ATLANTA, Ga. -- The Arizona State women’s swim and dive team is set to send both freshman Marlies Ross and sophomore Mara Aiacoboae to compete at the 2016 NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships, Wednesday through Saturday, at the Georgia Tech Aquatic Center in Atlanta, Ga.
Wednesday’s events are slated for a 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT start -- which will only include the 800 freestyle relay -- while Friday, Saturday and Sunday’s events are set to begin at 10 a.m. ET/7 a.m. PT.
Ross is competing in the 200 and 400-yard individual medley and the 200-yard breaststroke. Originally from South Africa, the freshman swimmer competed in only two dual meets before qualifying for the Pac-12 Championships where she placed as high as fourth in the 400-yard individual medley.
“I’m very pleased with how far Marlies has come in just a short time with us and making that transition from long course to short course,” said head coach Bob Bowman of his freshman. “She’s made great strides and the experience she’ll gain at NCAA’s as a freshman will only prepare her moving forward. We just want to continue to see progression in the pool.”
This season has been a strong one for Ross, seeing top five finishes in every meet she participated in and also breaking the Arizona State school record in the 400-yard individual medley with a time of 4:09.23 at the conference meet.
Aiacoboae -- the lone Sun Devil female diver -- will compete in the one-meter springboard and 10-meter platform. The sophomore diver also had a fantastic season this year for the Devils where she saw nine first-place finishes, including two meets where she took first in both events she participated in.
In 2015, Aiacoboae placed fourth in the women's 10-meter platform and will aim to outdue herself this year.
ESPN3.com will stream the finals sessions on Friday and Saturday for the tournament. ESPN U will also air a two-hour show at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on Tuesday, March 29 on the tournament.