Sept. 23, 2010
Complete Release in PDF Format
THIS WEEK IN AZTEC SWIMMING
San Diego State will get its 2010-11 season underway with a pentathlon meet against the University of San Diego on Friday, Sept. 24, at 2:00 p.m. at the Aztec Aquaplex. The meet will consist of five events with all swimmers competing in each of them. Total times in the five events will determine the individual placings with a meet champion named at the conclusion of the afternoon. Team scores will also be kept with the top six finishers from each school scoring points.
HEAD COACH MIKE SHRADER
San Diego State head coach Mike Shrader is in his fourth season with the Aztecs and has compiled a dual meet record of 45-16 (.738) during his tenure. Shrader was named the conference Coach of the Year at the conclusion of MWC championship meet each of the past two seasons (co-coach in 2009).
BEST RECORD, BEST FINISH
With an overall record of 14-3, San Diego State won more dual meets during its 2009-10 season than in any previous campaign. The Aztecs' record of 5-3 in the Mountain West Conference was also the program's best in its 11 years in the MWC. The team's third-place finish at the conference championships and fourth-place finish in the final regular-season standings were also its best ever as well. SDSU has a streak of 27 straight dual meet wins against non-conference opponents. The last loss to a non-MWC team was a defeat at North Texas on Nov. 17, 2006. In current head coach Mike Shrader's three seasons, the Aztecs have not lost to a non-conference foe.
NCAA AZTECS
San Diego State sent swimmers to the NCAA Championships for the first time in school history last season. Katelyn Weddle competed in the 100 and 200 breaststroke, finishing 12th in the former event to score SDSU's first-ever points at the national title meet. Leona Jennings swam the 100 and 200 back plus the 200 IM.
CONFERENCE SWIMMER OF THE YEAR
Also back is sophomore Meghan Zimmer, who was selected the conference co-Swimmer of the Year at the conclusion of the 2010 Mountain West Conference Championships. During that four-day meet, Zimmer captured the 200 and 500 freestyle and was a member of the championship 800 free relay squad, She also finished fourth in the 200 back and was on SDSU's third-place 400 free relay squad.
RECORD SETTERS RETURN
SDSU set school records in all 14 individual events and five relays during the 2009-10 campaign. Swimmers who set 11 of those marks are back along with four of the relays squads in tact (the fifth relay lost just one member to graduation). Returning SDSU record-setters include Leona Jennings (100, 200 back, 100 fly, 200 IM), Katelyn Weddle (100 & 200 breast), Meghan Zimmer (200 & 500 free), Stephanie Koch (50 & 100 free) and Brooke Vessey (200 fly). With the exception of Vessey, a senior this fall, all of those athletes are sophomores. Weddle also set Mountain West Conference records in the 100 and 200 breaststroke last season.
RANKED RECRUITING CLASS
San Diego State's 2010-11 recruiting class was ranked 22nd in the nation by CollegeSwimming.com. Included among the newcomers is a group of high school All-Americans that includes Mikaela Macklin (breast/IM), Natalie Meltzer (breast), Berklie Oscarson (back/IM) and Taylor Yamagata (breast).
Among the other top recruits, Kelly Marquenie (free) was named the outstanding swimmer at the Australia Youth Olympics on two occasions and swam for her native country in team competitions against New Zealand and Japan. Olivia Sefton (fly/IM) represented Great Britain at the European Junior Championships with a sixth-place finish in the 200-meter butterfly and she is a past age-group national champion (2007) in both the 100- and 200-meter fly.
In addition, the diving side received a major boost with the arrival of junior Kristen Meier from George Mason University. She was the Diver of the Year in the Colonial Athletic Association last season and qualified for both the one- and three-meter events at the NCAA Championships. She is joined by a pair of freshman divers in Hattie Lamping and Anna Steiner.
AZTECS PICKED SECOND IN THE MWC
The San Diego State swimming and diving team has been picked to finish second in the Mountain West Conference, its highest league ranking ever in the preseason. The Aztecs are coming off the most successful campaign in school history that included a 14-3 overall record and a third-place finish at the 2010 MWC Championships.
Brigham Young received six first-place votes and garnered 62 points to finish atop the poll as voted on by the league's coaches. San Diego State collected two first-place votes for a second-place total of 56, while Wyoming received the remaining first-place selection to sit in third position at 50 points.
Pl. Team (1st Place Votes) Points1. BYU (6).....................622. San Diego State (2).........563. Wyoming (1).................504. UNLV........................45T5. Colorado State..............33T5. Utah........................337. TCU.........................228. New Mexico..................139. Air Force...................10