2026-27 College Swimming Previews: Ilya Kharun Leads the #4 ASU Men That Misplaced A Lot of Star Energy

It’s that point of the 12 months once more. SwimSwam might be previewing the highest 12 males’s and ladies’s groups (after which some) from the 2026 NCAA Championships. Follow together with the College Swimming Preview Channel. Want to learn much more? Check out the newest version of the SwimSwam journal.

#4 Men: Arizona State Sun Devils

Key Losses: Remi Fabiani (37 NCAA factors, 4 NCAA relays), Jonny Kulow (27 NCAA factors, 4 NCAA relays), Adam Chaney (19.5 NCAA factors, 4 NCAA relays), Andy Dobrzanski (1.5 NCAA Points, 2 NCAA relays), Tommy Palmer (Individual NCAA Qualifier), Jordan Tiffany (Individual NCAA Qualifier)

Key Additions: HM Jake Lloyd (OH – free/all-around sprinter), BOTR Tyler Porter (CA – dash free/fly), BOTR London Rising (MI – free/fly), Nathan Muratory (France – again/free), Sergio de Celis (Spain – dash free/fly), Kristupas Trepocka (Lithuania – free), Nick Simons (Tennessee switch – again), Oliver Munn (Sweden – breast)

GRADING CRITERIA

Over the years, we’ve gone forwards and backwards on find out how to challenge factors, starting from largely subjective rankings to extra data-based grading standards based mostly on ‘projected returning points.’ We like being as goal as doable, however we’re going to stay with the method we’ve adopted post-COVID. The “stars” will rely closely on what swimmers really did final 12 months, however we’ll additionally give credit score to returning swimmers or freshmen who’ve posted instances that will have scored final 12 months.

Since we solely profile the highest 12 groups on this format, our grades are designed with that vary in thoughts. In the grand scheme of school swimming and in comparison with all different faculty applications, prime 12 NCAA applications would just about all grade nicely throughout the board. But within the curiosity of constructing these previews informative, our grading scale is hard – designed to indicate the tiers between the great stroke teams, the nice ones, and the 2015 Texas fly group sorts.

• 5 star (★★★★★) – a uncommon, elite NCAA group projected to attain 25+ factors per occasion
• 4 star (★★★★) – a really, excellent NCAA group projected to attain 15-24 factors per occasion
• 3 star (★★★) – a very good NCAA group projected to attain 5-14 factors per occasion
• 2 star (★★) – a stable NCAA group projected to attain 1-4 factors per occasion
• 1 star (★) –  an NCAA group that’s projected to attain no factors per occasion, although that doesn’t imply it’s with out potential scorers – they’ll simply have to leapfrog some swimmers forward of them to do it

We’ll grade every occasion self-discipline: dash free (which we outline to incorporate all of the relay-distance freestyle occasions, so 50, 100 and 200), distance free, IM, breaststroke, backstroke, butterfly and diving. Use these grades as a jumping-off level for dialogue, somewhat than a purpose to be indignant.

Also, understand that we’re publishing many of those previews earlier than groups have posted finalized rosters. We’re making our assessments based mostly on one of the best data we now have out there on the time of publication. Still, we reserve the appropriate to make adjustments after publication based mostly on any new data which will emerge relating to rosters. If that does occur, we’ll make sure to notice the change.

The remaining be aware is that we aren’t together with athletes who graduated final spring after exhausting their faculty eligibility regardless of ongoing lawsuits towards the NCAA relating to the brand new “Five-for-Five” rule.

2025-26 Lookback

The Arizona State males obtained an enormous enhance from transfers final season, they usually moved as much as 4th on the 2026 NCAA Championships of their 2nd 12 months underneath coach Herbie Behm after ending sixth in 2025.

The Sun Devil males had been led by junior Ilya Kharun, who scored 52 factors after he completed 1st within the 200 fly, third within the 100 fly, and third within the 50 free.

Kharun was adopted within the level rankings by two fifth years in Remi Fabiani (37 factors) and Adam Chaney (19.5 factors) and a senior, Jonny Kulow (27 factors).

Sophomore Tolu Young introduced in 9 factors within the 50 freestyle and senior Andy Dobrzanski rounded out the factors within the breaststroke occasions.

The Sun Devil males additionally broke two NCAA relay data throughout the 2026 season, the 200 and 400 freestyle relays.

Their 400 free relay report got here on the Big 12 Championships, once they swam 2:42.15 to win the Big 12 title and take nearly two tenths off the two:42.30 mark set by Tennessee in 2025. At NCAAs, they gained the occasion in 2:42.38.

They took down the 200 free relay report at NCAAs, swimming 1:12.46 to chop greater than three tenths off Tennessee’s 2025 report of 1:12.80.

