San Diego State Women Take First At UCSD Invitational

Meet Stats

• Complete results
• Hosted by UC-San Diego
• January 2, 2017
• Score
  • Women
    1. San Diego State 462
    2. Boise State 354
    3. San Jose State 327.5
    4. UC San Diego 230
    5. Incarnate Word 125
    6. Air Force 95.5
  • Men
    1. UC San Diego 557
    2. Air Force 327
    3. Incarnate Word 318

Press Release

Courtesy of San Diego State Athletics

The San Diego State swimming and diving team opened the new year on a positive note as it won the six-team UC San Diego Invitational Monday afternoon at UCSD’s Canyonview Aquatic Center. The Aztecs finished the meet with 462 points to outpace Boise State (354), San Jose State (327.5), UC San Diego (230), Incarnate Word (125) and Air Force (95.5).

The meet consisted of eight events (six individual race and two relays) along with both the 1-meter and 3-meter diving. Points were awarded to the top 16 finishers in each event with athletes limited to competing in only three races. Only one relay per school was allowed to score points.

Although SDSU failed to win any of the eight swimming events, their depth in those races helped proved enough points to stay close to Boise State until the divers completed the scoring. The Broncos dominated in the pool, winning six of the eight events, but yielded the team title by having no dives competing at the meet.

The Aztecs began the day by taking second in the 800 medley as the foursome of Andrea VanderMey, Morganne McKennan, Rachael Kelch and McKenna Meyer went 8:23.95.

Up next was the 100 butterfly, the race in which the Aztecs accumulated their most points. Their 69 points in the event came courtesy of five top nine finishes including Summer Harrison (2nd – 56.41), Alma Thormalm (5th – 57.57), Frida Berggren (6th – 57.73), Courtney Vincent (8th – 57.95) and Samantha Guttmacher (9th – 58.01).

San Diego State had its most point scorers in the next race, the 100 backstroke as seven swimmers added to SDSU’s team total. That group consisted of Kate Santilena (5th – 58.09), Alexa Clayfield (7th – 58.39), McKenna Garfein (9th- 59.63), VanderMey (10th – 59.80), Meyer (11th – 1:00.23), Peyton Wilson (12th – 1:00.36) and Vincent (13th – 1:00.52).

The Aztecs’ top finisher in the 500 freestyle was Martina Marks, who took 9th in 5:10.94 while teammate Marina Preiss placed 12th with a time of 5:13.19.

In the 100 breaststroke it was McKennan who led the Aztecs with a second-place finish in a time of 1:04.98. Cecilia Zaccarelli captured 10th place with a mark of 1:08.35.

Four Aztecs racked up points in the 200 individual medley led by Berggren, who was third with a time of 2:07.32. SDSU’s other point scorers in the event included Kelch (5th – 2:10.41), Zaccarelli (9th – 2:12.67) and Garfein (12th – 2:13.76).

In the final swimming race of the meet, San Diego State’s 200 freestyle relay team of Wilson, Thormalm, Harrison and Guttmacher went 1:36.26 to place second.

On the diving side, Junior Alexandra Caplan won the 1-meter board with a score of 282.65 and placed second on the 3-meter board with a mark of 306.75. Both of those scores were NCAA Zone Meet qualifying marks.

In addition, both Nicole Dutton (3rd – 269.40) and Payton Gabris (4th – 267.55) turned in Zone Meet qualifying scores on the 1-meter springboard. Makena Chamoures placed fifth on the 1-meter board with a score of 262.50 while fellow Aztecs Delaney Gallagher (260.20) and Marie Yacopino (247.15) placed seventh and ninth respectively.

In addition to Caplan’s runner-up finish on the 3-meter board, five others placed among the top nine. That included Chamoures (3rd – 278.85), Gabris (5th – 266.80), Yacopino (7th – 251.55), Gallagher (8th – 244.05) and Dutton (9th – 241.45).

The San Diego State swimmers and divers will return to the Canyonview Aquatic Center in La Jolla, Calif., on Tuesday, Jan. 3, for a double dual meet against Rice and San Jose State slated to get underway at noon. There is no charge for admission or parking for this meet.

AB