Fresno State Athletics
Swimming and Diving to New Depths
5/9/2011 12:00:00 AM | Swimming & Diving
May 9, 2011
FRESNO, Calif. - The Fresno State swimming and diving team, led by third-year head coach Jeanne Fleck finished the 2010-11 season that was highlighted by two divers competing at the NCAA Zones, seven Fresno State records broken at the WAC Championship meet, three Dogs earning WAC swimmer and diver of the week honors and many other outstanding performances.
"We had a solid year and made a lot of strides," said head coach Jeanne Fleck. "Our relays showed significant improvement and this means that our depth is continuing to get better. The freshmen had more of an impact this year. They swam great all year and ended up a really strong class. We will make our changes to be an even better team next year and set our goals high."
Two divers represented Fresno State strongly at the NCAA Zone E competition in Minneapolis, Minn. Stacey Luke returned to the NCAA Zone competition for the second consecutive year. Luke led the way by placing 14th in the preliminaries of the 1-meter dive by scoring 253.55 points. Luke was a part of the top 18 that qualified for a final round and held her 14th-place position.
Freshman Hannah Prigge completed her first NCAA Zone competition, proof of the improvement that the Dogs are striving towards. Prigge placed 16th off the platform and scored 235.15 points on the 3-meter board.
"We've grown a lot as a team this season," said diving coach Taryn Patrick. "We have some things we need to work on, but overall the divers improved their technique and learned new dives. We're still a young team, but we've had some good learning experiences this year and that's going to help us continue to be competitive in our conference and zone."
Dogs Make Waves in the WAC
The Dogs headed to the Lone Star State to compete at the Palo Alto Natatorium in San Antonio for the 2011 Western Athletic Conference Swimming and Diving Championship Meet. The Bulldogs excelled and broke seven Fresno State records at the meet and finished in seventh-place.
"We had a great weekend," said head coach Jeanne Fleck after her third-WAC Championship Meet. "We swam amazingly and scored in every race but two which is a great improvement. The upperclassmen were stellar and on top of that it was a great learning experience for the younger athletes."
Sophomore Dani Yoho concluded a fabulous second-season for the Bulldogs, contributing to the breaking of six records and an NCAA b-cut qualifying time. Yoho shattered the Fresno State record in the 100-yard freestyle race. She placed fourth in the preliminaries with a time of 50.20 and also placed fourth in the finals. She was also the last leg of the record breaking 400-yard freestyle relay team. She along with three other Bulldogs clocked a time of 3:25.68. Individually Yoho broke the 50-yard and 100-yard freestyle races along with being a part of the 200- and 400- yard freestyle relays and the 200- and 400-yard medley relay teams.
Dogs Stroke Through Season of Improvement
The Dogs had a successful 2010-11 season with three WAC swimmers and divers of the week honors, four dual meet victories, broken records and improvement through the water and on the diving boards.
Luke earned her third WAC Diver of the Week honors after her performance in their dual meet with San Jose State on Jan. 5. Luke was victorious in the 1-meter event as she claimed the event title with a score career-best of 271.65 that automatically qualified her to compete in the NCAA Zone Diving competition. Luke also claimed second-place in the 3-meter event.
 Stacey Luke returned to the NCAA Zone competition for the second consecutive year. In the 2010-11 season she also topped her career best in the 1-meter dive at SJSU.  | |
The Dogs dual meet at San Jose State Feb. 5 was the final of the season. Luke had a stand-out performance off the diving board as well as Prigge. Yoho won the 50-yard freestyle race and Britney Vogel picked up three second-place finishes in both breaststroke races (100 and 200) and the 200-yard IM.
The Dogs hosted the Valley Invite as San Diego and Loyola Marymount came to the Central Valley. Fresno State's Vogel and Yoho both broke individual meet records to help push the Bulldogs to a second-place finish for its best finish in the three years of the event.
Prigge topped all divers at the Invite. The freshman from Rocklin, Calif. earned first place finishes in both the 1-meter and 3-meter diving events. Her dives were also career bests and topped the 2010-11 season bests. For her performance Prigge earned her first WAC Diver of the Week honor.
The Fresno State swimming and diving team continued to make waves in 2011 and secured a pair of dual meet victories Jan. 15 at the Bakersfield Quad. The Dogs beat UC San Diego 169-129 and Cal State Bakersfield 207-91 to mark Fresno State's third and fourth dual meet wins of the 2010-11 season. The Bulldogs also fell to No. 24 San Diego State (178-119).
The Fresno State swim team earned their second dual meet victory of the season against CSU East Bay. The Dogs finished Saturday, Jan. 8 at Clovis North Aquatics Complex with a victorious score of 174-62. Fresno State had a Bulldog win each of the 16 events that took place. Stephanie Hatayama showed her senior leadership in the pool by achieving two wins against CSU East Bay.
