San Diego State has won their 3rd-straight Mountain West Conference title. UNLV was hanging tough with the Aztecs through the first 3 days of the meet, however, SDSU had a huge Saturday and ended up winning the title by well over 200 points. The Aztecs’ final score of 1487.5 marks a new Mountain West record.
Last night’s session kicked off with a bang. Nevada senior Frederica Kizek took the 1650 free in 16:11.82, winning the race by about 6 seconds. With the performance, Kizek, in what could be her final collegiate swim, broke 2 Nevada program records. Her mile time of 16:11.82 marks a new program record, while her 1000 split of 9:45.80 also marks a new team record. Additionally, Kizek’s time may stand a chance of earning her an invite to the NCAA Championships next month, but we’ll have to wait and see how the remaining conference meets progress.
San Diego State then saw senior Alex Roberts post a decisive victory in the 200 back, ripping a 1:52.92. The performance came in just off her career best of 1:52.89, which she swam at this meet last year and stands as the conference record in the event. Again, Roberts’ performance last night will stand a chance of earning an invite to NCAAs, it will just depend on what happens in the rest of the conference meets. Of note, Colorado State freshman Tess Whineray came in 2nd with a 1:55.27, a promising swim for the youngster.
SDSU was on top once again in the 100 free, where junior Meredith Smithbaker finished in 48.54. She led a pair of freshmen into the finish, as UNLV’s Fernanda Mendez and Wyoming’s Tara Joyce went 48.81 and 48.99 respectively. The trio was locked in a very tight race at the 50 turn, where Smithbaker was leading in 23.41, Mendez was right behind in 23.42, and Joyce was in a close 3rd with a 23.49.
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The Aztecs then put up a 1-2 finish in the 200 breast, where senior Christiana Williams led the way, putting up a very strong 2:09.19. She was out with the lead at the 100, splitting 1:02.26, then really cemented herself as the class of the field on the 3rd 50, where she split 32.58. Sophomore teammate Moa Bergdahl took 2nd with a 2:10.73.
There was a Mountain West Conference record that went down on the night as well. UNLV senior Blanka Bokros took the 200 fly in 1:55.16, clipping her own MW Record of 1:55.44, which she set at last year’s meet. She put together a very consistent race, going 26.68 on the first 50, then splitting 29.72, 29.54, and 29.22 the rest of the way.
Valentina Lopez wrapped up Diver of the Year honors, winning platform diving last night with a score of 340.70. The SDSU junior won the event for the 2nd-straight year.
The Aztecs then closed the meet with a big win in the 400 free relay. Smithbaker led that relay off in 48.96, putting SDSU in the lead. Evonne Stehr then split 49.73, Avery Turney went 49.48 on the 3rd leg, and Alyssa Schiller anchored in 48.45. The Aztecs finished in 3:16.62, winning the race decisively.
When emergencies such as wildfires, floods and rockslides caused road closures on Native American reservations in San Diego County, tribal personnel — including law enforcement, firefighters and elected leadership — couldn’t access their own land to help their community.
This week, that changed.
The Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians, a tribe with a 5,000-acre reservation in Valley Center, partnered with the Sheriff’s Office, the county of San Diego, the county’s Office of Emergency Services and the Southern California Tribal Chairmen’s Association to launch a first-of-its-kind program Tuesday.
Rincon Tribe Chairman Steve Stallings said the idea for an Emergency Tribal Access Pass Training has been in the works for 20 years, following the East County fires.
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The three-hour-long training offers authorized tribal personnel instruction on emergency access procedures, incident command, wildfire safety and first responder coordination. With these passes, they are verified at emergency checkpoints for entry. All tribes in the county can take part in the training.
The Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians hosted its inaugural Emergency Tribal Access Pass Training on Tuesday at the Rincon Government Center. (Sydney Brammer / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
The pass does not grant entry under all circumstances; whichever agency has top authority at emergency scenes will ultimately determine if it’s safe enough for tribal personnel to enter.
While Stallings said there hasn’t been a recent emergency in which tribal members have been denied access to enter their land, he said this is a solution for the future, when tribal personnel need access to help their people and protect government operations and infrastructure on the reservation.
It benefits all groups involved when everyone is on the same page during an emergency, he said.
“If we’re not part of the process, then our team of specialists and urgent personnel are operating independently of other local law enforcement when what you want is everyone coordinated in that,” Stallings said.
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Sheriff Kelly Martinez said this has “been a long time coming” during her opening remarks at the inaugural training on Tuesday at the Rincon Government Center.
“It’s been long overdue that we allow you access to your critical infrastructure,” Martinez said. “I’m happy to support it.”
There are 18 Native American reservations in San Diego County — more than any other county in the United States.
Martinez said there were representatives from 16 of the 18 tribes, totaling about 260 people, in attendance at the Tuesday training.
That day, 143 access passes were distributed to authorized tribal representatives who had completed the required application ahead of the training. The other participants at the training will receive their passes once their applications have been finalized, according to a Rincon Band representative.
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“This is a game changer,” said Rincon Fire Chief Chip Duncan. “When we can’t get on the reservation, we can’t provide service.”
Stallings said the hope is for the training to eventually move online, so people can take the course more quickly.
“We know that this is a change for the better — puts us on equal footing,” Stallings said.
SAN DIEGO – California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation officials are searching for an incarcerated person who walked away from the Male Community Reentry Program in San Diego on July 2, 2026.
At approximately 3:50 p.m., staff received a tamper alert indicating incarcerated person Randy Seitzinger had removed his GPS device while on an approved community medical pass. Staff immediately launched an emergency count, which confirmed Seitzinger was missing. CDCR’s Office of Correctional Safety and local law enforcement have been notified and are assisting in the search.
Seitzinger, 70, is 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs approximately 191 pounds. He has a light complexion and was last seen wearing blue jeans and a light-colored short-sleeved shirt.
Seitzinger was received from Orange County on May 22, 2019. He was sentenced to 15 years for second-degree robbery and false imprisonment with violence.
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Anyone who sees Seitzinger or has knowledge of his whereabouts should contact any law enforcement agency, call 911, or contact the Office of Correctional Safety staff at 760-550-8782.
The Male Community Reentry Program is a voluntary program for eligible male incarcerated persons. Approved participants serve the end of their sentences in the community in lieu of confinement in state prison. Since 1977, 99 percent of the incarcerated people who have escaped or walked away from an adult institution, camp, in-state contract bed, or community rehabilitative program placement have been apprehended.
The victim was smoking outside the business when a 35-year-old man approached him, threatened to kill him and pulled a knife at around 10 p.m. Monday in the 900 block of Cardiff Street, according to the San Diego Police Department.
Police said the attacker stabbed the man twice in the chest and twice in the arm. It was unclear what prompted the stabbing.
