Poolside Showdown: A Deep Dive Into The Matchup Between Arizona State And Grand Canyon

(Photo: Casey McNulty/Sun Devil Athletics)

TEMPE – On Saturday, Arizona State swim and dive looks to prove that the dominance displayed in 2024 will continue. After almost two months off from racing, the Sun Devils are set to face Grand Canyon University at home for the second time this season.

Coming off their first meet of the year against Rice University, the Sun Devil women will seek to close the competition against the Lopes in preparation for championship season.

The No. 14 Sun Devil women are also coming off a series of strong performances from the GAC Invitational that took place in Greensboro, North Carolina, in November. After securing a second-place finish and smashing several personal and team bests throughout the competition, the Devils will need to get back into racing after their hiatus and muster momentum to improve upon a 4-3 season.

Meanwhile, the men aim to uphold an undefeated season after dropping to No. 3 in the recently released CSCAA polls. Coming off its third consecutive victory in the GAC Invitational, the men’s team will also look to defeat GCU for the first time in the new year.

Arizona State’s junior Jonny Kulow and freshman Julia Ullmann have been on a hot streak since the end of 2024. In Greensboro, Kulow was a standout swimmer for the men’s team by displaying both individual and team strength. The junior achieved a personal best of 18.78 seconds in the 50-yard freestyle and contributed to a new school record in the 200-yard freestyle relay. Also surpassing expectations was Ullmann, who set a new school record in the 100-yard butterfly and a new record in the 200-yard medley relay and 200-yard freestyle relay.

Both GCU’s men’s and women’s teams are aiming to build off of a successful end to the first half of the season. Recently, the Lopes ended 2024 on a high note, as both teams secured two consecutive wins over Ottawa University and Arizona Christian University in December. The men also recently took first place in the Purdue Invitational, while the women finished third.

With high hopes, the Lopes will be seeking redemption at Mona Plummer after both the men and women fell short to the Sun Devils during their last matchup in October by nearly 114 combined points.

To accomplish this new year’s resolution, GCU will need to utilize sophomore superstars Joe Stephenson and Vivi Criscione. Stephenson, who holds two top-10 school records, competed in the 2024 WAC Championships in the 400-yard individual medley, 200-yard butterfly and 500-yard freestyle, proving he will be a threat in several events on Saturday. Criscione, who has also added two top-10 times for GCU, will match the Sun Devil women’s strength in distance freestyle events. The sophomore took bronze at the WAC Championships last year in the 1650-yard freestyle and set a personal best in the 500-yard freestyle.

As the Sun Devils seek a strong start to the new year, they will not only need to envision victory but perform accordingly in the pool to accomplish it. The Devils must simultaneously resuscitate passion and success to streamline a journey toward a national championship as the second half of the season begins.