You’d have to go all the way back to January of 2018 to find the last time the San Diego State swim and dive team lost a dual meet.
During the Aztecs’ latest meet, against Utah Tech, it was much of the same as they extended their dual meet streak to 45 consecutive victories by winning 135-118 on Saturday, Nov. 5.
The Aztecs (8-0) faced Utah Tech (0-2), formerly known as Dixie State, for the first time in the two schools’ histories.
“It’s always fun when you go against an opponent for the first time,” head coach Mike Shrader said. “You don’t really know what they have, but what we had was a lot of great racing out there and I was really proud of our girls.”
The Aztecs raced in 16 events on Saturday but with a sizable lead after the 14th event, the final two events became exhibitions. Of the 14 recorded races, the Aztecs won nine and placed with the fastest time in 11.
The Aztecs competed in numerous swim events including freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and relay with the races ranging from 50 yards all the way to 1000.
The tone was set early as the Aztecs concluded with the top three finishers during the first event, the 400-yard medley relay. The team of seniors Riley Tapley, Lizzie Menzmer, Jeannette King and sophomore Meredith Smithbaker were first to touch the wall with a time of 3:49.75.
“We have really great team chemistry,” Menzmer said. “We all get along really well and it’s a really uplifting environment to be a part of.”
The second race of the day was the 1000-yard freestyle which featured only one Aztec and three Utah swimmers. The race was highlighted by a couple of terrific performances. Senior Paige Mitchell achieved a season-best during the race with a time of 10:35.73. Mitchell’s season-best race was only good enough to put her in third place during the second event of the day, with Utah Tech junior Ginevra Molino finishing in first after breaking the school record in the 1,000-yard freestyle by more than five seconds with a winning time of 10:22.00.
After losing the second race of the day, the Aztecs went on to capture the next six races, putting them in pole position for victory. The third and fourth races of the day were highlighted by more personal bests by the Aztecs.
The third race was the 200-yard freestyle which not only did senior Kristina Murphy win, but she also achieved a career-best swim with a time of 1:53.12. The following race, a 100-yard backstroke, saw sophomore Mai Mckenna take first, finishing with a season-fast time of 56.47.
The Aztecs six-race win streak was cut short during the 10th race of the day, 200-yard backstroke where Utah finished with three of the top four finishers. Yet, the Aztecs would go on to secure two top finishes during the 11th and 13th race of the day. Junior Christiana Williams finished first during the 200-yard breaststroke while Menzmer secured first in the tightest race of the day. During the 100-yard fly Menzmer barely etched past the competition, with the next four finishers after her ending within .60 seconds of her 57.38 winning time.
Menzmer’s week got even better as was one of seven student-athletes from the Mountain West Conference to be awarded with the Go Teach Dr. Pepper Tuition Giveaway on Wednesday, Nov. 9. The award honored Menzmer for her work in the classroom, earning her a total of $2,500 in tuition assistance from the College Football Playoff (CFP) Foundation and Dr. Pepper.
Next, the Aztecs are back in action during the SMU Invitational from Nov. 17-19, in Dallas, Texas.
