TEMPE, Ariz. -- The Arizona State swimming and diving program will face their biggest test of the season as they face two of the top-ranked squads in the Pac-12 -- with one being televised on the Pac-12 Network.
The Sun Devil men -- ranked No. 41 in the country -- and the women take on the No. 10 Stanford men and No. 3 women on Friday, Jan. 22 on the Pac-12 Network at 2 p.m. MST. Both will be the highest ranked opponents they will have faced to date this season.
"I think the goal for us is to swim faster than we have all year against the best competition," said head coach Bob Bowman. "I think we have a great opportunity to do it. They've been training well, we'll be in good facilities and obvioulsy have good competition. So that's what I'm looking to see -- faster times."
After nearly two months off before facing Wyoming at home to get the competitive juices flowing, the Sun Devils hit the road for just the third time all season.
The men earned a nice boost since the fall, as the return of junior Richard Bohus and transfer of Tim Schade has helped provide more depth for the Sun Devils.
Bohus, who won the men's 100-yard backstroke and freestyle against Wyoming, creates a nice 1-2 punch in the freestyle with sophomore Patrick Park. He also adds to the depth in the men's relay, as he slid right into the "A" squad in the 200-yard medley relay -- that took first place against the Cowboys -- and in the 400-yard freestyle relay.
Bohus was also named the men's Pac-12 swimmer of the week by collegeswimming.com
Schade, a transfer from Towson University, provides another scorer with senior Juan Tolosa in the men's distance events. He earned a second-place finish in the 500-yard freestyle and third in the 1000-yard freestyle.
Six different women -- including diver Mara Aiacoboae -- are coming off victories against Wyoming. Juniors Anna Olasz, Indira Ceranic, Ingibjorg Jonsdottir, Kat Simonovic and Alysha Bush along with senior Jennifer Morgan earned a win in their respective events.
Assistant coach Misty Hyman returns to Stanford for the first time as a coach after winning five individual national championships and a maximum 28-time All-American as a student-athlete there from 1997-2001.
Following the meet with Stanford, the Sun Devils head to Berkeley for a meet with Cal, who has the No. 2 men and No. 13 women, on Saturday, Jan. 23 at 1 p.m.
With the direction of the program on the rise behind Bowman and his all-star staff, the opponents on deck are the epitamy of where the Sun Devils want to be in the Pac-12 and in the country.
"I want our kids to be exposed to the top-level teams so they see how they operate, how they go about their business, how they race, and how they prepare," said Bowman. "This is an awesome opportunity to do that.
"No question these are two programs we respect and aim to be shaped after."
You can watch the men and women compete on the Pac-12 Network on Friday at 2 p.m. For the meet with Cal, follow their live stats here.