(Photo via Xavier Litman/WCSN)
ASU swim and dive faces its biggest challenge yet with No. 4 NC state coming to Tempe this weekend. The Wolfpack will be in town for a meet on Friday and an exhibition long-course meet on Saturday.
This will be the Wolfpacks’ first action of the season. 13th-year head coach Braden Holloway was named the ACC Coach of the Year this past season and led his team to strong finishes at the NCAA Championships.
The experience doesn’t stop there for the Wolfpack. Last season they brought home three national titles. Junior Aidan Hayes stood first on the podium in the 200-meter butterfly championship, and fifth-year Kacper Stokowski secured the 200 medley relay title last season. For the No. 4-ranked NC State women, graduate swimmer Katharine Berkoff, a four-time NCAA Champion, is returning as well.
Last time out for ASU, the Sun Devils dominated UNLV on all fronts. The ASU men won their bout against the Rebels 229-71. On the women’s side of the pool the Sun Devils imposed their will as well, taking the win 230-70. The 400 women’s medley relay kicked off the day against UNLV, where ASU secured all three top spots.
Sophomore Hubert Kós, junior León Marchand, freshman Ilya Kharun, freshman Filip SencSamardzic also performed well against the Rebels, securing the win in the medley relay as well. Marchand continued his dominance through the by winning all three of his individual races. Sophomore Charli Brown also went three-for-three in individual events with the wins coming from the 100 backstroke and the 200 as well. Sophomore Ieva Maluka was also on fire, as she won the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:45.97. She later won the 100 butterfly as well.
This weekend’s matchup will be a heavyweight battle between the No. 1 and No. 4 men’s teams and the No. 21 and No. 4 women’s teams. For the Arizona State men, this will be their first real test if they can protect that number one spot. The women’s team hopes to continue its momentum going to upset the Wolfpack.
