HOUSTON – The San Diego State swimming and diving team posted three B-cut times, won two events and had 11 top-five placings on the final day of the Phill Hansel Invitational, but it was not enough to hold off the Houston Cougars and finished in second among the nine-team competing.
San Diego State, which led at the end of the previous two days of competition, were outpointed at the end of the meet 1,463 to 1,459. Rice (1,192 points), Washington State (923) and Colorado State (866) rounded out the top five. Air Force, Tulane, New Mexico and North Texas were the sixth through ninth place teams and scored 651, 622.5, 384.5 and 30 points respectively.
The final day of competition opened with the 1650 Free and Ryan Dulaney, the lone Aztec in the event, stopped the clock in 17:19.89 and in 15th place.
Riley Tapley, in the second race of the session, produced a B-cut time of 1:56.10 in winning the 200 Back. Alex Roberts was fifth in 1:57.85, and Mai McKenna swam a 2:01.48 for a 10th place finish. Tapley had posted a B-cut time in the prelims but trimmed more than half a second off that time in the final.
San Diego State had three swimmers in the top eight in the 100 Free, led by a second-place finish from Sammy Geyer who stopped the clock in 49.73. Meredith Smithbaker was seventh and Mia Ryan was eighth, in times of 50.42 and 50.71, respectively. Evonne Stehr was 32nd after clocking a 52.34, and Cathy Cooper swam a 51.99 for the 37th place time.
Klara Thormalm won the 200 Breaststroke in a B-cut time (2:09.63) and was joined among the top four finishers by Kristina Murphy, who also posted a B-cut with a 2:13.93. Both Thormalm and Murphy recorded B-cut times in the prelims. Brynlee Busskohl was 25th in 2:17.16 and Jessie McMurray finished in 33rd with a clocking of 2:20.80.
In the 200 Fly, Wilma Johansson was the first Aztec to finish. She swam a 1:59.92 to place second. Emily Gebhardt was 10th with a 2:02.12. Lizzie Menzmer, Paige Mitchell and Lexi Anderson occupied the 17th (2:03.88), 24th (2:07.80) and 27th (2:06.67) places, respectively.
San Diego State's 400 Free Relay team of Thormalm, Smithbaker, Geyer and Murphy placed second in a time of 3:16.56. Ryan, Menzmer, Gebhardt and Stehr swam as an exhibition and hit the wall in 3:27.63. Two other Aztec teams were also exhibitioned: Fiona Trotz-Chavez, Cassie Phillips, Dulaney and Cooper posted a 3:29.47 and Lauren Torchiana, McKenna, Tapley and Paige Mitchell came home in 3:30.14.
The Platform Diving competition saw four Aztec in the top five led by Ximena Lechuga Gonzalez's score of 241.95 to finish second. Gina Cazares was third (239.75), Gillian Garcia was fourth (239.70) and Lexi Letts was fifth (236.15). Juliana Harrison (202.35), Summer Westmoreland (200.05), Olivia Zamudio (192.30) and Emma Duggan (183.30) were, 11th, 15th, 18th and 21st, respectively.
The Aztecs have a month to prepare for the team's next competition, its home opener, which is scheduled to be a dual meet against Cal Poly on Dec. 20 with the first swim set to get under way at 10 a.m. PT.
-SDSU-
Aztecs Finish Second At Phill Hansel Invite
