TEMPE, Ariz. – As head swim coach Bob Bowman enters his third season at Arizona State and head diving coach Mark Bradshaw, one of the longest tenured Sun Devil coaches, starts his 21st, Sun Devil swimming and diving will look to build upon recent success for an exciting 2017-18 season.
Last season, the CollegeSwimming.com named the ASU men and women the most and second-most improved teams in the nation. The Sun Devils prepare to continue that upward improvement this season.
THE DETAILS
The Sun Devil swim teams unofficially officially open their season with this weekend's intrasquad at 3 pm Friday, Oct. 6 at Mona Plummer Aquatic Center, an event free to the public.
This will be the public's first chance to see this year's swim squad before swim/dive starts the regular season with two weekends of back-to-back home meets at the end of October and beginning of November.
ON THE WORLD STAGE
At FINA World Championships in Budapest in July, recent alum Richard Bohus anchored Hungary's bronze medal 4x100 free relay team, his split the fourth fastest of all swims in the event.
Recent alum Anna Olasz had an impressive summer, winning gold in the women's open water 10km at World University Games while finishing top-10 (eighth) in the same event at World Championships.
Ingibjorg Jonsdottir and Tadas Duskinas also competed at FINA World Championships while Duskinas and newcomer Fanny Teijonsalo also competed at World University Games.
Director of Operations Tim Hochradel served as Team Manager of USA Swimming's Open Water Team at FINA World Championships.
Freshman diver Ashley McCool also competed for Team Canada at Canadian Nationals and earned a medal sweep – gold (synchronized diving), silver (3-meter), and bronze (1-meter) – at the Canada Summer Games. She also finished fifth in the 3-meter dive at World University Games in Taiwan in August.
Senior diver David Hoffer also earned a top-five finish in the 3-meter dive at USA Diving National Championships in Columbus in August.
NEW KIDS IN TOWN
The Sun Devils added two new coaches to the staff in the offseason – Rachel Stratton-Mills and Michael Joyce.
Stratton-Mills was hired in April 2017 and brings extensive experience both on the coaching and administrative side of swimming to Tempe. She served as head coach of Asphalt Green Unified Aquatics (2010-15), placing an athlete on the 2012 US Olympic Team, with two other athletes named to the National Junior Team during her tenure.
At the collegiate level, she served as an assistant coach at Dartmouth College and the University of Maryland, College Park. Outside of coaching, she's served as a member of the USA Swimming Rules/Regulations Committee and served on a USA Swimming Safe Sport Task Force.
Joyce joined the Sun Devil staff in July 2017, previously serving as lead Sprint & Middle-Distance Coach for the 2016 Ivy League conference and dual meet champion men's team at Princeton University. He also has experience as the Head Age-Group Coach/Senior Assistant Coach at Raleigh Swimming Association (2013-15), Gator Swim Club Elite and Age Group Assistant Coach (2012-13), and at his alma mater (Florida).
On the student-athlete side, joining key returners like Pac-12 Champion and USA Swimming National Team member Cameron Craig, Pac-12 Champion and Honorable Mention All-American Mara Aiacoboae, and Pac-12 Champion and First Team Scholar All-American Silja Kansakoski are a large number of significant newcomers including but not limited to:
POWERHOUSE SCHEDULE
This season, Arizona State will face last year's national champions on each side – Texas (men) and Stanford (women), as well as three of the top five overall finishers at NCAA's a year ago.
During the dual season, the men's and women's teams also face seven top-25 teams to finish last season, including the top-ranked team for each. The men face No. 1 Cal, No. 2 Texas, No. 4 Indiana, No. 5 (tied) Stanford, No. 13 USC, No. 15 (tied) Arizona, and No. 21 Florida State while the women take on No. 1 Stanford, No. 2 (tied) Texas and Cal, No. 5 USC, No. 15 Indiana, No. 17 Arizona, and No. 21 UCLA.
ACADEMIC SUCCESS
The ASU women had the eighth highest team GPA in the nation in spring 2017 (highest in the Pac-12) while the men finished second in the conference in both team GPA and individual Scholar All-Americans last season.
Last season, the CollegeSwimming.com named the ASU men and women the most and second-most improved teams in the nation. The Sun Devils prepare to continue that upward improvement this season.
ITS HERE?? LEGENDARY Olympic coach @coach_bowman brings his knowledge and coaching style to #TheMindSidePodcast ??? https://t.co/8xUPxyo4Sa pic.twitter.com/Boh8uWAnMD
— The MindSide (@TheMindSide) October 3, 2017
THE DETAILS
The Sun Devil swim teams unofficially officially open their season with this weekend's intrasquad at 3 pm Friday, Oct. 6 at Mona Plummer Aquatic Center, an event free to the public.
This will be the public's first chance to see this year's swim squad before swim/dive starts the regular season with two weekends of back-to-back home meets at the end of October and beginning of November.
?? surrounded by ???? = the good life https://t.co/xaN1An5VO9 @ASUSwimDive
— AZ State University (@ASU) September 28, 2017
ON THE WORLD STAGE
At FINA World Championships in Budapest in July, recent alum Richard Bohus anchored Hungary's bronze medal 4x100 free relay team, his split the fourth fastest of all swims in the event.
