The San Diego State women have added a new sprinter to their recruiting class, as Minnesota-based Ava Howard has given her verbal commitment to the Aztecs. Howard is a member of the St Croix Swim Club, and will head to SDSU after graduting from Stillwater Area High School. Her best events include the sprint freestyles, 100 fly, and 100 back.
Last season, Howard was a 2-time medalist at the Minnesota Girls Class AA State Championships. There, she swam to a 2nd place finish in the 100 back and a 3rd place finish in the 100 free.
Howard should have an immediate scoring impact when she arrives at SDSU, as her time in the 100 back (54.78) would’ve been good enough to make the top 16 at the Mountain West Championships last season. Additionally, her 100 fly (55.68) and 100 free (50.82) times would’ve made the top 24.
Howard’s Top Times:
| Event | Best time |
| 50 free | 23.75 |
| 100 free | 50.82 |
| 100 back | 54.78 |
| 100 fly | 55.68 |
Howard will be an asset to SDSU’s sprint and backstroke groups as they begin to rebuild from their graduation losses. Of their 4 sprint freestyle scorers from last season, 3 of them were seniors, including Mountain West 50 free champ Taylor Johnson. At the end of this season, they will have also graduated conference scorers McKenna Garfein (100 back) and Samantha Guttmacher (50 free).
Despite the graduations, Howard will still have good company in sprinters Cailey Steffens, Marina Preiss, and Kate Santilena. Last season, Santilena was a Mountain West scorer in the 100 back, so she could pair up with Howard for some good training battles.
AB