Swim & Dive to host UC Davis, honor seniors Saturday at 1 p.m.

Saturday, January 19

Fresno, CA

1 P.M. PT

Fresno State

UC Davis

Swim & Dive to host UC Davis, honor seniors Saturday at 1 p.m.

1/17/2019 12:28:00 PM | Swimming & Diving

By: Andrew Tomsky / Assistant Director of Communications

Live Meet Results

FRESNO, Calif. – The Fresno State Swimming & Diving team is back in the Aquatics Center on Saturday at 1 p.m. to host UC Davis on Senior Day.

Admission will be FREE and fans will have a chance to pick up free team autograph cards and swim caps while supplies last. Fans are encouraged to arrive early as Fresno State will honor its nine seniors (Emily Ayers, Kelli Funk, Samantha Giannetta, Gabbie Libang, Patricia Lucas, Ugne Mazutaityte, Osianna Mcreed, Emma Monnich, and Andrea Tang) in a ceremony starting at 12:50 p.m.

Fresno State is 5-2 in dual meets this season and has two remaining in the regular season before heading to Minneapolis for the MW Championship Feb. 20-23. The 'Dogs will also host San Jose State on Feb. 2 in a meet that was scheduled to take place in San Jose but was moved to Fresno as the Spartans' new pool was not completed in time.

The Bulldogs have faced UC Davis in each of the last nine seasons and are winless against the Aggies, but the last two meetings both came down to the final race. In fact, in each of the last two years UC Davis won by the exact same margin of just five points, 144-139.

"This is a big meet and our girls are really shooting for this," Fresno State head coach Jeanne Fleck said. "We still have some work to do (for the MW championship); I've got to see some improvements from some people and they need to step up to the plate this weekend. They only have two more chances to prove themselves and get themselves to where they want to be before conference."

The 'Dogs spent last week training and competing in San Diego, falling in a dual at San Diego State before defeating the University of San Diego, 186-75, last Saturday. Fresno State won 12 of 14 events against the Toreros and the totaled 31 top-three finishes in a dominant victory, the team's fourth straight win at USD.

Fresno State swept the MW Swimmer and Diver of the Week awards last week after some strong performances in San Diego. Irina Nikolaeva earned her first MW Diver of the Week award after recording wins on both 1-meter and 3-meter. The junior from Moscow, Russia posted a season-best and NCAA Zone qualifying score of 284.40 on 3-meter to win at San Diego State and picked up a victory on 1-meter at San Diego in the only diving event of that meet.

Junior Manuela Mendolicchio was named MW Swimmer of the Week for the second time this season. She won all three events in which she swam against San Diego (100 Breast, 200 Breast, 200 IM) and also medaled with a third place finish in the 200 Breast at San Diego State. The Bari, Italy native won the 100 Breast for the third meet this season, won the 200 Breast for the fourth time, and won the 200 IM for the second time.

UC Davis is 3-3 in duals this year with all three of its losses against other MW schools (San Diego State, Boise State, and Nevada). The Aggies also easily defeated San Diego, posting a 209-90 victory, and have wins over NCAA Div. II schools UC San Diego and Cal State East Bay. UC Davis hasn't competed in a dual meet since Nov. 2 and hasn't had a road dual since Oct. 20. The squad last competed in the Aggie Open in Davis on Jan. 5 against local club teams.

"Just the Ticket to Build Our Community" – The Bulldog Scholarship Fund gives Bulldog alumni, fans and friends the opportunity to support Fresno State Athletics and the student-athletes who inspire them. For information about how you can support the Bulldog Scholarship Fund, please visit www.bulldogscholarshipfund.com or call 559-278-7160.

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