SDSU Yearbook: SDSU Swimming and Diving Excels in the Classroom and the Water
While earning a program-best 3.34 team grade point average in the fall 2019 semester, the Aztecs also captured their second consecutive MW title.
Twice is nice.
In another memorable season, the San Diego State University swimming and diving team completed a perfect dual-meet season and won its second consecutive Mountain West Conference championship — in dominating fashion. The Aztecs collected a conference championship-record 1,463.50 points to successfully defend their conference crown in February.
"It was really a wonderful team earned championship," said associate head coach Steve Allnutt. "The swimmers and divers really came together; we had the largest diving squad there and every one of the divers scored points and made a huge impact."
The team also excelled in the full run of swimming events. The Aztecs took home 13 first-place finishes at the conference championship meet, earning eight individual titles while sweeping all five relay events for just the third time in conference history.
“In swimming, the way to show how good you are is in your relay efforts,” Allnutt said, “and we were able to win all five of them for just the second time in school history (third in the conference's history). The team's attitude and effort were amazing from the first race to the last. Our seniors led our team with class and I'm proud to send them out with their second championship in four years.”
Junior Klara Thormalm won three individual titles at the 2020 Mountain West Conference Swimming and Diving Championships (50-meter free, 100 breast, 200 breast) while swimming in four of the Aztecs' championship-winning relay teams (200 medley, 400 medley, 200 free, 400 free). Her 200-meter breaststroke was two seconds faster than the previous SDSU program record, and also set a new conference championship and overall conference-best time. For her efforts, Thormalm was named the MW Championships' Swimmer of the Meet and the 2020 MW Swimmer of the Year.
Sophomore Ximena Lechuga Gonzalez continued her dominance on the springboard. The sophomore, who earned the MW Diver of the Year award for the second consecutive year, placed first at the MW championships on the 3-meter dive with a score of 382.35 while earning podium finishes on the other two springboard events.
With five conference championships, SDSU now holds the most swimming and diving conference titles among active members in the Mountain West Conference.
The Aztecs also earned a 3.34 team grade point average in the fall 2019 semester, a program-best effort.
