Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Pacific
Bulldogs Make Big Splash in Home Debut
1/14/2010 12:00:00 AM | Swimming & Diving
Jan. 14, 2010
FRESNO, Calif. - In their first home meet since the return of the program, the Fresno State swimming and diving team got its second win under head coach Jeanne Fleck as the Bulldogs defeated Pacific 130-107 on Thursday at Clovis North High School.
"I am very happy with all of our girls today," said an excited Fleck. "The sprinters were awesome, the relay teams stepped up and everyone held there own in each event."
The 200 medley relay team composed of Heidi Gjoen, Britney Vogel, Stephanie Hatayama and Dani Yoho set the pace for the entire meet in the first event as they worked together to post a lightning-fast 200 medley relay time of 1:48.37 good enough to give the `Dogs the first place finish and the all important 11 meet points.
Yoho came up huge for the `Dogs scoring points and winning every event she competed in, including a time of 24.29 in the 50 freestyle and a lifetime best time of 52.50 in the 100 freestyle.
"Dani was amazing today," said Fleck. "We really needed a big performance out of her today. We knew she could do it and today she really stepped up for us."
Gjoen was impressive again today in best event, the 200 backstroke, posting a time of 2:06.59 good enough for first place by a margin of four seconds.
As the meet wound down, every event was crucial in the extremely tight dual meet as it came down to the wire in what was an exciting 400 freestyle relay that had coaches and fans alike screaming.
In the end Rayanne Nguyen, Kat Vietti, Dede Torres and Hatayama catapulted the `Dogs to victory as they finished first combining for a time of 3:34.69 giving the `Dogs a crucial 11 points that sealed the deal giving the Bulldogs a legendary win in the new programs first ever home meet.
"Rayanne started us off well out of the gate," said Fleck. "That was our best 400 free relay performance of the year and it couldn't have come at a better time for us."
On the diving side, Fresno State's Kendra Weeks finished first in the 1-meter dive posting a score of 221.47 and Freshman Stacey Luke came away first in the 3-meter dive with a score of 228.15
"I can't say enough about our team," said Fleck "I am very happy with our performance in every event today, this was a big time meet for us."
The Bulldogs now prepare to host their second home meet in a row as they will face off against Cal State Bakersfield in a dual meet at Clovis North Saturday at noon.
"This win gives us a lot of excitement and confidence going into this weekend against Bakersfield," said Fleck. CSUB is going to come at us but this meet today is going to help us to be mentally ready for them."
Bulldog fans were very supportive today and did a great job of filling the "Soles 4 Souls" bin full of used shoes. Fresno State swimming and diving will also be collecting shoes for the charity on Saturday when they face off against the Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners at noon.
"We Are Your Team" - The Cal State Bakersfield Swimming and Diving team will be in town on Saturday, January 16, at Noon for the `Dogs "Soles 4 Souls" event. Bring your favorite, old pair of sneakers to the event; each donated pair of shoes will be reconditioned and given to someone in need. For more information be sure to visit GoBulldogs.com.
Players Mentioned
