SAN DIEGO – Klara Thormalm, a senior on the San Diego State swimming and diving team, and head coach Mike Shrader have been honored with the highest awards the Mountain West Conference bestows on student-athletes and coaches at the end of each season. Thormalm has earned her third consecutive Mountain West Swimmer of the Year award and Shrader his eighth Mountain West Coach of the Year honor, the Conference announced from its offices in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Thursday.
Thormalm becomes the second swimmer in Mountain West history to earn three swimmer of the year awards and the second to earn them in consecutive campaigns joining UNLV's Lorena Diaconescu, who earned the recognition following the 1999-00, 2000-01 and 2001-02 seasons. Her award also marks the fourth straight year that an Aztecs has earned at least one of the league's four postseason awards.
The native of Vetlanda, Sweden, qualified for the 2022 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships in the 100-Breaststroke and also competed in the 200-Breaststroke and 50-Freestyle. The program record holder in both the 100 and 200-Breastroke, she finished 15th in the 100, with a 59.57 in the consolation final, but recorded a 58.99 in the prelims, which was her top mark in the distance this season and the best for an Aztec in 2021-22. Her 200 time, 2:08.53, was the 22nd fastest at the Championships and the team's fastest of the year. In the 50-Freestyle, her 22.35 in the final was her fastest time of the year and her career and was the best mark for an Aztec in over two years.
Thormalm earned 2022 All-Mountain West designation at the league's championship meet in the 50-Freestyle, 100-Breaststroke, 200-Breaststroke, 200-Medley Relay, 400-Medlay Relay, 200-Freestyle Relay and 400-Freestyle Relay and finishes her Aztec career with 33 All-MW honors. She was twice named Mountain West Swimmer of the Week, on Oct. 12 and again on Nov. 23, 2021.
Shrader, who just completed his 15th season guiding the Aztec swimming and diving program, has been honored as the Mountain West's top swim coach for the eighth time. Among the five coaches who've earned the distinction multiple times, Shrader's eight are double the four of BYU's Stan Crump, who has been recognized the second most times in conference history.
Going 13-0 in dual meets in 2021-22, Shrader guided SDSU to its seventh undefeated dual meet season in the last eight campaigns. San Diego State has not suffered a loss in its last 36 dual meets, over four-plus years, dating back to Jan. 8, 2018.
Following the league championship meet, at which San Diego state won its third conference title in the last four years and its sixth in the last 12, his athletes earned 55 All-Mountain West honors. SDSU, with a team score of 1,541.5, which is the highest in Mountain West history, was the only program at the championships to have all five of its relay teams earn All-MW honors and its 35 individual honorees were the most at the meet.
2022 Mountain West Swimming and Diving Awards
Swimmer of the Year – Klara Thormalm, Sr., San Diego State
Diver of the Year – Melissa Mirafuentes, Jr., Wyoming
Swimming Coach of the Year – Mike Shrader, San Diego State
Diving Coach of the Year – Jian Li You, Nevada
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Thormalm & Shrader Earn MW End of Year Awards
