History in 2021-22: Recapping the Sun Devil Men’s & Women’s Swimming Season

TEMPE, Ariz. – Bob Bowman's Sun Devils erupted for one of their finest seasons in program history in 2021-22, capped by the Men's team finishing in the top-six at the NCAA Championships for the first time in 40 years.

Freshman Léon Marchand caught the attention of the collective swimming world and Bowman, in his seventh year as head coach, was named SwimSwam's Coach of the Year.

The Sun Devils reaped the benefits of having an entire year to train during their redshirt season in 2020-21, racing with revamped intensity in their return to the pool for this season. 

They feasted at the mid-season NC State Invite, where they rewrote the school's record books. A total of 10 records were shattered, and Bowman's Sun Devils departed Greensboro with the kind of moxie that hinted something special was on the horizon. It parlayed into the Men's team's highest ranking in program history, when the CSCAA listed them at No. 6. In the final meet of the regular season, the Sun Devils ventured to in-state rival Arizona and split against the Wildcats; the No. 6 Men's team smacked No. 20 Arizona, 195-103, and it took the final swimming event of the afternoon to decide the Women team's 155-139 loss to the No. 23 Wildcats.

At the Pac-12 Championships, which marked the Sun Devils' first whiff of the postseason in two years, Erica Laning became the fourth Women's swimmer of the Bowman era to become a conference champion (500 free) as the Sun Devils placed sixth overall. 

The following week, the Men's team placed third at the conference championship for their highest finish in 27 years, led by victories from Marchand (200 breast, 200 IM, 400 IM) and Grant House (200 free). The Sun Devils also won the 800 free relay, a group comprised of Marchand, House, Carter Swift and Julian Hill, on the opening night of the four-day meet.

The Women's team would go on to place 26th at the NCAA Championships weeks later, thanks to top-15 performances by Laning (200 free/15th, 500 free/13th), Nordin (500 free/13th) and Looney (200 fly/10th). 

The Men's team placed sixth at NCAAs for their best finish in 40 years, courtesy of a few record-breaking performances by Marchand, in which the freshman won the 200 IM and 200 breast. In his 200 IM victory, Marchand went 1:37.69 to set a new NCAA record. His efforts earned him the Pac-12 Men's Swimmer and Freshman of the Year, as well as the CSCAA's Men's Swimmer of the Year. Bowman was also named SwimSwam's Coach of the Year.

For the first time since 2020, the Sun Devils have divers on the roster after the hiring of head diving coach Marc Briggs in August. Briggs brought in two transfers at the start of the spring, Thomas Wesche (GCU) and Zachory Lundgren (Hawaii). Briggs made quick work with Wesche and Lundgren, as the two qualified for the NCAA Zone E Championships in March.

Here are additional notes and nuggets on what the Sun Devils accomplished throughout their historic 2021-22 season.

ASU'S CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS IN '21-22
Léon Marchand (200 IM, 400 IM & 200 breast) 
Grant House (200 free)
Erica Laning (500 free)

Pac-12 Men's Champions Under Coach Bowman
Léon Marchand, 200 IM, 400 IM, 200 breast, 800 free relay (2022)
Grant House, 200 free, 800 free relay (2022)
Carter Swift, 800 free relay (2022)
Julian Hill, 800 free relay (2022)
Zach Poti, 100 back (2020)
Youssef Selim, Platform, 1-Meter Dive (2019 and 2018)
Cameron Craig, 200 Free (2018), 100 Free, 200 Free, 400 Free Relay  (2017), 
Andrew Porter, 400 Free Relay (2017)
Tadas Duskinas, 400 Free Relay (2017)
Richard Bohus, 400 Free Relay (2017)

Pac-12 Women's Champions Under Coach Bob Bowman
Erica Laning, 500 free (2022)
Emma Nordin, 500 free (2020)
Silja Kansakoski, 100 Breast (2019), 100 Yard Breaststroke (2017)
Mara Aiacoboae, Platform Diving (2018 and 2017)

SUN DEVIL WOMEN'S SWIMMING POSTSEASON FINISHES (PAC-12/NCAA)
2022: 6th/26th
2021: DNC (entire program redshirted due to COVID-19)
2020: 5th/No NCAA due to COVID-19
2019: 4th/20th
2018: 3rd/23rd
2017: 6th/29th
2016: 8th/31st

SUN DEVIL MEN'S SWIMMING POSTSEASON FINISHES (PAC-12/NCAA)
2022: 3rd/6th
2021: DNC (entire program redshirted due to COVID-19)
2020: 4th/no NCAA due to COVID-19
2019: 4th/21st
2018: 4th/20th
2017: 4th/14th
2016: 5th/44th(T)

ASU'S INDIVIDUAL NCAA CHAMPIONS IN '21-22
--LEON MARCHAND won the 200 IM in an NCAA record 1:37.69 and the 200 breast in a program record 1:48.20, leading ASU to a sixth-place finish, its best in 40 years.
--TURNER WASHINGTON defended his indoor shot put title. 
--JORINDE VAN KLINKEN won the discus by more than 12 feet and led ASU to an eighth-place finish, its best since 2009.

ALL-AMERICANS IN '21-22
Léon Marchand (first) 
Grant House (first)
Carter Swift (first) 
Cody Bybee (first) 
Jack Dolan (first) 
Julian Hill (first) 
John Heaphy (first) 
Alex Colson (first) 
Patrick Sammon (first)
Erica Laning (second) 
Emma Nordin (second) 
Lindsay Looney (second, 
Erin Milligan (second)