No. 14/25 Swim & Dive Opens Season in Utes Territory
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Sun Devil men's and women's swimming and diving are set to kick off their 2019-20 campaign this Friday, hoping on a plane to Salt Lake to take on the Utes in their Pac-12 season opener.
With competition this Friday kicking off at 1 p.m. MST, the Sun Devils and Utes face off for the first time since the 2017-18 season when Utah came to Tempe. Both the ASU men's (197-103) and women's (207.5-92.5) squads registered wins, with the team looking to do the same this time around.
The meet represents the first full-squad action for the Sun Devils since driving down to Tucson for their Territorial Cup Series meet with Arizona. The squad then traveled to Federal Way, Wash. for the Pac-12 Championships, placing fourth on both the men's and women's side.
Several key returners will take the board, including divers Frida Kaellgren and Youssef Selim. Selim dominated at the conference championships last season, not only defending his one-meter title but also adding a platform title to take two of three Pac-12 titles on the diving board. With the feat, Selim became the first to record two or more men's Pac-12 diving championships since 2015.
Over on the swimming side, Pac-12 champion Zach Poti and Cierra Runge will both return, with Runge looking to improve on her huge success experience in her first season as a Sun Devil.
The 2016 gold medalist Olympian set school records in the 200, 500, 1000 and 1650 freestyle events, while holding as many as six of the top-10 fastest times in a single event. Runge accomplished all of this in just four regular season dual meets and both championship events, as her transfer rendered her ineligible until last January.
Poti became the first-ever male Sun Devil Pac-12 champion in the 100 back last season, taking the top mark while also setting the school record. The time earned him an automatic qualification to the National Championship where he notched a honorable mention All-America honor in the event. He left Austin as a three-time All-American, and is looking to improve further in his senior season.
The squad also features several young talent including Julian Hill, Lindsay Looney, Claire Nguyen and Jack Dolan. Hill, Looney and Nguyen were all voted to the Team USA National Junior Team for their accolades. Dolan is also one of the top-ranked recruits in his class, climbing the list as high as No. 1 in the country.
Action between the Sun Devils and Utes begins at 1 p.m. MST tomorrow. While there will be no live stats in Salt Lake, fans can keep up with all the action of Sun Devil Swimming and Diving by following @ASUSwimDive on Twitter.