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2019-20 Sun Devil Season Review: Notes, Numbers and Facts From All Sports

Sun Devil Athletics Year-by-Year Team Finishes and Records Opens in a new window Arizona State Pac-12 Major Awards History (All Sports) Opens in a new window Comebacks. Upsets. Beating Ranked Teams: The Best Sun Devil Wins of 2019-20 Opens in a new window 2019-20 Territorial Cup Series Standings Opens in a new window 2019-20 National, All-America and Pac-12 Honors For Sun Devil Athletics Opens in a new window Cliff English Receives 2020 Linda Vollstedt Coach of the Year Award Opens in a new window The Sun Devil Basketball Programs Recognized for Athletic and Academic Success in TIDES Report Opens in a new window Pac-12 Conference Season in Review Opens in a new window
2019-20 Sun Devil Season Review: Notes, Numbers and Facts From All Sports2019-20 Sun Devil Season Review: Notes, Numbers and Facts From All Sports
Sun Devil Athletics

Our Academic Progress Rate has reached an all-time high! ??https://t.co/fnNb8eP8BT pic.twitter.com/momS2slD6r

— Arizona State Sun Devils (@TheSunDevils) May 19, 2020

 

Congratulations to our newest Sun Devil student-athlete graduates!https://t.co/0lNjnfCkHk

— Arizona State Sun Devils (@TheSunDevils) May 18, 2020


(Note: this page is a work in progress. If you see any errors or omissions, email tammaro@asu.edu. Thanks!)


TEAM NATIONAL CHAMPIONS: Triathlon wins fourth straight national title
INDIVIDUAL NATIONAL CHAMPIONS: Kyla Roy
NATIONAL COACH OF THE YEAR: Cliff English (College Triathlon Coaches Association)
PAC-12 TEAM CHAMPION: Wrestling
 

ICYMI: We won national championship #?4? today ??

Get a recap of what went down: https://t.co/rKpUgFGcvH

— Sun Devil Triathlon (@sundeviltri) November 17, 2019


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2019-20 SUN DEVIL PAC-12 CHAMPIONS (7 TITLES BY 7 SUN DEVILS)
Brandon Courtney (wrestling/125)
Tanner Hall (wrestling/285)
Emma Nordin (500 free/women's swimming)
Kordell Norfleet (wrestling/197)
Zach Poti (100 back/men's swimming)
Jacori Teemer (wrestling/157)
Anthony Valencia (wrestling/174)

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SUN DEVIL TOTAL AND AVERAGE ATTENDANCES IN 2019-20
BASEBALL: 38,729 (15)/2,582
MEN'S BASKETBALL: 148,019 (16)/9,251
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: 49,519 (16)/3,095
FOOTBALL: 344,161 (7)/49,166
HOCKEY: 15,759 (16)/987
GYMNASTICS: 13,633 (6)/2,272
LACROSSE: 605 (4)/151
SOCCER: 6,569 (10)/657
SOFTBALL: 16,943 (23)/737
VOLLEYBALL: 20,004 (10)/2000
WRESTLING: 16,636 (6)/2,773 

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2020 LINDA VOLLSTEDT COACH OF THE YEAR: Cliff English
PAC-12 TOM HANSEN AWARD: Tanner Hall (wrestling) and Robbi Ryan (women's basketball)
BILL KAJIKAWA AWARD: Kyle Williams (football), Silja Kansakoski (swimming and divng)

