ASU men’s swim finishes just off the podium at the NCAA Championships

(Photo: Courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics)

The 400-yard freestyle relay was Arizona State men’s swim and dive’s chance to go out with a bang, holding the national record from its swim in the Big 12 Championships.

ASU had all but guaranteed fourth place behind Texas, Florida and Indiana heading into the final event of the NCAA Men’s Swimming Championships on Saturday at the McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta. One final winning run would end the season on a high note, however, and the Sun Devils delivered.

Junior Ilya Kharun started the 400 strong, giving ASU second place going into the second leg for senior Adam Chaney. Chaney showed off why he was in this relay team as he sprinted ahead and gained the lead for the Sun Devils going into his first turn.

After missing out on the 100 freestyle final, graduate Remi Fabiani proved his worth as he took over for Chaney, storming ahead for ASU and giving it a half-body length lead for the final leg for senior Jonny Kulow. In what was likely the final swim of his college career, Kulow hammered it home for the Sun Devils, winning their fourth of five possible relay races with a time of 2:42.38.

Kulow had a good performance in the prelims of the 100 freestyle, qualifying 8th to slip into the final ahead of fellow teammate graduate Remi Fabiani, who still earned points for ASU, placing 9th. Kulow made up time over his seeding mark, pushing all the way up to fifth, much in thanks to his excellent start that extended ASU’s lead over NC State and Tennessee, who finished fifth and sixth, respectively.

Kulow’s result earned him another first-team All-American honor, along with a Big 12 record.

The Sun Devils also took home the win in the 200-yard butterfly, thanks to the efforts of Kharun, who was the favorite coming in. He started off behind, but after the second turn, he was back in the fight. That continued as he would make up time at each turn, and by the 150 split, Khruan was in the lead.

“My plan was to just build it up,” Khruan said. “I knew at the end I could bring it home.”

He would do just that, touching the wall three hundredths of a second ahead of second place, giving himself and ASU the win and earning All-American honors.

ASU finished the Championships in fourth place overall with 328 points, and as the National Champions in four of five relays and two of the three events it participated in on the day.

With the conclusion of the NCAA Championships, ASU also finished its season. The Sun Devils set a new national record, won the Big 12 championships again and finished fourth in the NCAA’s in what was another successful season for the program.