Devils in Detail
Fansided

ASU Swimming: Sun Devils close out regular season with wins over Arizona

By Cole Bailey

AUSTIN, TX - JUNE 03: Coach Bob Bowman looks on during heat races during the 2016 Austin Elite Invite on June 3, 2016 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
AUSTIN, TX - JUNE 03: Coach Bob Bowman looks on during heat races during the 2016 Austin Elite Invite on June 3, 2016 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

In their last meet before Pac-12 Championships, the ASU men’s and women’s swim teams were both able to take home victories over rival Arizona.

The men’s team put in a dominant performance Saturday afternoon, as they defeated the 18th-ranked Wildcats by a score of 203.5-94.5.

The Sun Devils were in control the whole meet, taking home first place in both relays and 10 of the 12 individual races.  Many of the ASU men stepped up in a big way, as five different swimmers were able to win multiple races.

Cameron Craig won the 100- and 200-yard freestyles, Zach Poti won the 100- and 200-yard backstrokes, Christian Lorenz won the 100- and 200-yard breaststrokes, Andrew Porter won the 50-yard freestyle and the 100-yard butterfly, and Grant House won the 500-yard freestyle and the 200-yard IM.

The Sun Devils also got two second place finishes from Patrick Park, Evan Carlson and Jack Dalmolin. Craig was especially impressive, as his 42.51 time in the 100-yard freestyle was a full two seconds ahead of his closest competitor and almost qualified as an NCAA A-cut time.

More from Devils in Detail

Coach Bob Bowman was very pleased with the men’s performance, and is confident in the team’s chances at the upcoming Pac-12 and NCAA Championships.

“I’m looking forward to what happens at Pac-12’s because that’s sort of in the natural progression toward NCAA’s,” Bowman said. “I think we’re in a very good place.”

The women’s team also had a very impressive showing on Senior Day, beating the 22nd-ranked Wildcats 173-127 for their first win over Arizona since 1993.

The Sun Devils were able to bounce back after their loss to Texas last week, winning nine of 12 individual events and splitting the two relays. Coach Bowman looked to the performances of swimmers like Chloe Isleta, Claire Fisch, Silja Kansakoski and Nora Deleske as keys to the team’s victory.

Isleta won the 100- and 200-yard backstrokes, Fisch won the 50- and 100-yard freestyles, Kansakoski won the 100-yard breaststroke, and Deleske won the 200-yard butterfly, an event which she normally doesn’t swim.

“They’re our future,” Bowman said.

ASU also got good performances from Marlies Ross, who won the 200-yard breaststroke and 200-yard IM, and Fanny Teijonsalo, who won the 100-yard butterfly.

Coach Bowman was encouraged by the win, and hopes that the women carry this momentum over to strong showings at the upcoming Championships.

“I’m so pleased for them because they’ve bought in and they’ve worked hard,” Bowman said. “I’m excited to see what they do at Pac-12’s and then as we go on, use that as a stepping stone to NCAA’s.”

Next: ASU Swimming: Men shocks Texas; women suffer tough loss

The Sun Devils now have some time off before their next competitions.  Both teams will travel to Federal Way, Washington next for the aforementioned Pac-12 Championships, with the women competing from Feb. 21-24, and the men competing from Feb. 28 through March 3.