ASU is set to defend its titles at the Big 12 Swim and Dive Championships

(Photo: Courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics)

Arizona State swim and dive is facing its biggest challenge yet as the season reaches its conclusion with the Big 12 Swim and Dive Championships Feb. 24-28 at the Greensboro Aquatic Center in North Carolina.

Seven teams will compete in the men’s championship, and 10 teams will vie for the women’s championship. The Big 12 has yet to announce the specific schools participating in the championships.

The No. 2 men’s team went undefeated (9-0) during the regular season and is preparing to repeat as back-to-back Big 12 champions.

While the No. 17 women’s team is also defending its Big 12 title, the season has had its ups and downs. The team swam well at Mona Plummer Aquatic Center (3-1-1), but the Sun Devils didn’t fare well on the road (1-3) until their last dual meet on Feb. 6 against Arizona, when they defeated the Wildcats 158-142 for their first road win of the season. The Sun Devil women finished the regular season at a 4-5-1 overall record.

In his second season as head coach Herbie Behm said on the Big 12’s “Across the Conference” YouTube show that the women’s squad is “a really deep team” that is vastly different from last season. The depth of swimmers has made Behm confident that the women will be very competitive at the Big 12 championship.

The biggest indicator for the Sun Devils comes from the success in the Big 12 West Championship. The inaugural meet held at Mona on January 16-17 saw both teams be victorious against Arizona, BYU, Kansas and Utah. The women scored 1,443.5 points, and the men scored 961, with a podium finish in every event.

Freshman Albane Cachot made her debut for the Sun Devils at the Big 12 regionals, where she placed first in both the 100 and 200-yard freestyle. In the meet against Arizona, Cachot set a school record in the 100-free, swimming it in 47.82 seconds. Cachot has been named the Big 12 newcomer of the week three times this year and is a swimmer to watch out for at the conference championship.

The Sun Devils swim and dive team hasn’t competed in over two weeks, using the break in competition to implement a rigorous training program led by associate head coach David Salo.

On Jan. 27, Behm posted the workout on his Instagram, praising Salo for pushing the sprinters in their drills. In a drill where the swimmers did two 50-yard freestyle sets, Salo emphasized perfect technique by not timing the swimmers and having them focus on their rhythm.

Senior Jonny Kulow won the men’s 50-yard freestyle in last year’s championship in 18.64, but a faster time could be needed to win the fastest race on water. Junior Ilya Kharun swam the 50-free in 18.31 this season, and graduate Remi Fabiani swam a 50-yard split in 18.32 when competing in the 200-yard freestyle relay.

“Our group of sprinters is pretty incredible,” Behm said on Across the Conference. “We’ve already had six guys under 19 seconds in the 50 free … they’re constantly forcing each other to raise the bar.”

The championships will have events spread throughout the week, with at least four per day, culminating in six on Saturday.