(Photo: Casey McNulty/Sun Devil Athletics)
TEMPE – Coming off a powerful season opener last week, Arizona State swim and dive is gearing up for an electric quad-meet on Saturday at home against its fellow Arizona schools.
The University of Arizona, Grand Canyon University and Northern Arizona University will enter Mona Plummer Aquatic Center to compete against the Sun Devils in a meet that is set to fuel the brewing rivalry that exists within the Grand Canyon State.
Big 12 member and longtime rival Arizona will open its 2024-2025 season in Tempe. When the Devils and the Wildcats met last season, the Devils prevailed over both the men’s and women’s teams by a large margin. However, this year could be a different story, as senior Maddy Ahluwalia and junior Ralph Daleiden are set to lead the charge for the Wildcats. Ahluwalia is coming off a season where she achieved three new personal bests in the 50-yard freestyle and the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke races. She also raced in the 200-yard medley relay at the Pac-12 Championships. Last season, Daleiden qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 50-, 100- and 200-yard freestyle, as well as the 200- and 800-yard freestyle relay and 400-yard medley relay. Both of these swimmers’ strengths should be reflected in the water this weekend.
Grand Canyon University will look to continue its strong start to the season on the day of the meet. The Lopes opened their season with two wins in a tri-meet against Seattle University and California Baptist University. Looking ahead, GCU hopes to redeem itself against its loss to ASU in January, and senior Maria Chatzi and junior Alex Volkov can be just the swimmers the Lopes need. Chatzi can aid the Lopes in sprint freestyle, breaststroke and individual medley events. Last season, she achieved 10 top-10 school times. Volkov also promises to be a competitor this weekend after adding eight top-10 school times last season and contributing to the relay squad that set a school record in the 400-yard freestyle relay at the WAC Championships. The Devils can definitely expect competition from both upperclassmen in individual and relay events.
NAU’s women’s team opens its season on Saturday. ASU has not competed against NAU since the Lumberjack Invitational in 2018, and the two teams have not gone head-to-head since December 2016.
Among NAU’s roster is senior Casey Craffey, a powerhouse in distance events for the Lumberjacks. Last season, Craffey’s most notable accomplishments were winning the 1650-yard freestyle at the WAC Championships and setting the school record in the 500- and 1000-yard freestyle. The talent Craffey displays in the pool can make her a key component in the longer races on Saturday.
In their home pool, the Devils can expect major performances from graduate student Caroline Bentz and senior Patrick Sammon. Bentz, a newcomer for the Sun Devils this year, contributed to the first-place finishes in the 200-yard medley relay and 400-yard freestyle relay last week. She also had some individual success, as she secured second in the 100-yard backstroke and first in the 200-yard backstroke. Last week, Sammon finished first in both the 100- and 200-yard freestyle and contributed to the winning 400-yard freestyle relay. Coming off a slew of strong performances, both swimmers are set to make an impact for the Devils.
Overall, fans can expect an explosive four-way battle at Mona Plummer. With past victories over each competitor they face this weekend, the Devils will look to use the past as a precedent for building the future.
