Sun Devil Women Conclude Season With 19th Place Finish At NCAAs

(Photo: Casey McNulty/Sun Devil Athletics)

It was a bittersweet ending to the 2024-25 season for ASU women’s swim and dive. The team achieved 19th place at the NCAA Championships, establishing a legacy but falling short of a top-16 finish during the season’s final competition.

The Sun Devils only competed in the 400-yard freestyle relay on the last day of the meet. Still, the squad of graduate Caroline Bentz, fifth-year Erin Milligan, freshman Julia Ullmann and senior Charli Brown gave it their all.

Bentz led off the relay strong for ASU, displaying power early and establishing a lead alongside Wisconsin. Creating space for the Devils as a frontrunner with the Badgers, Bentz finished with a split of 48.02 seconds before passing it off to Milligan.

Milligan kept it close with Wisconsin, gliding through the water in a narrow battle for first place. Milligan swam a 48.36 leg and held ASU’s position in second.

With Wisconsin’s lead growing, Ullmann dove into the water for the Sun Devils, looking to maximize her four lengths of the pool. Wisconsin continued to pull ahead, but Ullmann kept ASU in a steady second place. She made a push at the end of the race to clock in at 48.27.

Ready to anchor ASU’s final race of the season, senior Charli Brown dove in and made an instant impact. She showcased immediate speed in a final attempt to secure the first-place finish. However, Wisconsin’s lead was too large to overcome, despite Brown closing in a 49.05.

The Devils came up short, securing a third-place finish behind Auburn in the final seconds. The quartet touched with a final time of 3:13.70 and the 19th overall time in the event.

On a high note, ASU’s final score of 41.5 points was good enough for 19th place as a team, and this feat is nothing short of historic. The newly invigorated spirit within the program was well-reflected in the final competition of the season, as it marked the first time the women’s team has placed in the top 20 nationally since 2019. It was also the best finish for the women’s team since a 12th-place finish in 2012. Five women also earned All-American honors during the week, which is the most the team has achieved since 2020.

Although the Sun Devils fell behind the nation’s best, their performance at the NCAA Championships channeled the same determination, pioneering and dedication displayed all season. Fueled by a purposeful team spirit and unbreakable culture, ASU women’s swim and dive carved a legacy within the 2024-25 season. The Devils will build upon precedent and continue to transform the landscape of the program next season and beyond.