ASU Swim and Dive: Men secure record-breaking break win, women take third at Wolfpack Invite

(Photo via Xavier Litman/WCSN)

The No. 5 Arizona State men’s swim and dive team broke four school records in its three-day trip at the Wolfpack Invite in Greensboro, North Carolina. 

ASU (4-1, 1-0) won the Wolfpack Invite, scoring 2392.5 points and defeating two top-10 teams, including No. 3 NC State and No. 9 Stanford. The Sun Devils dominated, defeating second-place NC State by 563 points.

Three Sun Devils combined for four record-breaking performances in the 400-yard individual medley, the 200 butterfly, the 100 butterfly and the 50 freestyle.

Superstar sophomore Léon Marchand broke the school record in the 400 IM and the 200 butterfly. 

Marchand swam the 400 IM in three minutes, 33.65 seconds. The previous ASU record was held by Marchand when he swam the 400 IM in 3:34.08 at last season’s NCAA Championships. Marchand’s record-breaking time is the third fastest ever worldwide. 

On Saturday, Marchand broke the record in the 200 butterfly with a time of 1:39.57. Marchand’s historic performances added on to his unstoppable season, in which he’s won a perfect 13-13 individual events. Fifth-year Max McCusker broke the 100 butterfly record on Friday with a time of 45.01 seconds. Junior Jack Dolan swam the fastest 50 freestyle in ASU history in the leadoff split of the 4X50 freestyle relay. Dolan opens the event for the Sun Devils and now holds the seven-fastest 50 freestyle times in Sun Devil history.

The men’s team went 5-for-5 in relays at the Wolfpack Invite, winning the 4X50 medley, 4X100 medley, 4X50 freestyle, 4X100 freestyle and the 4X200 freestyle. Each relay is the fastest in the country.

In addition to the record-breaking performances from Marchand, the Sun Devils finished 1-2-3 in the 400 IM and the 200 butterfly. 

In the 200 butterfly, junior Alex Colson took home second with a time of 1:40.78.  Colson held the school record before Marchand’s performance and holds six of the eight fastest times in ASU history. Junior Andrew Gray placed third in the event, finishing with a time of 1:42.18. 

Junior David Schlicht placed second in the 400 IM, finishing in 3:43.16, while freshman Owen McDonald placed third, putting up a time of 3:44.27.

Helped by Dolan’s record-breaking performance, the Sun Devils cruised to victory in the 4X50 freestyle relay. Graduate student Grant House, Dolan, Marchand and McCusker combined for the victory, outpacing their nearest opponent by over two seconds. 

The Sun Devils added a third-place finish in the relay, as senior Cody Bybee, freshman Jonny Kulow, sophomore Christian Osterndorf and sophomore Tiago Behar combined for the 1:18.09 finish.

The ASU dive team competed on the platform for the first time in 2022, placing 1-2-3 in the 10-meter dive. Junior Zachary Lundgren placed first, scoring 319.05, junior Thomas Wesche placed second, scoring 284.05 and freshman Lane Stallworth placed third, scoring 274.35 points.

The ASU women’s swim and dive team had a successful weekend, scoring 1,180 points and placing third out of eight teams. 

Junior Lindsay Looney had a personal-best 500 freestyle finish Thursday, winning the race in 4:40.71.

Five Sun Devils finished in the top 15 in the 100 breaststroke. Sophomore Iza Adame (6th) and sophomore Emma Gehlert (10th) added top 10 finishes for ASU. 

Sophomore Charli Brown totaled three top-10 finishes in the meet, including a 4:09.78 third-place finish in the 400 IM, a 1:57.43 fourth-overall finish in the 200 IM and a 1:56.32 10th-overall finish in the 200 backstroke. Her 400 IM time is the fourth-fastest in school history.

Both Looney and junior Jade Foelske finished top five in the 200 butterfly, as Looney’s 1:53.42 second-place finish nearly beat her own school record. Foelske placed fifth, swimming in 1:56.01.

Gehlert, freshman Zoe Summar and Adame finished top 10 in the 200 breaststroke. Gehlert placed sixth, swimming in 2:12.69. Summar finished ninth with a 2:12.44 finish and Adame placed 10th with her 2:12.99 finish.

Overall, the women’s team improved, finishing two places higher than last season’s fifth overall placement at the invite.

The ASU swim and dive team continues its season in 2023 and will host the Stanford Cardinal at the Mona Plummer Aquatic Center on January 20.

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