Sun Devils Building Momentum With Podium Finishes On Day Two Of NCAAs

(Photo: Casey McNulty/Sun Devil Athletics)

Closely trailing the competition, Arizona State men’s swim and dive went into day two of the NCAA Championships aiming to narrow the gap through powerful performances.

In the 500-yard freestyle, senior Daniel Matheson geared up to race the event for the last time this season. He swam evenly alongside his competitors to establish a solid foundation early in the race. However, Matheson fell behind as Yale and Texas emerged as frontrunners. Still swimming closely alongside the rest for a third-place finish, the senior continued to push as he neared the 250-yard mark. Yale and Texas’ leads quickly became unrecoverable, but Matheson continued to race until the finish. After he swam from behind during the final four laps, the senior touched in seventh place with a time of 4 minutes and 12.75 seconds. Matheson secured a top-16 finish with 15th place overall, the same result he achieved in 2024.

In the 50-yard freestyle, ASU had two swimmers in the championship battle with sophomore Ilya Kharun and junior Jonny Kulow. Kharun set out to defend his fourth-best national time, while Kulow aimed to defend his seventh-best. After powerful swims from both Sun Devil men, they fell behind Tennessee swimmers, who took first and third place, and a Florida swimmer, who took second. However, both Devils made the podium as Kharun narrowly missed the top three with a fourth-place finish overall. His final time of 18.31 set a new school record for ASU. Kulow achieved seventh place after clocking in at 18.74.

In the 200-yard freestyle relay, the quartet of Kharun, junior Tommy Palmer, senior Patrick Sammon and Kulow had one goal: defend their top-three time in the country and secure victory against the nation’s best. Kharun led it off for ASU, narrowly following senior Jordan Crooks of Tennessee for most of his leg. Palmer displayed strength as he held a single body length difference between Tennessee and ASU for his 18.17 swim. The Devils were in third place as Sammon dove in, battling Florida for second. Sammon kept it close as he clocked an 18.35, leaving it up to Kulow to create a gap in front of the Gators. After establishing dominance in the anchor position all season, Kulow drove it home for the Devils in a powerful fashion. He tightened the gap between Florida and ASU for second place but narrowly missed first as he touched the wall. The Volunteers beat the Sun Devils by less than 0.3 seconds, but ASU’s final time of 1:13.05 set a school and Big 12 record.

After a day of record-breaking swims and personal bests, the Devils are increasingly building momentum during their season’s climax. As they trail the top competitors in the nation, they will have to outscore their opponents in their hunt for national success.