Recent alum Anna Olasz had an impressive summer, winning gold in the women's open water 10km at World University Games while finishing top-10 (eighth) in the same event at World Championships.
Ingibjorg Jonsdottir and Tadas Duskinas also competed at FINA World Championships while Duskinas and newcomer Fanny Teijonsalo also competed at World University Games.
Director of Operations Tim Hochradel served as Team Manager of USA Swimming's Open Water Team at FINA World Championships.
Freshman diver Ashley McCool also competed for Team Canada at Canadian Nationals and earned a medal sweep – gold (synchronized diving), silver (3-meter), and bronze (1-meter) – at the Canada Summer Games. She also finished fifth in the 3-meter dive at World University Games in Taiwan in August.
Senior diver David Hoffer also earned a top-five finish in the 3-meter dive at USA Diving National Championships in Columbus in August.
Reunited ?#fina2017 @ASUSwimDive pic.twitter.com/KDt9aXCeFJ
— Anna Olasz (@AnnaOlasz) July 22, 2017
Incoming diver Ashley McCool finished her final Canada Summer Games with not 1, not 2, but THREE medals: https://t.co/bE56G3DPxq pic.twitter.com/i6tqasM43X
— Sun Devil Swim/Dive (@ASUSwimDive) August 3, 2017
Even though I'm peacing out on America this Fourth of July, I'm honored to work with Team USA at World Championships in Hungary! ????????????? pic.twitter.com/B8CJZBYFLt
— Tim Hochradel (@tjhoch) July 4, 2017
NEW KIDS IN TOWN
The Sun Devils added two new coaches to the staff in the offseason – Rachel Stratton-Mills and Michael Joyce.
Stratton-Mills was hired in April 2017 and brings extensive experience both on the coaching and administrative side of swimming to Tempe. She served as head coach of Asphalt Green Unified Aquatics (2010-15), placing an athlete on the 2012 US Olympic Team, with two other athletes named to the National Junior Team during her tenure.
At the collegiate level, she served as an assistant coach at Dartmouth College and the University of Maryland, College Park. Outside of coaching, she's served as a member of the USA Swimming Rules/Regulations Committee and served on a USA Swimming Safe Sport Task Force.
Joyce joined the Sun Devil staff in July 2017, previously serving as lead Sprint & Middle-Distance Coach for the 2016 Ivy League conference and dual meet champion men's team at Princeton University. He also has experience as the Head Age-Group Coach/Senior Assistant Coach at Raleigh Swimming Association (2013-15), Gator Swim Club Elite and Age Group Assistant Coach (2012-13), and at his alma mater (Florida).
On the student-athlete side, joining key returners like Pac-12 Champion and USA Swimming National Team member Cameron Craig, Pac-12 Champion and Honorable Mention All-American Mara Aiacoboae, and Pac-12 Champion and First Team Scholar All-American Silja Kansakoski are a large number of significant newcomers including but not limited to:
- World Junior Champion (800 free relay), Olympic Trials qualifier, Ohio state champion (200/500 free), and seventh best male recruit of 2017 Grant House
- Olympic Trials qualifier, mid-distance freestyler Erica Laning
- NCSA Summer Championships qualifier Will Brenton
- Two-time NCSA Championships finalist Camryn Curry
- All-American freestyle specialist, CIF State Championship gold medalist in 200/400 free relays Graham Hauss
- Indiana high school state record-holder in 500 free, state champion in 200/500 free Emma Nordin
- Four-time Junior National qualifier, helped lead high school to seventh consecutive state championship Evan Kolde
- CIF-Southern Section Division I champion in 200 IM Nora Deleske
- Winner of four straight Washington state 500 free titles Cameron Smith
- CSCAA All-American, First Team Scholar All-American, and FINA World Championships competitor transferring from Florida Gulf Coast Fanny Teijonsalo
- European Junior Diving Championships and European Aquatic Championships competitor Frida Kaellgren
- Canadian National Team member who earned a medal sweep at the Canada Summer Games Ashley McCool
POWERHOUSE SCHEDULE
This season, Arizona State will face last year's national champions on each side – Texas (men) and Stanford (women), as well as three of the top five overall finishers at NCAA's a year ago.
During the dual season, the men's and women's teams also face seven top-25 teams to finish last season, including the top-ranked team for each. The men face No. 1 Cal, No. 2 Texas, No. 4 Indiana, No. 5 (tied) Stanford, No. 13 USC, No. 15 (tied) Arizona, and No. 21 Florida State while the women take on No. 1 Stanford, No. 2 (tied) Texas and Cal, No. 5 USC, No. 15 Indiana, No. 17 Arizona, and No. 21 UCLA.
ACADEMIC SUCCESS
The ASU women had the eighth highest team GPA in the nation in spring 2017 (highest in the Pac-12) while the men finished second in the conference in both team GPA and individual Scholar All-Americans last season.
Scholar Ballers train their brains with OSAD! Performing on the field and in the classroom! #ForksUp pic.twitter.com/ponqkYAKCS
— Sun Devil OSAD (@SunDevil_OSAD) September 14, 2017