Aztec Swim and Dive Sweeps MW Weekly Awards

San Diego State swept all three conference swimming and diving awards on Tuesday as Meredith Smithbaker garnered Mountain West Swimmer of the Week accolades and Valentina Lopez Arevalo received Diver of the Week distinction, joining Reka Nyiradi, who earned Freshman of the Week honors once again.

The three Aztec student-athletes contributed to SDSU's second-place finish at Fresno State Invitational, Oct. 6-7, while Smithbaker and Nyiradi helped the Scarlet and Black extend its winning streak to 55 straight dual-meet victories in a 101-47 triumph over Pepperdine on Oct. 5 in Malibu, California.

Additionally, Lopez Arevalo was recognized for her efforts in the Aztecs' three dual meets against Cal Poly and Fresno Pacific, Sept. 29-30, in San Luis Obispo, California.

With their plaudits, Smithbaker and Lopez Arevalo collected the third MW weekly certificates of their respective careers, while Nyiradi was named the league's top freshman swimmer for the second week in a row.

At the Fresno State Invitational, Smithbaker led all Mountain West competitors and ranked 10th overall with 50 points, helping second-place San Diego State top Pac-12 member Washington State and fellow MW rivals Fresno State and San José State.

Individually, Smithbaker posted three individual top-five finishes, highlighted by a victory in the 50 freestyle with a season-fast time of 23.06. The Aztec junior also logged season bests in the 100 freestyle (51.04) and 100 breaststroke (1:02.40), placing third and fifth in those races, respectively.

In addition, Smithbaker led off SDSU's second-place 200 freestyle relay team that combined for a 1:33.59 clocking, which was tops among MW schools in the event. Similarly, the Fort Collins, Colorado, native anchored the Aztecs' fourth-place 400 medley relay team that recorded a time of 3:46.81, which was the best among league squads in that competition as well. She also swam on two other SDSU relays that finished in the top five, including the 400 freestyle (4th) and 200 medley (5th).

Against Pepperdine, Smithbaker swam on SDSU's triumphant 200 medley (1:44.64) and 200 freestyle relay teams (1:35.22) while finishing second in the 50 free (24.04), helping the Scarlet and Black improve to 21-0 all-time vs. the Waves.

A native of Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico, Lopez Arevalo is off to a brilliant start this season, capturing four event titles and recording two additional top-four finishes in three different meets over the past two weeks.

Lopez Arevalo took home three overall crowns during the weekend of Sept. 29-30 in a dual-meet win at Cal Poly and a double dual triumph over Cal Poly and Fresno Pacific. The Aztec junior emerged victorious in the 1-meter (283.58) and 3-meter springboard (303.45), both of which were NCAA Zone qualifying scores, as the Aztecs rolled past Cal Poly 150-135 on Sept. 29.

The following day, she added another title on the 1-meter board in the double-dual vs. Cal Poly and Fresno Pacific with a season-best 287.10 pts and finished second in the 3-meters (277.88), helping the Aztecs defeat the Mustangs 128-71 and the Sunbirds 132-38.

This past weekend at the Fresno State Invite, Lopez Arevalo won the 3-meter springboard for the third time this fall with a season-best 312.80 points, which marked another NCAA Zone qualifying score. She also finished fourth on the 1-meter board with 254.80 pts, which represented the top score among 12 conference competitors in the event.

Meanwhile, Nyiradi ranked second among Mountain West participants and finished 13th overall at the Fresno State Invite with 46 points scored, trailing only Smithbaker's 50 points.

Nyiradi logged four top-six individual placements, featuring a fourth-place swim of 2:02.99 in the 200 fly, which was the top MW effort in that event. She also contributed to a pair of fourth-place relay teams, leading off the Aztecs' 800 free relay (7:34.05) before swimming the butterfly segment of SDSU's 400 medley relay (3:46.81).

Earlier against Pepperdine, Nyiradi won the 100 individual medley with a time of 59.11 and placed third in the 50 fly at 26.20.

San Diego State will take an extended hiatus from competition before returning to action next month for the three-day Art Adamson Invitational, Nov. 15-17, in College Station, Texas.