San Jose State Wins USD Relay Invite

SAN DIEGO, California, January 4. THE San Jose State University women's swimming and diving team took eight of 12 events and placed first among three squads in the University of San Diego Relay Invitational at USD's Sports Center Pool on Sunday, January 3.

The Spartans scored 206 points to top Tulane University of New Orleans, La., and Conference USA, with 150 points, and Western Athletic Conference foe USD, with 132 points.

Freshman diver Amy Kilby contributed 28 points for the Spartans with a pair of wins in school-record fashion. The remaining 10 swimming events were all of the relay variety, with San Jose State taking six of them, including five of the last six to take control of the meet.

"It was a total team effort today," remarked San Jose State head coach Sage Hopkins. "We're very happy with how the entire squad performed. We got off to a slow start over the first couple of relays. We were in third-place after the third event, but really rallied well and had just a tremendous middle and last portion of the meet.

"The major highlight of both the afternoon and of the weekend was Amy Kilby's diving. She set two school records in one day, with a great performance in her first event on the one-meter board, and then surpassing that effort for another school mark the second time around. I was also very impressed with Kirsten Trammell's swimming this weekend."

With no ability at Sunday's facility to stage a three-meter event, Kilby competed twice from the one-meter springboard, easily out-pointing Tulane's Sarah McGoldrick both times to place first. She initially tallied 280.65 points for her second NCAA ‘A' qualifier this season, a score which also gave her the modern-day six-dive school mark. The product of Oklahoma City, Okla., had already eclipsed San Jose State's modern-day five-dive standard in the platform event at the Arizona Invitational on November 22. In her second go-around Sunday from one meter, she improved on her own school record, compiling 286.05 points for yet another ‘A' qualifier.

The Spartans' best event of the day featured a 1-3 finish in the 400 medley relay. The ‘A' foursome of Rudie Guerrero Kirsten Trammell, Heather Denman and Meghan McCurley timed 3:56.92 to win, while the ‘B' quartet followed in 4:06.34 to combine for 22 valuable points.

San Jose State's closest race of the day followed, with Kiley Foster, McCurley, Marisa DeWames and Denman sprinting 1:38.16 to narrowly out-touch the USD ‘A' by .18 seconds (1:38.34) and take top honors in the 200 free relay.

A 1-3 finish was repeated in the 400 individual medley relay, as Denman, Caitlin Macky, Trammell and freshman anchor Julia Craddock went 4:04.11 for first-place, with Denman's 100-yard lead leg in a college-best 1:00.53, and the ‘B' quartet going 4:09.33 for third-place.

McCurley, Foster, DeWames and Macky provided the exclamation point with a triumphant display in the day's final event, the 400 free relay, in 3:35.33.

The Spartans are expected to return to San Jose on Tuesday, January 5. They will then host Cal State East Bay in a dual meet beginning at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 9, at The Aquatics Center on campus. Admission is free of charge.

"We are excited to get back home for a great series of dual meets," concluded Hopkins. "We are really starting to look forward to the WAC Championship (in February)."

The above article is a press release submitted to Swimming World Magazine. It has been posted in its entirety without editing. Swimming World offers all outlets the chance to reach our audience by contacting us at Newsmaster@swimmingworldmagazine.com. However, Swimming World reserves the right to choose what material is posted.

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