MIDWEEK PREVIEW: Aztecs head to holidays with swim and dive, basketball and football in action

Trolley Series Swim and Dive meet plus Men’s Basketball vs UCSD are the last events on the Mesa before Christmas

by Eric Evelhoch, Staff Writer • December 14, 2022

Sports

The Daily Aztec graphic for the Dec 14 midweek preview.

Every week The Daily Aztec will help San Diego State University fans get ready for the upcoming sports schedule with the Midweek Preview. Here is 2022’s last calendar of upcoming Aztec athletics events, all event times are in Pacific Standard Time:

Friday, Dec. 16

Swim and Dive at Lancer Diving Invite, Mission Viejo, 10:30 a.m. through Saturday (Riverside)

SDSU returns to action for the first time since winning the SMU Invitational from Nov. 17-19, which saw junior Alex Roberts earn Mountain West Conference Swimmer of the Week and freshman Abby Storm named Freshman of the Week for Nov. 22. The Lancer Invite will be hosted by California Baptist University, with platform diving being held in Mission Viejo and springboard events being held in Riverside. Senior Ximena Lechuga Gonzalez finished third in 1 meter diving, and fifth in 3 meter and platform diving at the SMU Invitational.

Monday, Dec. 19

Swim and Dive (3-0) vs San Diego (3-2), Aztec Aquaplex, 2 p.m.

The Aztecs host University of San Diego for the second time this season, winning 33-24 in the swim-only pentathlon meet on Sept. 9. SDSU’s swimmers earned a pair of first place finishes at the SMU Invitational, with juniors Wilma Johansson winning the 200m butterfly and Roberts taking the 200m backstroke. USD is coming off a first place finish at the East Los Angeles College Invitational out of 14 teams, with two first place finishes, one second place and one third place in individual events.

Tuesday, Dec. 20

Women’s Basketball (9-2) vs Miami (OH) (3-5), West Palm Beach Invitational, 9 a.m.

San Diego State finished their 2022 home schedule with a 68-45 win over University of San Diego 68-45 on Dec. 10, hitting a season-high 11 three-pointers. Senior Sophia Ramos recorded her season-best 18 points by hitting four of five from beyond the arc. The Redhawks will host both Bradley and Oakland before facing the Aztecs, and are being outscored by an average of 9.6 points per game. Sophomore guards Ivy Wolf (18.5) and Maddi Cluse (17.4) are their leading scorers.

Men’s Basketball (8-3) vs UC San Diego (4-5), Viejas Arena, 7:30 p.m.

The Aztecs equaled their season-high scoring against a D1 team in an 88-54 win over Kennesaw State on Monday. The bench scored 48 points for SDSU, with junior Micah Parrish notching a game-high 19 and senior Jaedon LeDee adding 14 points and seven rebounds. The Tritons will be at Nevada and host Occidental before coming to the Mesa, and have been outscored by an average of seven points per game this season. Redshirt junior guard Bryce Pope is their top scorer, averaging 19 points per game with a team-high 19 three-pointers.

Wednesday, Dec. 21

Women’s Basketball vs Georgia (9-2), West Palm Beach Invitational, 11:30 a.m.

This event is being hosted by Keiser University, an NAIA school which has competed in women’s basketball since the 2006-2007 season. Georgia will host Belmont before facing West Virginia on the first day of the tournament. Fifth year guard Diamond Battles is the Bulldogs’ leading scorer, averaging 14.5 points per game to go with 3.7 assists, and was selected Preseason Second Team All-SEC in addition to being on the watch list for the Naismith Women’s Player of the Year.

Saturday, Dec. 24

Football (7-5, 5-3) vs Middle Tennessee State (7-5, 4-4), EasyPost Hawai’i Bowl, 5 p.m.

Senior Jalen Mayden became the first San Diego State quarterback to be named team MVP since Kevin O’Connell won the award in 2007, which was announced at the team banquet on Sunday. Additionally, senior Jonah Tavai was selected as a second-team Associated Press All-American.

The Blue Raiders closed the season on a three-game winning streak, finishing in a three-way tie for fourth place in Conference USA. MTSU was in the middle of the table in most team offense and defense statistical categories, though they led the circuit with 34 sacks and 17 interceptions, and tied for second with a plus-8 turnover margin. Redshirt junior cornerback Decorian Patterson led CUSA with six interceptions, while redshirt freshman safety Jakobe Thomas tied for second with four. Redshirt senior quarterback Chase Cunningham averaged the third-most passing yards in the conference at 265.45 per game.

About the Contributor

Eric Evelhoch, '23-24 Sports Editor

Eric Evelhoch (he/him/his) is a senior media studies major who was born outside of Detroit, Michigan, and lived in Ventura County, California, for a decade-plus. He is a returning college student and transfer from Santa Barbara City College, where he served as Sports Editor for The Channels. Evelhoch is also a Sports Director for KCR College Radio, where he restarted play-by-play coverage post-pandemic. Currently, he serves as the play-by-play broadcaster for the SDSU ACHA DI hockey team and has filled in on the call for Aztecs sports on the Mountain West Network. His prior freelance experience includes print, digital, online video and audio-only, and broadcast radio formats covering football, basketball, baseball, hockey, soccer and volleyball.