ASU men’s swim and dive advances to finals in day 2 of the CSCAA Dual Meet Challenge

(Photo: Sun Devil Athletics)

The second day of the CSCAA Dual Meet Challenge at the Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center in Knoxville, Tennessee, featured the Arizona State men’s and women’s swim and dive teams competing against Tennessee.

The Sun Devils’ results were mixed as the men’s team handily defeated the Volunteers 33-11, while the women’s team lost 19-25.

The No. 2 ASU men’s team is undefeated in the tournament as it opened by beating Virginia Friday, 38-3.

ASU junior Ilya Kharun showed that what makes him an amazing swimmer is his ability to extend his distance between his competitors by using his legs to kick off the bulkhead and increase his lead. Kharun won all three races he competed in and broke the 50-yard butterfly record with a time of 18.68 in the 200-yard medley relay.

The second consecutive loss for the No. 18 women’s team now places the fourth-seeded Sun Devils in the third-place bracket. The women’s team lost to No. 1 Virginia 10-30 on Friday.

The 200-yard freestyle relay was a dominant display for the men’s and women’s teams. The Sun Devils swept the Vols in both relays.

ASU graduate Adam Chaney opted out of the 200-yard backstroke, and the extra rest was advantageous for him to replace graduate Remi Fabiani as the second leg for the 200-yard freestyle. Fabiani came back from third in the 200-yard freestyle in the last 50 yards to win the individual race at 1:31.38.

Kharun started the relay swimming an incredible 9.4 50-yard split. Chaney swam his 100 yards in 18.51, giving senior Tommy Palmer a great handoff to extend the lead between him and the ASU team B. When senior Jonny Kulow jumped in the water, his team was in excellent position to break the pool record and was swimming for the 1:13.35 NCAA record set by Florida in 2023. The Sun Devils were .049 seconds from Florida’s record, finishing 1:13.84.

The 200-yard freestyle and backstroke were the two races where the women’s team finished on top of the podium. Sophomore Jordan Greber won the 200-yard freestyle in 1:45.14. Senior Gerda Szilagyi won the 200-yard backstroke in 1:55.22. The Volunteers were able to clinch the meet against the women’s team despite losing in the long backstroke race.

Having defeated every team in the tournament by more than 25 points, the men’s team is in excellent shape to win the tournament Sunday afternoon at Allan Jones. The women’s team is still looking for its first victory this month as it faces Tennessee again tomorrow morning for third place.