If you’ve risen early to take a jog or walk the dog, you know San Diego mornings can be crisp.
Now think about jumping into a swimming pool at 7 a.m. or standing at the edge of a 3-meter diving board several hours later.
This is the daily routine for the women of San Diego State’s swim and dive team as the Aztecs work toward winning a fifth straight Mountain West title and a sixth over the last seven years.
Swimming and diving is a winter sport in the NCAA lineup. Most competing colleges and universities have indoor pools. Not so much, however, on the West Coast.
“You have to really want it to compete during the winter,” said Aztecs head swimming and diving coach Michael Shrader. “It’s kind of crazy. The pool is heated. The air around it is not.”
“Steam coming off the water is a good sign,” said swimmer Meredith Smithbaker. “Sometimes the water is not as warm as you’d like it to be.”
“The toughest part is standing on the board or platform before a dive,” said Aztecs diver Valentina Lopez Arevalo. “Our pool is on the edge of a canyon. It’s windy. It’s definitely colder up there.”
The divers have two advantages. They practice later in the morning. And they have a hot tub to stay warm between dives.
“I personally don’t like the hot tub,” said Lopez Arevalo. “Once I get in, I don’t want to get out.”
The Aztecs are not alone. The University of San Diego also has a women’s swim and dive team, while UC San Diego has strong men’s and women’s programs.
“The athletes on swimming and diving teams tend to be a close-knit community,” said Shrader. “I think it’s a combination of the demands of the sport and the backgrounds and discipline of the individuals. Swimmers and divers also tend to do very well academically.”
Led by swimmers Smithbaker, Abby Storm, Mal McKenna, Reka Nyiradi and Kaydence Bispo and a deep corps of divers paced by Lopez Arevalo, Taylor Konopacke (Canyon Crest Academy) and Olivia Zamudio (Valhalla High School), the Aztecs’ swim and dive team totals only 28 athletes.
The Aztecs are 5-0 in dual meets this season heading into a double-dual meet against Pepperdine and New Mexico Thursday at 2 p.m. at the Aztec Aquaplex on campus. They have also placed second in a pair of multi-team invitational meets.
SDSU swimmers hold the top Mountain West times in five events this season.
Smithbaker is No. 1 in both the 50-meter (22.42 seconds) and 100-meter (48.33) freestyle events. Storm has the best time in the 200 backstroke (1:55.11), and McKenna is No. 1 in the 400 individual medley (4:17.05). Also atop the Mountain West charts is the 200 freestyle relay team of Smithbaker, Alli Mann, Bispo and Liv Peebles (1:30.08).
Seniors Smithbaker and Lopez Arevalo lead the Aztecs in individual honors.
A native of Guadalajara, Mexico, Lopez Arevalo is the defending Mountain West champion in the 3-meter and platform competitions and placed second in the 1-meter finals. The Diver of the Meet in the 2024 Mountain West Championships, Lopez Arevalo holds the highest score in San Diego State history in platform and the second-highest marks ever off the 1- and 3-meter boards.
Lopez Arevalo represented Mexico in both the 2016 and 2018 Junior World Cup and the 2019 Junior Pan-American Games. She is a multi-time medalist in the Mexican National Games and is a two-time recipient of Mexico’s National Sports Award.
“My goal is to represent Mexico in the Olympic Games,” said Lopez Arevalo. “But I’m not connected to the Mexican National Team right now because my immediate goals are here, to help San Diego State win the Mountain West and qualify as many as we can for the NCAAs. We have a pretty solid team, and I’m proud of what we have done.”
Smithbaker is seeking to sweep the Mountain West 50 and 100 freestyle titles for a third straight year. Including relays, Smithbaker has won a total of 10 Mountain West titles in her first three seasons with the Aztecs. She has the second- and third-fastest freestyle sprint times in Aztec history and competed in the 50 free at the most recent U.S. Olympic Trials.
“My goal is to qualify for the NCAAs, which is tougher than qualifying for the Olympic Trials,” said Smithbaker, a native of Fort Collins, Colo., who said one of the reasons she came to San Diego State was the outdoor pool.
“I grew up swimming and racing in indoor pools,” she said. “I hated the chlorine in the air around an indoor pool. I liked the appeal of the outdoor pool, even if it is colder.”
Another thing that sold the graphic design major on San Diego State? “The team,” she said.
“It’s amazing to be part of a team that has been this dominant in the conference,” Smithbaker added. “But it wasn’t just that. This team is together every day. We push and each other. I wouldn’t be as good without being pushed and encouraged by my teammates.
“I came from a small club team and wanted to be in a smaller-sized college program. I looked at the Aztec roster. That allows you to be close and friends with everyone. Quality over quantity. That’s what makes us so special. Everyone and every point matters.”
Shrader is in his 18th season as the head coach of the Aztec swim and dive team. He has been the Mountain West Coach of the Year a record 10 times, including each of the past three seasons and five of the last six. San Diego State has won eight Mountain West titles in swimming and diving since 2011.
“We’re off to a good start,” said Shrader, whose teams have won 70 straight dual meets dating back to Jan. 8, 2018. “But this is a difficult sport to measure exactly where you are until you come together in the pool.”
The Mountain West Championships are Feb. 19-22 at Houston. The NCAA Finals are a month later in Federal Way, Wash.
Every week, U-T contributor Bill Center highlights one San Diego college team that’s making strides on and off the field. To nominate a team, email [email protected].
