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 the first calendar of upcoming Aztec athletics events for 2023, all event times are in Pacific Standard Time:
Wednesday, Feb. 1
No. 20 Men’s Golf at Southwestern Invitational Day Three, all day
San Diego State dropped three spaces into a seventh place tie with UCLA after the team shot a 13-over during second round action. Sophomores Justin Hastings and Shea Lague are in a five-way tie for tenth and one-under on the individual leaderboard. Hastings had the low round of the day for SDSU, sinking three birdies on the back nine to finish the round at one-over.
Thursday, Feb. 2
Track and Field at WSU Open and Combined Events, all day through Saturday
The Aztecs are coming off the UW Invitational, which saw junior Simone Johnson win the triple jump and senior Jada Moore win the 200m on day one. Then on day two junior Hannah Waller won the 60m, sophomore Shaquena Foote took the 400m, and the 4×400 meter relay team of junior Rhea Hoyte, Waller, senior Alexus Alexander and senior Alex Lomelli finished first.
Friday, Feb. 3
Swim and Dive at Lumberjack Diving Invitational all day through Sunday
SDSU notched their third win of the season against University of San Diego their last time out on Jan. 27. The Aztecs swept the podium spots in both diving events as senior Ximena Lechuga Gonzalez earned the top spot, while sophomores Emma Duggan finished second and Valentina Lopez Arevalo third in the three-meter. In the one-meter Lopez Arevalo took first, Lechuga Gonzalez finished second and sophomore Summer Westmoreland third. Lechuga Gonzalez was named Mountain West Diver of the Week, the 12th weekly honor of her career.
Water Polo (2-2) vs No. 9 Fresno State (2-5), Triton Invitational, 10:40 a.m.
The Aztecs opened their season with wins over Cal State Fullerton and Pomona-Pitzer, and losses to No. 3 UCLA and No. 15 Wagner at the UCSB Winter Invite on Jan. 21 and 22. Graduate student Amanda Legaspi leads SDSU with seven goals, while freshman Claudia Valdes has scored six and senior Katie Ratcliff has notched five. Fresno State has played ranked opponents in all seven matches, with wins over No. 11 UC Davis and No. 14 San José State. The Aztecs are scheduled to play on Saturday and Sunday as well, times and opponents are to be determined.
Water Polo vs No. 5 Hawaii (5-0), Triton Invitational, 5:20 p.m.
SDSU is looking to replace their top six scorers from last season, with Ratcliff the top returner having scored 20 goals with 11 assists in 30 games. They are also young between the pipes, as goalkeepers Tiarre Ahovelo, Mandy Lagerlof and Molly Blosser are all freshmen. Hawaii features three players who have scored more than ten goals already; freshman Bia Mantellato Dias leads the way with 18 tallies.
Men’s Basketball (17-5, 8-2) vs Boise State (18-5, 8-2), Viejas Arena, 6 p.m.
The Aztecs did not make a field goal from the 4:29 mark in the second half until a layup with three seconds remaining in a 75-66 loss at Nevada on Tuesday. The Broncos are coming off their third straight win, a 59-52 result at Air Force. Sophomore forward Tyson Degenhart (15.9 points) and redshirt senior guard Max Rice (15.5 points) are Boise State’s top scorers in conference play, while their defense leads the Mountain West with fewest points and lowest field goal as well as three-point percentages allowed per game.
Saturday, Feb. 4
Lacrosse vs Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (Exhibition), Aztec Lacrosse Field, 11 a.m.
Two of the top three SDSU scorers from last season return, senior Deanna Balsama scored 62 goals with 11 assists and junior Brook Waddell scored 21 times with 17 helpers in 15 games. The Aztecs will face NCAA DIII school CMS in an exhibition game for the fourth time in five seasons. The Athenas made it to the second round of the NCAA DIII tournament last year.
Women’s Tennis (1-1) vs UC San Diego (2-2), Aztec Tennis Center, noon
San Diego State continues their four-match homestand after a 4-3 win over Alabama on Friday, Jan. 27. Senior Alicia Melosch won the decisive match 3-6, 6-2, 7-5 at No. 4 singles to clinch Peter Mattera’s 400th career win as head coach of the Aztecs. The Tritons were beaten 6-1 by Alabama in their most recent match on Jan. 28.
Women’s Basketball (18-6, 8-3) at New Mexico (13-9, 5-4), 1 p.m.
The Aztecs trailed by as much as 16 with 6:29 to play, but couldn’t complete the comeback in a 62-57 loss at Boise State on Monday. New Mexico has run off three straight wins since SDSU’s 65-61 comeback win at Viejas Arena on Jan. 19, but will be hosting conference leader UNLV on Thursday before facing the Aztecs. Senior guard Latascya Duff leads the Mountain West averaging 3.0 three-pointers per game with a 48.2% three-point percentage in conference games.
