ATHLETE OF THE WEEK (Oct. 20 - Oct. 26)
San Diego’s Sarah Geerdes has been named the Western Athletic Conference Swimmer of the Week
of the week of Oct. 20-26.
Geerdes, a freshman from Valley Center, Calif., earned 12 individual points for the Toreros at UCLA this week with three second place finishes in the dual meet. She helped the 200 medley relay squad to a third-place finish as the second leg, swimming a 30.67 split. Geerdes then took second place in the 200 freestyle (1:53.30), before another second-place finish in the 100 freestyle, good for a time of 56.60. Finally, she earned second-place in the 100 butterfly with a time of 58.56.
Other nominees included: Heidi Gjoen of Fresno State placed third in the 100 backstroke with a time of 59.40, good for ninth in the WAC. Anna Humphrey of Idaho swam a 2:11.79 in the 200 individual medley, which ranks eighth on the Vandal’s all-time list.
This Week in WAC Swimming- Western Athletic Conference teams are back at in the third week of the swimming and diving season this week. Fresno State is on the road for the second consecutive week when it travels to San Diego State for a dual meet against the Aztecs on Saturday, Nov. 1. On the same day, Nevada will host UC Davis as well as Washington State in dual meets while Northern Arizona takes on Mountain West Conference foes in New Mexico and BYU in Albuquerque.
In the leagues’ only WAC meet, Boise State and San Jose State battle it out in a dual meet to end the days competition.
TEAM NOTES
Boise State Broncos
The Broncos earned their first dual victory of the season after a pair of wins against Air Force and Northern Colorado at the WAC Shoot-Out in Las Cruces. BSU’s Chelsea Lopus finished the WAC Shoot-Out with four wins and two school records. The Broncos next travel to San Jose to take on the Spartans in a WAC meet on Nov. 1.
Fresno State Bulldogs
After a four-year hiatus of the sport at Fresno State, the Bulldog swimming team was impressive in its first two-day invitational meet, competing against host Washington State, Notre Dame, Ohio University and Idaho . The Bulldogs now travel to San Diego on Oct. 31 to take on UC San Diego before facing San Diego State on Nov. 1.
Hawai?i Rainbow Wahine
The Rainbow Wahine swam in their senior meet in preparation for the Big West Shootout. Hawai?i will have plenty of time for practice as the meet is set to start on Nov. 7, a little less than a month away. UH looks to capitalize on its third place finish in the WAC Championships last year.
Idaho Vandals
The Vandals showed major improvements over their performance at the Pipher Invitational last season, Coach Tom Jager said. Solid performances by the younger Vandals helped the team to a fifth place finish at the event, beating out WAC opponent Fresno State. UI has the weekend off as it prepares for the Big West Shootout in Irvine, Calif. on Nov. 7.
Nevada Wolf Pack
Nevada placed third at the Pacific Invite posting a score of 515.5, behind Washington State and Oregon State. Senior swimmer Margaret Doolittle helped the Pack edge out Pacific and UC Davis in the five team meet. The Wolf Pack will see Washington State and UC Davis again in dual meets on Nov. 1 at home in Reno, Nev.
New Mexico State Aggies
New Mexico State finished the inaugural WAC Shoot-Out with a 3-2 record including wins over Northern Colorado, Air Force and Boise State. Freshman Maria Spies took first place and set the school record in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:17.44. The Aggies have a week off as they prepare for dual meets against Rice and Houston in Houston, Texas on Nov. 6.
Northern Arizona Lumberjacks
NAU fell to 3-3 in dual meets after a 193-103 setback to Kansas last week. The Lumberjacks were under the previous pool records in three events, but were out-touched by Kansas each time. NAU is now an even 3-3 for the season in dual meet competition. While the Lumberjacks did not record any victories, there were five events in which they finished second and third. Junior Rachel Foe took two individual second-place finishes and two relay second-place finishes. NAU travels to Albuquerque, N.M., to take on New Mexico and BYU out of the Mountain West Conference on Nov. 1.
San Diego Toreros
USD faced a tough challenge against No. 16 UCLA last week. The Toreros battled hard against the Bruins who defeated San Diego 195-95. Freshman Sarah Geerdes led the way for the Toreros with her effort in the 200 medley as well as a second place finish in the 200 freestyle (1:53.30), the 100 freestyle (56.60), and the 100 butterfly (58.56) earning a total of 12 individual points for USD. San Diego returns to the pool on Nov. 7 for the two-day Big West Shootout in Irvine, Calif.
San Jose State Spartans
San Jose State comfortably got past host UC Santa Cruz and Fresno State to improve to 7-1 on the dual season in Santa Cruz, Calif., on Saturday. Both opponents were competing in their season openers, with Fresno State re-introducing it’s program for the first time after a four-year hiatus. The Spartans’ only loss thus far has come at national powerhouse Stanford, last year’s third-place squad at the NCAA Championships, in their own opener on Friday, October 3. SJSU returns to the pool on Nov. 1 to take on WAC foe Boise State.
FRESNO STATE COMPETES IN SWIMMING AND DIVING FOR FIRST TIME IN 5 YEARS ? Fresno State Athletics Director Thomas Boeh announced on Jan. 8 the addition of two women’s sports in a move that reflects the University’s continued commitment to Title IX compliance.
The announcement marks the return of women’s swimming and diving which last competed in the 2003-04 academic year. This addition comes after the recommendations of the Gender Equity Plan Task Force, a 13-member campus-community panel charged by the University President John D. Welty to develop a new five-year gender equity plan that will guide the university to maintain Title IX compliance in its athletics program. Jeanne Fleck was chosen to head up the program in the 2008-09 season.
WAC CHAMPIONSHIP RETURNS TO SAN ANTONIO ? The 2009 edition of the WAC Championship returns to Palo Alto Natatorium in San Antonio, Texas. Nevada will look to defend its 2007 and 2008 titles in hopes of capturing its third straight WAC championship. The championship will be held Feb. 25-28, 2009.
WAC Championship Tickets:
All-Session Passes (includes all 10 sessions) are $30 for adults and $20 for children ages 18 and under.
Single-Session tickets will be available for purchase at the event (the pool will be cleared at the conclusion of each session). Prices are as follows:
Relays Wednesday evening $5
Prelims Adults $6, Children $4
Diving Adults $6, Children $4
Finals Adults $7, Children $4
WAC Championship Apparel:
Swimming & Diving Championship Apparel will be available online or for purchase at the event. Items available include t-shirts, long sleeve t-shirts, and hooded sweatshirts.
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP:
Regionals: March 12-14 or 13-15, 2009
Finals: March 19-21, 2009
College Station, Texas
Student Recreation Center Natatorium
Host: Texas A&M