Pepperdine University
San Diego State
Waves Have Strong Showing in Season Opener, but Fall to SDSU 95-83
1/15/2021 4:02:00 PM | Women's Swim/Dive
MALIBU, California – Emily Morton and Jenna Sanchez picked up wins in the 400 and 100 IM, respectively, but the Pepperdine women's swimming and diving team fell to the San Diego State Aztecs, 95-83 at home on Friday.
Yet given the dual meet came after a 300-day wait since the Waves' last competition, Pepperdine head coach Ellie Monobe was proud of the results and grateful for the team's ability to compete once again.
"I am very pleased with today," Monobe, who made her Pepperdine head coaching debut on Friday, said. "Going into this meet, we talked about being grateful for this opportunity, whether the meet was going to start late or it was just going to be us swimming in the pool. They did a fantastic job, and I think we're setting ourselves up for a good season."
MEET RECAP
Junior Paulina Holmberg (Apple Valley, Minn./Academy of Holy Angels) led the Waves in the 1-meter dive by scoring a 208.19, good for fourth place. Freshman Anna Johnson (East Lyme, Conn./East Lyme HS) made her collegiate debut in the 1-meter dive with a 121.12-point performance.
Then the Waves kicked off the swimming portion of the meet by placing third in the 400-yard medley relay with a 4:05.58, all thanks to efforts from sophomores Jasmine Williams (Folsom, Calif./Folsom HS) and Morton (Golden, Colo./Lakewood HS), and freshmen Tay Thomas (Pleasant Hill, Calif./College Park HS) and Ellie Hendren (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Mountain Vista HS).Â
In the second event, senior captain Sammie Slater (Sonora, Calif./Sonora HS) placed second in the 300-yard freestyle with a 3:06.29.
Pepperdine picked up its first win of the day in the 400 IM when Morton — the Waves' school record holder in the event — pulled away in the last 150 meters to win in a 4:38.90.
In the following event, Williams — a late addition to the event — stepped in to lead the Waves with a third-place finish in the 50-yard back with a 27.69. Her performance was less than seven-tenths of a second behind the winning time.
The Waves' second win of the day came courtesy of sophomore Sanchez (Highland, Calif./Redlands East Valley HS), who won the 100 IM with a time of 1:00.65 — a mere 1.6 seconds off the school record in the first meet of the season. Allison Cho (Valencia, Calif./ Valencia HS) won the second heat of the 100 IM in a 1:04.11, which was the fourth-best time overall.Â
After a brief intermission, Pepperdine's 800-yard free relay team of Morton, Paige Brackett (Folsom, Calif./Granite Bay HS), Hendren and Slater traded the lead with San Diego State's team before finishing with a 8:01.86, less than three seconds behind the winning time.
In the final event of the day, Pepperdine's 200-yard free relay team of Williams, Slater, Hendren and Sanchez placed third with a 1:40.88. Sanchez closed out the final 50 in a 24.13.
"I'm not too worried about the times — that comes after some more training," Monobe added. "But for being in the water for a little over two weeks, I'm very happy."
NEXT UP: The Waves will have a quick turnaround, as they host Loyola Marymount and San Diego on Saturday, Jan. 16. The diving portion of the meet is scheduled to start at 12 p.m. PT, with swimming events to follow. The meet will be livestreamed on WaveCasts.
FOLLOW: Follow @WavesSwimDive on Facebook and Twitter for immediate updates, results and more. Go to PepperdineWaves.com for all information, releases and schedules.
Players Mentioned