The Bulldog divers traveled to Los Angeles for the UCLA Bruin Diving Invitational Jan. 7-9. Over the three-day Invite, Luke and Kendra Weeks improved their consistency to both compete in the finals of the platform diving event. Both Luke (203.45) and Weeks (194.80) delivered their career-best scores, finishing seventh and 12th. Luke advanced to the 3-meter semifinals in day one of competition with a score of 222.00 for the 16th position. Prigge and Weeks also posted strong performances finishing in the top 24.
The swimming Dogs concluded their last meet of 2010 in Long Beach, Calif. at the Arena Invitational, while the divers finished at the Wildcat Diving Invite in Tucson, Ariz. The swimmers scored 151 points and finished 15th out of a group of 19 tough competitors. The divers had their top finish in the final day of the Invite.
The Bulldog swimmers traveled to Long Beach, Calif. for the three-day Arena Invitational. As a team the Dogs broke three school records in the 50-yard freestyle, 200-yard freestyle relay and the 400-yard medley relay.
"It was great to break two relay records, these were the first broken since I have been at Fresno State and it's very exciting," said head coach Jeanne Fleck.
Yoho smashed the Fresno State 50-yard freestyle record for the fourth time this season. At the beginning of the month Yoho broke the school record twice in one day at Washington State for a time of 23.49. At the Arena Invitational she did it again, breaking her record twice and improving her time to 23.30. Her time earned her an 11th place finish overall.
The Dogs won five events and placed second nine times in their 170-124 loss to the Aggies on Saturday Nov. 13 at the Shaal Aquatics Center. Off the diving board Luke (Kenmore, Wash.) led the Dogs by winning the 1-meter event scoring 168.00 points. Prigge (Rocklin, Calif.) and Weeks (Folsom, Calif.) finished in second and third respectively for an impressive Bulldog 1-2-3 finish.
The Fresno State Bulldogs finished up their two-day road trip at Washington State scoring 96 points as a team to the 165 scored by the Cougars. Yoho (Sugar Land, Texas) clocked a time of 23.54 in the 50-yard freestyle event, smashing the previous school record she held of 23.64. Then she led off the 200-yard freestyle relay team with a time of 23.49, breaking the record twice.
 Stephanie Hatayama was one of four seniors who finished their Bulldog swimming and diving careers after the 2010-11 season. Cindy Engle, Lacey Payne and Kendra Weeks were the other Bulldog seniors. | |
In their first trip of the 2010-11 season, the Fresno State swimmers and divers fell to the Vandals 182-118, Nov. 5 at the University of Idaho Swim Center while four Bulldogs recorded five victories. Vogel won the 100-yard and 200-yard breaststroke events for a pair of first place finishes. Three other Bulldogs won their events: Rayanne Nguyen, Yoho and Prigge.
The Bulldogs downed Fresno Pacific 147-82 on Oct. 23 at Clovis North Aquatics Complex. Fresno State won the majority of events in a day that was full season best, lifetime bests and a great team effort overall. This is the fourth victory for the Fresno State swimming and diving program since it was reinstated in 2008.
Michelle Dockendorf was named the Verizon WAC Swimmer if the Week for Oct. 13-19. Dockendorf, a freshman from Santa Barbara, Calif. (Dos Pueblos), scored the most points for the Bulldogs at the University of Pacific Invite on Oct. 15-16. Dockendorf placed in the top 10 in six events including an individual win in the 200 Breast with a time of 2:21.79. This was the first WAC Swimmer of the Week honors for the Bulldogs since the return of the program in 2008.
Foundation Set for the Future
The Dogs are swimming and diving towards improvements and reaching new depths. The team awaits the opening of the new swimming and diving complex and the opening of their home competition site. Construction on the new multi-million dollar aquatic complex is going well. Cement has been poured, blocks have been stacked, grass has been planted and progress can be seen on the complex that will sit directly east of Bulldog diamond off Barstow Ave.
The facility will feature a 50-meter pool with eight lanes, including a one-meter, three-meter and platform diving well at five, seven and ten-meter heights, along with coach's offices. A wet classroom will also be available to swimmers and divers for just out-of-the water coaching and exercises, as well as both home and visiting locker rooms. The pool will be seven feet deep and the diving well 13-15 feet to accommodate swimmers and divers. The pool will also be swim meet ready with diving blocks, lane lines and flags. With the development of the new facility, the team will have the ability to host home meets and practice on campus, and give the `Dogs a permanent home.
Fresno State will swim and dive its last season in the Western Athletic Conference in 2011-12. President John D. Welty announced in the summer of 2010 that Fresno State accepted an invitation to become a member of the Mountain West Conference. Fresno State will join the conference in 2012.
The Mountain West's current members are: Air Force, Brigham Young University, Colorado State, New Mexico, San Diego State, TCU, UNLV, Utah and Wyoming. Utah will leave the MWC to join the Pacific-12 Conference in 2011. Boise State and Nevada are also leaving the WAC to become a part of the MWC.
"We Are You Team!" - The Fresno State swimmers and divers will be working hard in the off-season. Be sure to stay updated on gobulldogs.com for updated photos on the progress of the new pool.