The Sun Devils additionally gained the 200 medley relay on the 2026 NCAA Championships in 1:20.07, they usually gained the 400 medley relay in 2:56.79.

They completed eighth within the 800 free relay at 6:08.71.

Sprint Free: ★★★ ½

The ASU males’s workforce could be very robust within the 50 freestyle, however they disintegrate a bit as the gap goes on.

In the 50 free, ASU will return senior Ilya Kharun. He completed third within the occasion in 2026, stopping the clock in 18.24. He would be the highest returning swimmer for this 12 months with Quintin McCarty coming in additional than two tenths again in 18.47 as the following highest returner.

Junior Tolu Young additionally returns for the Sun Devils after he completed ninth within the occasion final 12 months, swimming 18.76 at NCAAs.

Junior Quin Seider is one other returning 50 freestyler, having completed thirtieth in 2026 along with his 19.30 at NCAAs. His lifetime greatest is nineteen.22, which nonetheless sits outdoors scoring place.

The Sun Devils misplaced their solely two level scorers within the 100 freestyle final season, Jonny Kulow and Remi Fabiani. Fabiani was additionally their solely level scorer within the 200 freestyle.

Kharun might be their prime returning 100 freestyler, however he doubtless gained’t swim the occasion since it’s the similar day because the 200 fly, the place he’s the heavy favourite to win.

Quin Seider might be their subsequent quickest returner at 41.69. This was a couple of tenth underneath cutline of 41.81 and is barely a tenth off the 41.56 it took to attain.

Seider can also be their quickest returner within the 200 freestyle at 1:32.33. This was two tenths off the cutline of 1:32.13, but when he can enhance his endurance within the occasion, he may earn a person NCAA invite.

There are a couple of incoming freshmen with robust instances, which may see them become NCAA qualifiers after a 12 months with Behm. Honorable point out ranked recruit Jake Lloyd is available in at 19.3 within the 50 free and 43.4 within the 100 free and BOTR Tyler Porter sits at 19.4 within the 50 free and 43.3 within the 100 free.

Their prime incoming sprinter is Spain’s Sergio de Celis. He might be a fifth 12 months this season, making this his solely 12 months with the ASU workforce. His SCM greatest instances within the 50 free and 100 free each convert to potential scoring vary at 18.6 and 41.6. If he handles the transition nicely, he’ll assist change the sprinters ASU misplaced.

Distance Free: ★

ASU didn’t rating any factors within the distance free occasions on the 2026 NCAA Championships, and they aren’t projected to attain any this season. Last season it took 4:13.85/14:52.80 to earn invitations within the 500 free and 1650 free, and it took 4:12.75 to attain within the 500 and 14:47.47 to attain within the 1650.

Their prime returning 500 freestyler is sophomore Noah Mudadu, who swam 4:15.51 on the Big 12 Championships to complete about half-a-second forward of teammate Reece Grady’s 4:15.93. Grady might be a senior this 12 months.

Mudadu can even be the highest returning miler with the 15:02.39 he swam to complete 2nd on the Big 12 Championships. He was off his lifetime better of 14:53.49, which might have put him only a second off an invitation. If he can get again to that point this 12 months, he could possibly be ASU’s solely athlete within the distance races.

Backstroke:★★★★ ½

An incoming backstroke class might be an enormous enhance to a backstroke group that was massively depleted after the highest 4 100 backstrokers and prime 200 backstroker graduated after final season.

Senior JT Ewing is the one returning NCAA backstroker on the workforce. He has a greatest time of 1:39.00 within the 200 again, and he completed 18th within the occasion on the 2026 NCAA Championships along with his 1:39.50. If he matched his lifetime greatest, he would have completed fifteenth.

Freshman Nathan Muratory, the world junior report holder within the lengthy course 200 backstroke, joins an extended line of French athletes to swim at Arizona State with transformed instances of 44.30 and 1:35.89 within the 100 again and 200 again. His 100 again time would have been eighth on the 2026 NCAA Championships and his 200 again would have been 2nd, solely behind Hubert Kos.

Tennessee switch Nick Simons is becoming a member of this system after he certified for the ‘A’ remaining within the 200 again final season after setting a lifetime greatest 1:38.21 within the prelims. His 100 again time sits at 44.93, which he swam to complete 18th at NCAAs, solely two tenths out of the 44.78 it took to attain.

Breaststroke: ★

Just like within the backstroke occasions, ASU’s prime 4 100 breaststrokers and prime 200 breaststroker graduated after final season, leaving a fairly large gap in this system.

Brayden Taivassalo is the highest returning breaststroker in every occasion. In the 100 breast, he was fifth within the 100 breast final season in 52.47 and 2nd within the 200 breast in 1:52.33. Both had been off the NCAA cutline of 51.51/1:52.29.