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BASEBALL/TRACY SMITH/6TH YEAR/HIRED JUNE 24, 2014/13-4 OVERALL
Sun Devil Baseball spent the entirety of its abbreviated season ranked in the Top-10 in every major media poll. The team won 11 of its last 12 games with series sweeps over Boston College, Cal State Fullerton and Fresno State and finished with a 13-4 record. The team did not compete in Pac-12 play do to the shortened season. Spencer Torkelson was a unanimous preseason National Player of the Year and showed why he was the most feared hitter in the national in drawing a walk in an incredible 31 of his 81 plate appearances, easily leading the nation in the category and drawing an absurd 15 intentional walks in the process. Granted it was early in the season, but he was on pace to set the NCAA walks record at the clip he was recording them. Even despite that, Torkelson hit .340 with six home runs, bringing his career total to 54. He was just two shy of ASU's longstanding career record set by Bob Horner (56) back in the 1970s and appeared well on pace to demolish that mark. Drew Swift led the team with a .365 average in his coming out party as a junior, establishing himself as one of the exciting players to watch next season. Trevor Hauver hit .339 behind Torkelson in the lineup, logging five homers and 20 walks. ASU saw immediate returns on its hiring of pitching coach Jason Kelly, posting a team ERA of 3.56 with 178 strikeouts to 67 walks. RJ Dabovich looked primed to become one of the top closers in the nation, recording a Pac-12 leading four saves and a 0.77 ERA. Boyd Vander Kooi was absolutely electric, going 2-0 in five appearances (two starts) with a paltry 0.70 ERA and 20 strikeouts to just two walks. The program had five picks in first four rounds of MLB Draft for the first time in history, including No. 1 overall pick Spencer Torkelson.

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BEACH VOLLEYBALL/BRAD KEENAN/4TH YEAR/HIRED MAY 13, 2016/4-6/1-6 IN PAC-12
With an abbreviated 2020 season, Arizona State beach volleyball made the most of their time with a series of pairing changes and debuts in the maroon and gold. In Brad Keenan's fourth season as the head coach, the team (4-6, 1-6 Pac-12) was ranked for three different weeks until the season was cut short due to concerns regarding COVID-19. During that time, the team did not lose to an unranked team, continuing the trend from 2019's record-breaking season. Of the four wins, two were sweeps, including a 5-0 win against Utah for the first Pac-12 win of the season. A total of 15 pairs competed in the short 2020 season. Freshman Lexi Sweeney and junior Kate Baldwin had the best record, going 6-4. They were the only pair to play in every match together. Individually, Baldwin and Sweeney led the way with their six wins. Additionally, senior Ellyson Lundberg and junior Cierra Flood both earned five wins each. Senior Katelyn Carballo and sophomore Maddy Salazar had four wins in the shortened season as well. 

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MEN'S BASKETBALL/BOBBY HURLEY/5TH YEAR/HIRED APRIL 8, 2015/20-11 OVERALL/11-7 IN PAC-12 (TIED FOR THIRD)
Bobby Hurley's fifth squad, the highest scoring squad in the Pac-12 over the past three seasons (78.05 points per game), won 20 games for the third straight season for just the third time in school history and posted a seven-game Pac-12 win streak in February, the program's longest since it won 11 straight in 1980-81. The team's 11-7 record marked just the second time it posted back-to-back winning seasons in Pac-12 play in the past 25 years. Remy Martin earned Pac-12 first-team honors, while Alonzo Verge Jr. claimed the league's Sixth Man of the year Award. Verge led the nation in off-the-bench scoring at 16.8 points per game in 19 games, while the team led the league in steals (249/8.03 per game), turnover margin (+3.19) and turnovers forced (16.42). The Sun Devils are now 16-5 after a loss the past two seasons, the best mark in the Pac-12. The Sun Devils averaged 9,251 fans on the, sixth on the all-time Sun Devil list. ASU defeated two ranked teams at home (No. 22 Arizona on Jan. 25 and No. 14 Oregon on Feb. 20), as the Sun Devils came back from 22 down (37-15) to beat the Wildcats. The Sun Devil now have 26 halftime comeback wins under Coach Hurley, the best mark in the Pac-12 in his tenure. 
ATTENDANCE: 148,016 (16 home events)/9,251 average 
 

Our Shining Moments.

