TEMPE, Ariz. – No. 16/25 Sun Devil men's and women's swimming and diving return to the Mona Plummer Aquatic Center for the first time this season – and the only time this year – this weekend to take on USC and UCLA on Friday and Saturday, respectively. Action against the Trojans is set for a 1 p.m. Friday start while the Bruins and Sun Devils face off beginning at 11 a.m. on Saturday.
Looking to redeem themselves after a tough loss to the Trojans last season, the Sun Devils look poised to do exactly that after a positive outing against Utah last weekend. The meet represented the fifth-straight season opening win for both the men and women with several freshmen winning individual events including Jack Dolan (200 free), Jade Foelske (100 fly, 200 fly) and Alex Colson (200 IM) to kick off their Sun Devil careers on a high note. Several also contributed legs in winning relays including Dolan in the winning men's 400 free relay and Lindsay Looney in the women's 200 medley relay.
"We have to swim as well as we can and be as prepared as we can be," head swimming coach Bob Bowman said. "Compared to when we competed against USC last season, we're in a better place, we have a better team and we're training better."
Youssef Selim also took his first victory of the season over on the diving board and first NCAA Zone qualifying score as well after putting up a 341.85 in the one-meter springboard. He also achieved a zone qualifying score in the three-meter board with a score of 336.30 to take second place. Frida Kaellgren also shined , taking first in one-meter and second on three-meter.
"It'll be crucial for Youssef to do well in every event because of our depth, and this will be a really good early season competition for us to see where we're at," head diving coach Mark Bradshaw said. "Both USC and UCLA have one female diver each that is very good, so it'll be a good test for us this weekend."
The matchup between ASU and USC is the first regular season dual for the Trojans this fall. They return several from last season including defending NCAA champion in the 100 and 200 yard butterfly Louise Hansson on the women's side. The Trojans also return five other All-Americans.
UCLA already has a few wins under their belt this fall including wins over San Diego, Utah and UC Santa Barbara so far this season. The Bruins will make the drive up from Tucson Saturday after taking on Arizona on Friday to compete in the confines of MPAC. UCLA boasts the No. 8-rated incoming class nationally, the same ranking in which the ASU men notched a No. 7 mark while the women were named an honorable mention.
"We're going to race hard and see what we can do," Bowman said. "We have to swim faster than we've done so far, and we need to get a good feel for what effect our training has had and what we need to do moving forward. It'll be good for them to swim on back-to-back days for the first time this season."
Action between the Sun Devils and the Trojans will kick off at 1 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 1 at the Mona Plummer Aquatic Center. The women's meet against UCLA will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 2 and both meets will be live streamed and available on Meet Mobile. Fans can also keep up with the action all season-long by following @ASUSwimDive on Twitter.
Looking to redeem themselves after a tough loss to the Trojans last season, the Sun Devils look poised to do exactly that after a positive outing against Utah last weekend. The meet represented the fifth-straight season opening win for both the men and women with several freshmen winning individual events including Jack Dolan (200 free), Jade Foelske (100 fly, 200 fly) and Alex Colson (200 IM) to kick off their Sun Devil careers on a high note. Several also contributed legs in winning relays including Dolan in the winning men's 400 free relay and Lindsay Looney in the women's 200 medley relay.
"We have to swim as well as we can and be as prepared as we can be," head swimming coach Bob Bowman said. "Compared to when we competed against USC last season, we're in a better place, we have a better team and we're training better."
Youssef Selim also took his first victory of the season over on the diving board and first NCAA Zone qualifying score as well after putting up a 341.85 in the one-meter springboard. He also achieved a zone qualifying score in the three-meter board with a score of 336.30 to take second place. Frida Kaellgren also shined , taking first in one-meter and second on three-meter.
"It'll be crucial for Youssef to do well in every event because of our depth, and this will be a really good early season competition for us to see where we're at," head diving coach Mark Bradshaw said. "Both USC and UCLA have one female diver each that is very good, so it'll be a good test for us this weekend."
The matchup between ASU and USC is the first regular season dual for the Trojans this fall. They return several from last season including defending NCAA champion in the 100 and 200 yard butterfly Louise Hansson on the women's side. The Trojans also return five other All-Americans.
UCLA already has a few wins under their belt this fall including wins over San Diego, Utah and UC Santa Barbara so far this season. The Bruins will make the drive up from Tucson Saturday after taking on Arizona on Friday to compete in the confines of MPAC. UCLA boasts the No. 8-rated incoming class nationally, the same ranking in which the ASU men notched a No. 7 mark while the women were named an honorable mention.
"We're going to race hard and see what we can do," Bowman said. "We have to swim faster than we've done so far, and we need to get a good feel for what effect our training has had and what we need to do moving forward. It'll be good for them to swim on back-to-back days for the first time this season."
Action between the Sun Devils and the Trojans will kick off at 1 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 1 at the Mona Plummer Aquatic Center. The women's meet against UCLA will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 2 and both meets will be live streamed and available on Meet Mobile. Fans can also keep up with the action all season-long by following @ASUSwimDive on Twitter.