Sun Devil Swim and Dive Make a Splash This Season with Face-Off Against Rice and GCU

TEMPE – No. 3/14 Sun Devil Swim and Dive is returning to the Mona Plummer Aquatic Center for the first time this year. The No. 14 women’s squad will compete against the Rice Owls this Friday at 2 p.m. MST. The following day, both teams will face off against local rival GCU at 12 p.m. MST. Admission is complimentary for both events.

There will be no broadcast available. Fans are urged to keep track of the action with live results via the Meet Mobile app and on the team’s Twitter/X account, @ASUSwimDive, and on Instagram @sundevilswimdive.

LAST ENCOUNTER:
The then-No. 2 Sun Devil men’s squad clinched victory at the NC State GAC invite for the third straight year, while the then-No. 13 Sun Devil women’s team secured a second-place finish. Additionally, the team won the overall championship by 9.5 points.

Ilya Kharun excelled by winning both butterfly events, establishing a new 100 fly school record of 43.85 and triumphing in the 200 fly with a time of 1:39.00. The sophomore also contributed to the Sun Devils’ victory in the 200 free relay (1:13.93) and the 200 medley relay, where he recorded an 18.89 50 fly leg and accounted for 91 points.

Caroline Bentz set several school records in Greensboro, scoring 78 points for maroon and gold and breaking school records in the 200 back (1:52.10), 100 back (52:39), and the 100 free (48.16) as the lead-off leg of the 400 free relay.

Jonny Kulow secured the 50 free with his fastest time of the season at 18.78, being the only swimmer to register a sub-19 time at the invite. The junior also took first in the 100 free with a sub-41 time of 40.97. He played an essential role in helping the Sun Devils win the 200 and 400 medley relays and the 200 free relay.

Alexa Reyna achieved victory in the 1650 free with a time of 16:00.40 and also won the 500 free in a season-best 4:41.32. Julia Ullmann set a new record in the 200 fly in Greensboro with a time of 51.65.

Diver Lane Stallworth acquired his second Big 12 Diver of the Week award after winning the platform diving event with 335.80 points and placing second in the 3m dive with 377.70 points. He finished third in the 1m dive with 334.40 points.

The full results from Greensboro can be found here.

OPPONENT OVERVIEW:
Rice Owls: (1-2)
The Lady Owls have competed in three dual matches this season, with their sole victory achieved against Tulane on Nov. 1. Their other two results were against North Texas and SMU before participating in the Phil Hansel Invite hosted by Houston, where the women’s team finished in second place.

In the opening meet of the season, the women’s squad claimed second place in a tri-meet against Houston and Arkansas. This denotes the second competition between the Sun Devils and the Lady Owls, the first occurring in 2006, where ASU came out on top with a score of 109-96.

Last year, the Owls had multiple swimmers take part in the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2006.

Grand Canyon:
The Lopes recently triumphed over Ottawa (AZ) and Arizona Christian on Dec. 7th and performed admirably at the Purdue invite on Nov. 21-23, where the men’s team earned first place and the women secured a third-place finish.

The team narrowly lost to Air Force in November before defeating both Ottawa (AZ) and Arizona Christian in October.

This will be the second time the Sun Devils will swim against the Lopes, with the first match taking place in the Arizona Quad-meet on Oct. 12, where the maroon & gold triumphed on both the men’s and women’s sides.

MAJOR AWARD RECIPIENTS:
Sun Devil Swim and Dive have accumulated 17 Big 12 weekly awards since the start of the season from eight distinct athletes, including sweeping the swimming accolades three times since the season commenced on Oct. 4.

Ilya Kharun received his fourth weekly conference accolade following his performance at the NC State Invite. Bentz earned her fifth weekly conference honor after leading the Sun Devils to a second-place finish in Greensboro, breaking several school records.

Moreover, Stallworth received his second weekly diver of the week award in Greensboro. A complete list of Big 12 award recipients can be found below.

2024-25 Big 12 Weekly Award Winners:
Men’s swimming:
Nov. 27: Ilya Kharun (Swimmer of the Week)
Nov. 13: Ilya Kharun (Swimmer of the Week), Lucien Vergnes (Newcomer of the Week)
Oct. 30: Ilya Kharun (Swimmer of the Week), Lucien Vergnes (Newcomer of the Week)
Oct. 16: Tolu Young (Men’s Newcomer of the Week)
Oct. 9: Ilya Kharun (Men’s Swimmer of the Week), Tommy Palmer (Men’s Newcomer of the Week)

Men’s Diving:
Nov. 27: Lane Stallworth (Diver of the Week)
Oct. 30: Lane Stallworth (Co-Diver of the Week)

Women’s Swimming:
Nov. 27: Caroline Bentz (Swimmer of the Week)
Nov. 13: Caroline Bentz (Swimmer of the Week), Julia Ullmann (Newcomer of the Week)
Oct. 30: Deniz Ertan (Swimmer of the Week), Caroline Bentz (Newcomer of the Week)
Oct. 9: Caroline Bentz (Women’s Swimmer & Newcomer of the Week)

IN THE RANKINGS
The Sun Devils remain positioned in both the men’s and women’s CSCAA December polls. The men’s team is ranked No. 3 nationally, dropping a position from their No. 2 ranking in November, while the women’s team has fallen a place to No. 14. Both teams are the only representatives of the Big 12 heading into the Spring.

Sun Devils at Short Course World Championships:
Four Sun Devil athletes participated in the World Aquatics Short Course World Championships held in Budapest, Hungary from Dec. 10-15. Ilya Kharun represented Canada, Daniel Matheson represented the United States, Deniz Ertan represented Turkey, and freshman Tolu Young represented Fiji.

Kharun secured three medals in total, highlighted by becoming a world champion in the 200m butterfly and setting a Canadian Record of 1:48.24. He also won silver in the 50 fly (20.80) and earned a bronze medal in the 4×100 mixed medley relay with a 48.27 100m fly time.

Young shattered two national records for Fiji, completing a 21.70 50m free and a 23.11 50 fly. Matheson competed in seven events in Budapest, while Ertan achieved two top-25 finishes in the 500 free and 800 free.

RETURNING OLYMPIANS:
The Sun Devils are bringing back a total of five Olympians who have participated in the Olympics. Deniz Ertan and Miriam Sheehan both competed in Tokyo in 2021. Tiago Behar, freshman Tolu Young, and Ilya Kharun all swam for their respective nations in 2024 in Paris.

Kharun, representing Canada, won two bronze medals in Paris, in the 200m and 100m fly, following a freshman year where he clinched the 200y fly individual title at the NCAA Championships. Similar to his teammate Matheson, he’ll also be competing in Budapest at the short-course world championships. Currently, Kharun holds the school record in the 100 fly (43.95) and 200 fly (1:37.93).

How to Stay Updated:
Follow the competition on Meet mobile and on the team’s social media accounts on Twitter/X @ASUSwimDive and on Instagram @sundevilswimdive.