ASU Swimming: New challenges arise after 2017 schedule released

Oct 15, 2016; Boulder, CO, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils mascot Sparky during the fourth quarter against the Colorado Buffaloes at Folsom Field. The Buffaloes defeated theSun Devils 40-16. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 15, 2016; Boulder, CO, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils mascot Sparky during the fourth quarter against the Colorado Buffaloes at Folsom Field. The Buffaloes defeated theSun Devils 40-16. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Hot off the press! ASU Swimming released their 2017 fall schedule this past week and the Sun Devils are in for a challenging season. 

It’s a common misunderstanding to believe that swimming is not a difficult sport; however, that is far from the truth.

So far this summer, the Sun Devils have been training consistently in the pool to tackle the upcoming season this fall.

This past season, the Arizona State men and women’s swim team was named the first and second most improved team in the nation.

It comes to no surprise that Arizona State’s head swim coach Bob Bowman played a significant role with these improvements.

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Coach Bowman first came to coach for ASU in the fall of 2015, and so far he has already improved the speed and the strength of the ASU swim team.

With Bowman and the coaching staff training the Sun Devils, ASU looks to be heading into a rigorous season this fall with high hopes.

Unlike last season, ASU will now be competing against some of the highest ranked swim teams in the nation including Texas, USC, UCLA, Stanford, Florida State and even Harvard.

This upcoming season will defiantly be a challenge for the Sun Devils; however, it will be a true testimony of the athletes and the coaching staff.

Competing against these teams will bring challenges to both the men and women’s swim team.

Texas will be a huge competitor for the men’s team. This past march the Texas men’s swim team won their 12th NCAA Championship.

The Texas men’s team has held the title of NCAA Championships for three consecutive years now.

It will be exciting to see the ASU men’s team keep them on their toes.

For the women’s team, their biggest competitor will be Stanford. The Stanford women’s team won their first NCAA championship this past March since 1998.

Stanford is on the rise with their women’s swim team, especially with help from Olympic medalists Katie Ledecky and Simone Manuel.

Next: ASU Women’s Swimming: Changing of the Guard in Tempe

The upcoming season will be tough, but with the consistency of coaching staff and the new recruits coming in, there’s no doubt that ASU will end up on top within the next few years.