(Photo: Casey McNulty/Sun Devil Athletics)
Arizona State is back in action in Greensboro, North Carolina, for the GAC Invitational on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Competing alongside six other teams, including the No. 5 and No. 6 ranked North Carolina State Wolfpack, the Sun Devils look to improve their times and overall record as they race in their midseason meet.
The Sun Devils aim to continue their undefeated season while on the East Coast. However, they will face tough competition in NC State, Northwestern University, the University of Arizona, Virginia Tech, Army, and Duke University.
ASU can expect strong swims from graduate student Caroline Bentz, who will face her former Virginia Tech team. The transfer has had a breakout season with the Devils, including earning two Big 12 titles and setting two school records in the 50-yard freestyle and 200-yard medley relay.
The Sun Devils will face the Wolfpack for the second time this season, with both teams ranked in the top 15 of the CSCAA polls. The Devils raced the Wolfpack about three weeks ago in a dual meet, where the Sun Devil men took the win while the women fell short. NC State freshman Erika Pelaez, the number one recruit in the 2024 class, has had a show-stopping debut season so far. Pelaez already holds multiple school records at NC State and holds top-five NCAA times in four events.
Northwestern’s men’s team is looking to further its undefeated record as it competes this weekend, while the women hope to bounce back after suffering a loss to Duke. Arizona State defeated Northwestern during the last matchup in 2020, but rebuilt rosters and fresh coaching staffs on both teams may present a different outcome this weekend.
Northwestern’s biggest weapon will be sophomore David Gerchik for the men, as he is a backstroke powerhouse. Gerchik represented his home country of Israel in the 2024 Paris Olympics in the 200-meter backstroke. He was also a 2024 European Championships finalist, taking sixth in the 200-meter backstroke and eighth in the 400-meter medley relay, proving both individual and team strength in the pool
The Sun Devils will also engage in hometown warfare against the Wildcats from the University of Arizona. In the Sun Devil quad-meet earlier in the season, ASU took first over Arizona’s men’s and women’s teams. The spotlight swimmer from Arizona is junior Eleni Gewalt, a top-tier breaststroker for the team. Gewalt’s main event is the 100-yard breaststroke, and the junior placed fourth in the untraditional 150-yard breaststroke during the quad-meet.
Virginia Tech hopes to bounce back from its men’s third-place finish and women’s fourth-place finish at last year’s midseason meet. Aiming to place higher this year, the men’s team shows promise, having started the season 3-1, while the women currently have a record of 2-2. Luckily for the Hokies, the women’s team will have massive help from junior Carmen Weiler Sastre. The Paris Olympian swam both the 100- and 200-meter backstroke while representing Spain last summer. She made it to the semifinals in both races and broke her national record for Spain in the 100-meter backstroke.
Army will compete alongside the Sun Devils for the first time since last season’s invite. At the GAC Invitational the previous year, the Army men fought to fourth place while the women took fifth. Army’s top swimmer, junior Kohen Rankin, competed at the U.S. Olympic Trials in the 50-meter freestyle and currently holds multiple school records, including one in the 100-yard breaststroke.
Duke, specifically the men’s team, is looking to turn its season around coming into this meet. The men’s team started the season 1-3, and its two losses have come from Northwestern and Virginia Tech, two teams the Blue Devils will be facing this weekend. Conversely, the women’s team started the season 2-1, with wins over both teams. Impact swimmers for the Blue Devils will be junior breaststroker Kaelyn Gridley, a two-time First Team All-American and U.S. Olympic Trials qualifier. Gridley placed fourth in the 200-yard breaststroke at the NCAA Championships in 2024 with a school record-breaking time and appeared in both the semifinals and finals at the Olympic Trials.
This midseason meet will be an important benchmark for the Devils. Performing well at this meet means the team’s goal of repeating national success from last season will look far from a fantasy. The Devils must utilize their motivation and strong athleticism to maintain their winning momentum this weekend.
