Sun Devil Swim and Dive Saddles Up For A Heated Eddie Reese Texas Showdown

(Photo courtesy: Casey McNulty/Sun Devil Athletics)

Everything is bigger in Texas, especially when it’s a waterfront clash of four top-25 teams accelerating toward the same goal of a national title. On Friday and Saturday, Arizona State will face off against the University of Texas, the University of Virginia and North Carolina State at the Eddie Reese Texas Showdown.

As the ASU men remain at No. 3 nationally, they are reminded each month of the one team they have trailed in the rankings all season: Texas. A fresh rivalry brews while the Longhorns’ edge looms over the Devils, as the team from Tempe will encounter a familiar face in Austin.

Just one day after the Sun Devils won their first national championship in 2024, former ASU head coach Bob Bowman announced he would be taking the reins of the esteemed Longhorn swim program. In addition, the showdown will be the first time the Devils compete head-to-head with Bowman after he left the program, making the stakes monumental and this invitational personal.

In order to defend its national title and assert dominance over a fresh adversary, Arizona State must unleash its strongest assets and concurrently strike with precision to defeat Texas.

A guiding strength for ASU is the team’s relay dominance. The Sun Devils have returning relay national champions in senior Patrick Sammon and junior Jonny Kulow. These two swimmers both contributed to the Devils’ NCAA record-breaking performance in the 400-yard freestyle relay in 2024.

With these returning swimmers, ASU’s talents have persevered. The Sun Devils’ 400-yard freestyle relay holds the nation’s second-fastest time this season. In addition, Sammon and Kulow recently set a new school record in the 200-yard freestyle relay alongside junior Tommy Palmer and sophomore Ilya Kharun. The quartet also holds the fastest time in the NCAA.

Beyond the freestyle relays, the Devils’ medley relay momentum is multidimensional. This year, they are ranked in the top three in the NCAA for both the 200- and 400-yard medley relay. At last year’s national championship, Kulow and Kharun contributed to an NCAA record-breaking swim in the 400-yard medley relay alongside former Sun Devil Leon Marchand and current Texas junior Hubert Kos.

Kos, a Devil turned Longhorn, followed Bowman to Austin. Despite once dominating in the maroon and gold, he now continues his swimming prowess in burnt orange. The Texas junior still holds ASU school records in the 100- and 200-yard backstroke events and the 800-yard freestyle relay.

After leaving Tempe, Kos competed in the Paris Olympics in the 100-meter butterfly and backstroke and took Olympic gold in the 200-meter backstroke. His versatility is present in the pool, as Kos holds two top-five times in the NCAA this season in the 100- and 200-yard backstroke and a top-10 time in the 100-yard butterfly.

Texas sophomore Rex Maurer is sure to bring strength and speed in nearly every stroke for the Longhorns this weekend. Maurer holds the top time in the NCAA for the 400-yard individual medley and had several impressive performances in backstroke, butterfly and freestyle events throughout the season.

The Longhorns should also have no trouble matching the Devils’ relay strengths, as they have senior Olympians Luke Hobson and Chris Guiliano in their arsenal. Hobson is a UT record holder in the 200-, 400- and 800-yard freestyle relay in addition to winning Olympic silver and bronze last summer in Paris. Guiliano is a recent Notre Dame transfer and is new to the Longhorns this semester. The senior competed in both the 400- and 800-meter freestyle relay in Paris, claiming gold in the 400-meter race and silver in the 800-meter race.

On the other hand, the Sun Devil women will face their toughest competition yet this season. Although the Devils recently fell to No. 14 in the CSCAA rankings, ASU has standout swimmers who have broken significant school records that can threaten the No. 2 Longhorns.

Graduate student Caroline Bentz has been on fire during her first season as a Sun Devil. Bentz has displayed unyielding strength in individual events and broke the school record for both the 50- and 100-yard freestyle and 100- and 200-yard backstroke this season. She has also contributed to new school records in the 200-yard freestyle relay, but most notably, the 200-yard medley relay. Bentz, alongside sophomore Miriam Sheehan, senior Iza Adame and freshman Julia Ullmann, has broken that record four times this season.

Adame has shown dominance for the Sun Devil women in breaststroke events. The senior has produced several strong finishes so far this season. Recently, she swept every breaststroke event in ASU’s dual meet against the University of Minnesota.

As the Texas women seek victory, they will need to harness impact swimmers in individual and relay events to take the win. Graduate student Emma Sticklen will anchor the team individually, as she holds the nation’s fastest time in the 200-yard butterfly and the 200-yard individual medley.

Beyond Sticklin, Texas holds the second-best time for both the 200- and 400-yard freestyle relay in the NCAA this season. The Longhorns also hold top-three times in both the 200- and 400-yard medley relay. A threat in more ways than one, the Texas women will be the biggest adversary the ASU women have faced thus far.

The University of Virginia is on its way to achieving another successful season, with the Cavalier women ranked No. 1 nationally and the men ranked No. 17. The Cavalier women have won the national championship from 2020-2024. They will look to defend that title and go for a five-peat this season, presenting a lethal threat to the Sun Devils and every other team.

Senior Gretchen Walsh, one of the world’s most dominant swimmers, is a well-rounded sprinter for the Cavaliers and is known to break records in any event she swims. With her strength reflected in multiple short- and long-course world records, the Sun Devil women are going to have to step up if they plan on challenging the 11-time world record holder.

Additionally, the Cavaliers picked up freshman Katie Grimes this semester, who has already competed in two Olympic Games. For the men, junior Jack Aikins will manage the Cavalier freestyle and backstroke departments. Aikins competed in the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials and finished third in both the 100- and 200-yard backstroke events.

This isn’t the Sun Devils’ first rodeo against the NC State Wolfpack. The teams have already competed against each other twice this season, first in a dual meet and then at the GAC Invitational. The Sun Devil men outscored the Wolfpack at both meets, while the Sun Devil women fell short both times.

Junior Lance Norris has been a significant help to the Wolfpack men this season, producing stellar performances in distance freestyle. In the dual meet against the University of North Carolina, Norris crushed the NC State school record and set a new pool record that previously stood for seven years in the 1000-yard freestyle. The Wolfpack women also have assistance from freshman powerhouse Leah Shackley, one of the nation’s top freshmen. In her collegiate debut against ASU, Shackley set the pool record in the 200-yard butterfly and later totaled three first-place finishes at the GAC Invitational.

As ASU approaches its final regular season meets, efforts toward maintaining success are in full force before the Big 12 and NCAA championships. At the beginning of the season, the Sun Devils pushed boundaries and overcame challenges like major coaching changes and losing crucial swimmers. Now, ASU is in contention for another national championship, and the Eddie Reese Texas Showdown will allow the Devils to show why they are the team to beat.