Sun Devil Swim and Dive: Relays Define Path to Victory

(Photo: Casey McNulty/Sun Devil Athletics)

With only a handful of chances to compete in the swim season, Arizona State has brought immense hard work and dedication to the pool every meet. The Sun Devils have shined not only in the individual events but mainly through their relays and have used them to their advantage to dominate the competition.

In October, the Sun Devils opened their season against the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The Sun Devil women started their season strong in the 200-yard medley relay. The squad of sophomore Miriam Sheehan, senior Iza Adame, freshman Julia Ullmann and graduate Caroline Bentz broke the school record in a time of 1 minute and 37.05 seconds.

It is important to note that Ullmann, Bentz and Sheehan are all brand new to Arizona State. Bentz formerly swam at Virginia Tech, and Sheehan is a North Carolina State University transfer. Notably, this was Ullmann’s NCAA debut meet, and later, she went on to take the crown in the 100-yard butterfly. The freshman is a crucial new asset to the team with her butterfly speed and technique.

At the same meet, Sun Devil sophomore Ilya Kharun, who swam the butterfly leg on the men’s 200-yard medley relay, put ASU ahead of all other competition in the race. Kharun’s butterfly performances are always an asset to the Devils, and he quickly gets ahead of the field.

The Sun Devils kept the vitality of teamwork alive to close up the night with the 400-yard freestyle relay. The ASU men were able to snag first thanks to junior Jonny Kulow’s freestyle expertise in the third leg. Typically, Kulow anchors, but his assistance in the relay was highly valued regardless.

Following UNLV, Arizona State brought its winning relays to the quad-meet with three other local colleges: the University of Arizona, Grand Canyon University and Northern Arizona University. ASU successfully set the tone for the meet in the 400-yard medley relay. Ullmann again displayed her extraordinary butterfly capability, swimming the third leg in the relay just as fast as her average 50-yard split. The women’s relay is currently ranked ninth in the nation with their time of 3:33.56, right behind Auburn University. For ASU men, the first-place squad led off with Kharun’s swimming backstroke, which is not the butterflier’s leg in the relay.

Closing the meet, the Sun Devil women took first and third in the 200-yard freestyle relay, with anchor fifth-year Erin Milligan crushing the finish and just 0.02 seconds from breaking the school record. The Sun Devil men quickly seized first with Kulow’s strong and usual anchor.

The Sun Devils continued their relay dominance in North Carolina when they took on the Wolfpack. The unstoppable women’s relay of Sheehan, Adame, Ullmann and Bentz broke their school record again in the 200-yard medley relay to start the meet. This squad has carried the women’s team throughout the season and currently ranks 11th in the nation. The quartet also has guaranteed its spot in the NCAA Championships by achieving an A-cut time.

The Sun Devil men hooked the win in the 200-yard medley relay, which later led them to secure the victory over the Wolfpack. The duo of Kharun and Kulow always dominate the last two legs of the 200-yard medley relay for the Sun Devils. The men’s team also took first in the 400-yard medley and 200-yard freestyle relay, proving how valuable the Devils’ relays are for winning meets.

For their most recent meet, the Sun Devils were back in Tempe to host the Bay Area’s top universities, the University of California, Berkeley and Stanford University. This meet was very different from the others because, across the teams, there were over 15 Paris Olympians. The Devils were up against high-level competition, and they used their relay abilities to help score points for the team. In the 200-yard medley relay, the women were up against top-10 Stanford and Cal relays and still finished in third place. The Sun Devil men used their weapon in freshman Lucien Vergnes on the backstroke leg in the event, putting the Devils ahead of Cal and Stanford. The ASU women later took third place in the 400-yard freestyle relay, while the men secured first again.

The Lady Devils seem to struggle the most in the 800-yard freestyle relay. Still, the Sun Devil men do not have a weak spot, and they also obtained first place in the 800-yard freestyle relay at the same meet. Senior Patrick Sammon, sophomore Filip Senc-Samardzic, senior Tiago Behar and junior Jonny Kulow were able to shred 0.48 seconds off of their time, ranking them first nationally.

Ullmann anchored in the 200-yard freestyle relay for the first time, having the fastest split of 22.20 seconds and touching second. Backing the Lady Devils, the men took home first in that same relay to beat out the previously No. 1 Cal men while also dropping time.

Universally, the Sun Devils’ relays have been a significant asset in helping them secure points at meets. With a three-day midseason invitational coming up, the Sun Devil men remain undefeated. Still, the Sun Devils get another chance to use their powerful relays to continue their winning momentum.