Video: Arizona State's Luke Clohessy says hello, wins Pac-12 title
FEDERAL WAY, Wash. – Arizona State freshman Luke Clohessy told himself he would win a Pac-12 diving title at some point in his college career.
Two months into said career, it’s time to set a new goal.
Clohessy took first in the men’s platform competition Saturday at the 2014 Pac-12 Championships, upsetting 2013 champion Rafael Quintero of Arizona and 2012 Olympic bronze medalist Kristian Ipsen of Stanford in his Federal Way debut.
The brand-new Sun Devil started at ASU in early January, diving right into collegiate competition shortly thereafter. Before that, he was living in Australia, where he’d been diving since age 12. According to Clohessy, many athletes from his Brisbane training center were considering heading to the States to test the Division-I waters. He eventually followed suit: A free education in a different country? That'll work.
After deciding on Arizona State – a school that "checked all [his] boxes" – he arrived in the United States late in 2013 to celebrate Christmas and the new year with family in San Francisco, then trekked to Tempe to begin what looks to be a promising collegiate career.
Clohessy says adjusting to his new life hasn’t been too difficult, calling the support circle he’s inherited at ASU his new family. But there is one issue that still needs to be addressed.
“The cars on the other side of the road still mess with my head,” Clohessy said. “I’m crossing the road and I’m like, ‘Where do I look?’”
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He hasn't been around long enough to catch the Territorial Cup on the gridiron, but he already has the Arizona-Arizona State rivalry down.
“It feels good to beat U of A. It’s awesome.”
The freshman's next goal? He hopes to compete at the Commonwealth Games trials for Australia, but who knows from there.
Here's hoping it includes getting across the street safely.