(Photo: Sun Devil Athletics)
With a new season comes old opponents, as Arizona State’s swim and dive teams once again open their seasons against UNLV. ASU swept the Rebels in the 2024 season opener, but with many new faces on the ASU roster and a strong UNLV squad that has also added many new talents to the team, things could look different this time around.
ASU is coached by Herbie Behm, who is coming off his first season, winning two Big 12 team championships. He will look to build off that by bringing a new crop of ASU swimmers into the fray and combining them with the already existing strong core.
The Sun Devils men’s team starts off No. 3 in the CSCAA polls and will be out to prove why they are ranked as one of the elite programs in the country. One notable change to the roster is the addition of graduate Adam Chaney, who transferred from Florida this year. Chaney, who is a 22-time All-American and 5-time NCAA champion, set the 100-yard Backstroke school record (43.99) at Florida while also setting a record as a part of the 200 relay team.
Chaney will look to form a dynamic duo with Olympic bronze medalist Ilya Kharun, who will be looking to win an NCAA championship in the 100 and 200-meter fly. Kharun earned six All-American honors last season, along with winning the Big 12 championship. He placed second in the 100 fly final with a time of 43.43 and would go on to finish third in the 200 fly final (1:38.74) and also finish second in the free team relay final.
The Sun Devils women’s team will look to take advantage of their returning swimmers as well as exciting freshmen, most notably Alexia Sotomayor, who holds national records in Peru, as well as being a world juniors finalist and South American Champion. They are also notably ranked No.18 in the CSCAA poll. With multiple seniors coming back, ASU looks to start its season strong and take the Big 12 title once again.
UNLV is headed by second-year head coach Pat Ota, who has been part of the Rebels’ coaching staff for 10 years. He has helped produce multiple NCAA qualifiers and also an Olympian in his time with the Rebels, and looks to build off a fifth consecutive WAC title for the men’s team and a strong second-place finish in the Mountain West for the Women’s.
UNLV will look for a replacement atop the men’s team as three-time WAC champion Daniel Nicusan, among many other WAC champions, graduated or moved on last year, forcing many fresh faces to take the lead. This includes freshman Luke Guerrero, who committed late but will look to be an explosive force for the UNLV squad.
Graduate Brandon Huey is on the opposite side of the age range. He competed and did well at the WAC championship and will look to be a leader on the short-distance side for the Rebels. Junior Nate Thomas also looks to continue his success as he placed fifth in the 200 breaststroke (1:56:82) in 2024, which was also the sixth fastest in UNLV history.
The women’s side for UNLV is headed by Junior Dominika Trentkiewicz, who stormed onto the scene in 2023 and medaled in the Mountain West championships as a freshman. She was a highlight for a women’s squad that finished second in the Mountain West and looks to start strong against ASU.
Both teams face similar situations, high turnover and exciting newcomers. The Sun Devils look to keep in stride despite their losses, while UNLV looks to replace a school record holder with fresh faces. This first meet will test both how well the teams have gelled, but also how the new individuals will replace the old guard.
