San Diego State University’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1913

The Daily Aztec

San Diego State University’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1913

The Daily Aztec




San Diego State University’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1913

The Daily Aztec

Aztecs make a big splash winning Mountain West, leaving opponents underwater

The+SDSU+Swim+and+Dive+team+pose+during+Senior+Day.+%28Photo+Courtesy+of+SDSU+Athletics%29
SDSU Athletics
The SDSU Swim and Dive team pose during Senior Day. (Photo Courtesy of SDSU Athletics)

Following a historic season, the San Diego State women’s swim and dive team were crowned the Mountain West Conference champions. The dominant victory serves as the sixth championship in the last twelve years for the Aztecs. 

During the meet, the Scarlet and Black set a new Mountain West with a score of 1,541.5 team points beating UNLV’s former record of 1,349. 

During the four-day championship tournament, the Aztecs placed first in three out of the four days they competed in while the swimmers and divers collectively excelled throughout the entire tournament. Specifically, senior diver Ximena Lecuhga González was crowned diver of the meet by the Mountain West Conference. Freshman breaststroke and freestyle swimmer Meredith Smithbaker also earned the freshman of the meet award. 

During the 200-yard backstroke, sophomore Alex Roberts earned second place with a time of 1:55.67, barely losing to the first place winner. In the 100-yard freestyle senior Mia Ryan also placed second with a time of 49.71, falling short of UNLV senior Kristina Schneider’s time of 49.65. In the 200-yard breaststroke, seniors Klara Thromalm and Kristina Murphy took up the second and third positions with respective times of 2:09.73 and 2:11.07. 

When it comes to the diving portion of the tournament, senior Aztec Ximena Lechuga Gonzalez recorded second place with a score of 305.10. 

Moving forward to the 400-yard freestyle relay, the Aztecs concluded their successful tournament and season with a time of 3:17.45. The relay race and the season as a whole is a perfect example of how cohesive of a unit the Aztecs are.

The Mountain West Conference championship is definitely one of the highest points of the Scarlet and Black season this year. They had a great season and have the potential to have an even better season next year. 

As the season is winding down, the Scarlet and Black have a few more tournaments before their legendary season comes to an end. On March 7 the Aztecs will be traveling to Seattle to compete in the NCAA Zone E Diving Championship. On March 16, they will travel again to Atlanta for the NCAA Swimming and Diving. To cap off their season SDSU goes against USD on April 15 at the Aztec Aquaplex.

About the Contributor
Jason Freund, Sports Editor
Jason Freund is a journalism major from Santee, Calif. He hopes to become a sports journalist for a Major League Baseball team or a reporter for another major sport. In his free time, Jason enjoys listening to music, going to the gym and watching baseball. Jason began writing for The Daily Aztec in October 2019 and also writes for the East Village Times. You can follow him on Twitter @jasonfreund_.
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San Diego State University’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1913
Aztecs make a big splash winning Mountain West, leaving opponents underwater