Swedish freshman Oliver Munn seems to be the highest breaststroker on the workforce this 12 months with SCM instances that convert to 52.8 within the 100 breast and 1:55.7 within the 200 breast. These are each nonetheless off the cutline, however Munn swam 53.02 within the 100 breast at ASU’s pentathlon final weekend, which factors to the potential for a a lot quicker swim than 52.8.

Butterfly: ★★★★

Ilya Kharun leads the boys’s butterfly group because the reigning NCAA champion within the males’s 200 butterfly and the highest returning swimmer within the 100 fly and the favourite to win each at NCAAs.

With Luca Urlando foregoing his remaining 12 months of eligibility, Kharun is the heavy favourite to win the 200 fly title once more. He swam 1:37.66 at NCAAs, a tenth off his greatest and the one time underneath 1:38 within the occasion.

In the 100 fly, Kharun completed third behind Josh Liendo and Hubert Kos, who turned the first and 2nd quickest performers in NCAA historical past. In the NCAA remaining Kharun swam 42.92 to turn into the 4th particular person in historical past underneath 43 seconds and the 4th quickest performer ever. He would be the heavy favourite to win the 100 fly title as nicely.

While Kharun is projected to win each butterfly occasions, he’s ASU’s solely projected qualifier in both butterfly occasion, and our star rankings say “a very, very good NCAA group projected to score 15-24 points per event”. An NCAA title is barely price 20 factors.

Senior Filip Senc-Samardzic is the following quickest returning butterfly at 44.95 within the 100 fly and 1:41.75 within the 200 fly. His 100 fly time was solely 4 hundredths off the 44.91 cutline within the occasion. If he can drop a bit within the occasion, he may earn an NCAA invite within the occasion.

IM: ★★

ASU had no particular person level scorers within the IM occasions in 2026, however Michael Hochwalt will return as a junior after he completed nineteenth within the occasion (3:40.85) final season.

Hochwalt had an enormous swim within the 400 IM ‘B’ remaining on the Big 12 Championships after he struggled in prelims to complete tenth general. In finals, he swam 3:40.02, which might have gained the occasion by greater than 4 seconds within the ‘A’ remaining. He earned a person invite to NCAAs, the place he completed nineteenth, however his lifetime greatest would have been fifteenth general.

JT Ewing is the highest returner within the 200 IM, and with no 200 backstroke battle this 12 months, he’s one other potential NCAA qualifier. His lifetime greatest is 1:42.93, which might have been simply over two tenths off the NCAA cutline of 1:42.69.

There are a bunch of freshmen who may develop this 12 months, however no person else is coming in with potential NCAA qualifying instances presently.

Diving: ★

The Sun Devils didn’t rating any factors on the 2026 NCAA Championships. They shouldn’t have any scoring divers coming in, however they did decide up Mario Del Valle from Cal Baptist, who completed twenty fifth on the 1-meter occasion ultimately season’s NCAAs.

Relays: ★★★★★

Note that the grading system doesn’t align completely for relays as double factors.

Relay grading system:

• 5 star (★★★★★) – 31+ factors per relay occasion
• 4 star (★★★★) – 22-30 relay factors per occasion
• 3 star (★★★) – 12-21 relay factors per occasion
• 2 star (★★) – 5-11 relay factors per occasion
• 1 star (★) – 0-4 relay factors per occasion

The Sun Devil relays did exceptionally nicely final 12 months, however every of their 5 relays graduated at the least half of the members, with all 4 of their profitable relays graduating three of the 4.

They nonetheless look like in a robust place this 12 months, significantly within the medley relays with the addition of Muratory.

With so a lot of their athletes graduating, it’s troublesome to foretell how the relays will carry out and who might be used to substitute the place, however it appears doubtless that they are going to nonetheless have a number of sub-19 50 freestyles this 12 months.

Total Stars: 22/40

2026-27 Outlook

This ASU workforce has some huge potential, and the favorites to win a number of completely different occasions this season. Ilya Kharun might be an enormous participant on the workforce this 12 months, and he may assist pull the workforce to some huge swims significantly on relays.

There are locations the place the Sun Devil workforce is weak, significantly within the distance freestyle occasions, however loads of the spots the place they’re brief stars may simply turn into level scoring occasions with the worldwide college students they introduced in.

ASU has proven over the previous couple of years that they’ll develop swimmers, significantly sprinters into what they want, and so long as they proceed to observe that pattern, they need to end within the top-10 once more this 12 months.

The relays are an enormous potential level scoring spot for ASU, and it will not be stunning to see them win a number of relays once more this 12 months, although they are going to doubtless be a lot nearer than they had been final season.

Men’s 2026-27 College Preview Index