(Photo: Casey McNulty/Sun Devil Athletics)
Versatility can be the key to victory, especially when a team faces off against two fellow top-20 rosters adorned with Olympic medals and the goal of upholding the reputation of the prestigious programs they represent.
The Arizona State men’s swim and dive team was in such a position last week when it battled the University of California, Berkeley and Stanford University. Still, the Sun Devils prevailed over their California rivals at home.
During the two-day competition, the standout performances didn’t come from the seasoned veterans on the team. Instead, the newcomer from France, freshman Lucien Vergnes, stole the spotlight. Many words can be used to describe Vergnes’ performances. However, an overarching theme guided the freshman’s dominance in the water: versatility.
Vergnes began the meet by contributing to the Sun Devils’ win in the 200-yard medley relay, swimming the 50-yard backstroke leg to start the first day of the competition. He then took first in the 100-yard backstroke, finishing with a personal best time of 45.32 seconds and claiming the fourth-best time in the NCAA. But beyond the numbers, the most impressive aspect of Vergnes’ swims is that he is typically a breaststroker.
For swimmers, breaststroke and backstroke are like oil and water. Usually, swimmers excel at only one of the two strokes, and it is rare to find someone like Vergnes, who is a master of both. The freshman is an anomaly, proving that his skillset goes beyond the traditional swimming narrative by achieving success in both strokes.
Later in the tri-meet, the freshman achieved a second-place finish in the 100-yard breaststroke and the 200-yard backstroke. After answering in both familiar and unfamiliar territory, Vergnes finished the meet with a simultaneous display of his talent in both strokes, taking third in the 200-yard individual medley.
Vergnes’ success in the water does not go unrecognized. Following his performances at the tri-meet, the freshman earned his second conference award of the season, earning the title of Big 12 Newcomer of the Week. Head coach Herbie Behm expressed his excitement to see the Frenchman’s progression as the season heats up.
“He’s doing really well,” Behm said. “He’s a newly appointed backstroker, and he never even swam that stroke. Now he’s doing really well at it, so it’s exciting.”
With such versatility displayed midway through the season and in his career as a Sun Devil, Vergnes is proving to be a lethal weapon in the Devils’ arsenal. While his eminence is reflected in conference awards and first-place finishes, Vergnes has built the foundation for continuing his stellar debut season and helping the Sun Devil men to a potential NCAA title repeat.
