By Andrew Hartley (@andrewhart1ey) – Spear Reporter
Freshman Vilma Lindberg competing in the 200-yard breaststroke at Spartan pool on Oct. 28, 2023. I Photo by Andrew Hartley – The Spear
While the team’s season may have finished, individual members of San Jose State swim and dive competed nationally the past week. Competing from all parts of the country, from Flagstaff, Ariz. to Ocala, Fla.
Jenna Jagielski was the lone Spartan to compete in the NCAA Zone E Diving Championships and didn’t disappoint. She finished 23rd in the nation with a score of 257.65 in the 3-meter dive and was the fifth-highest score of all Mountain West divers competing.
The sophomore improved her score from her freshman season by over 25 points (230.15). Jagielski continues to shine as one of the stars of the program.
The swim team then finished 23rd of 52 teams at the CSCAA National Invitational Championship. The number 23 seems to be a theme for this team. It’s worth noting that this event is different from the NCAA Championships, which take place in Athens, Ga., starting March 20.
Ela Freiman broke the 100-yard IM school record that was only set by… Freiman at last year’s championship. The time of 56:59 placed her 11th of the contenders in the tournament and made up many of San Jose State’s points.
Freshman Vilma Lindberg capped off a great first year by finishing 15th in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:16.28.
Finally, a fourth place finish was awarded to the 400-yard freestyle relay team with a time of 3:26.09. Making up this lineup was Reagan Mathieson, Dalton Sickon, Lais Gasparini E. Silva and Quincy Key.
The largest takeaway? Everyone aside from Mathieson and Freiman in this article competed as underclassmen. Two sophomores and two freshmen lead a very bright future for San Jose State. A team that finished only eighth best out of nine competing teams in the Mountain West Championship.
There’s obviously young talent at the team’s disposal. Now it’s about building off of this success for swim and dive head coach Sage Hopkins in what will be his 17th year leading the program.