the 100 fly at the double dual meet against Boise State and Colorado State. She also swam a lifetime-best in the 100 free (54.33) at the Aztecs' first meet of the season (Nov. 17). Dowell has won three individual events this year, and currently holds SDSU's top marks of the season in the 100 free and 100 fly.
AZTEC DUO EARNS WEEKLY HONORS
On Jan. 9, sophomores Jessica Morrill and Caitlin Atkinson were named the MWC swimmer and diver of the week, respectively. Morrill captured the 100 and 200 breaststroke, while Atkinson recorded an NCAA regional qualifying score (269.10) on the one-meter board in the Aztecs' sweep of TCU and Air Force.
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME Since the 1999-00 season, the San Diego State women's swimming and diving team has called the Ray and Joan Kroc Community Center its "home." But this year, the squad makes the transition to a state-of-the-art swimming facility on campus, the Aztec Aquaplex. The 112,000 square-foot Aztec Aquaplex features a 50-meter competition pool that can also accommodate diving events with its one- and three-meter springboards.
San Diego State currently holds a 2-0 record at the Aztec Aquaplex, with its next home meet scheduled for Feb. 2 against the University of San Diego.
AZTEC NOTES
- Of the 29 swimmers and divers on SDSU's roster, 15 are either freshmen or sophomores.
- On Jan. 4, SDSU defeated TCU (169-129) for the first time in program history.
- Sophomore Kyla Power swam a career-best 1:57.49 in the 200 free on Jan. 4.
- The Aztecs captured every event in its non-conference meet at Cal State East Bay on Dec. 1.
- Junior Rosalie Raymond holds the Aztecs' top times in the 500, 1000 and 1650 free.
- Atkinson has been SDSU's top-finisher in seven of 10 dual meet diving events this year.
ON DECK
The Aztecs will conclude their regular season on Saturday, Feb. 2, when they welcome cross-town rival University of San Diego to the Aztec Aquaplex. The dual meet is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. PT. SDSU will then take a couple weeks off to prepare for the Mountain West Conference championship meet from Feb. 27-Mar. 1 in Oklahoma City, Okla.