No one we'd rather share them with than our #SunDevilFamily. ???? pic.twitter.com/hltDeP4MpC

— Sun Devil MBB (@SunDevilHoops) March 18, 2020

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2019-20 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL (CHARLI TURNER THORNE/23RD  SEASON/HIRED JULY 1, 1996)

Finished 20-11 and 10-8 in the Pac-12 (5th place)...Extended its school record for consecutive 20-win seasons to seven…The Sun Devils were preparing to make their school record seventh straight trip to the NCAA Tournament before the NCAA cancelled the remainder of the season on March 12 due to the COVID-19 virus...Head coach Charli Turner Thorne earned her 500th career win after ASU's 76-75 triple OT win over USC on Jan. 31, the first triple OT game in program history…Team among the Top 40 in the nation in offensive rebounds per game (21st/15.1 rpg) and rebound margin (34th/+6.6)…Placed among the top third in the Pac-12 in offensive rebounds (second/15.1 rpg), rebounding margin (third/+6.6), rebounding defense (third/32.7 rpg), scoring defense (fourth/59.2 ppg) and turnover margin (fourth/+1.8)…In Pac-12 games, finished in the top third in offensive rebounds (third/13.3 rpg), assists (fourth/14.4 apg), rebounding defense (fourth/35.1 rpg) and turnover margin (fourth/+1.1)…Became the first unranked team to defeat consecutive Top-5 opponents when it knocked off then-No. 2 Oregon (72-66 on Jan. 10) and then-No. 3 Oregon State (54-47 on Jan. 12)…The 30 points ASU scored in the fourth quarter vs. Oregon tied the second-highest point total scored in a quarter by an ASU team…ASU was one of only two teams (Louisville) and was the only Pac-12 squad to defeat Oregon in 2019-20…Had a season-long winning streak of six games at the conclusion of non-conference play (longest winning streak in Pac-12 play was five games)…Now has 68 wins in non-conference play the last seven seasons, an average of 9.7 wins per season…Six of team's 11 losses were by an average of 3.8 points…Went 13-3 at home and is now 92-20 (.821) in home games the last seven seasons…Extended its home winning streak vs. non-conference opponents to 25 games…Bench more than doubled the opposition's bench in points per game, 24.1-11.3. It scored 30 or more points nine times and more than 40 points three times: 41 vs. Air Force, 51 vs. Army and 45 vs. Cal…Won both of its overtime contests: vs. Idaho State (74-69) and vs. USC (76-75 - 3OTs)…Averaged only 11.1 turnovers over the first eight games of Pac-12 play…Came back from a double-digit deficit to win three times: -12 vs. BYU, -13  vs. Oregon, -10 at Washington State… Senior Robbi Ryan (All-Pac-12) went over 1,000 career points and ended her career with 1,127 points…Senior Reili Richardson (All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention - Coaches) broke Briann January's career assists record and ended up with 563 career assists, the most ever by an ASU player (men or women). Richardson also ended her career tied for eighth on ASU's list for career 3-pointers (117)…Senior Ja'Tavia Tapley (All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention - Coaches/All-Pac-12 - Media) led the team in scoring (11.6 ppg), rebounds (6.2/11th in the Pac-12. The 18 rebounds Tapley grabbed vs. BYU were the most by a Sun Devil in more than 20 years. 
 
ATTENDANCE BREAKDOWN: 16 home dates; home attendance – 49,519; average – 3,095
 
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL AWARDS/HONORS
ALL-PAC-12 (COACHES): Robbi Ryan, Reili Richardson (HM), Ja'Tavia Tapley (HM) 
PAC-12 ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM (COACHES): Kiara Russell (HM)
ALL-PAC-12 (MEDIA): Ja'Tavia Tapley
Ann Meyers Drysdale Women's National Player of the Week: Ja'Tavia Tapley (Jan. 14)
ESPNW National Player of the Week: Ja'Tavia Tapley (Jan. 13)
Pac-12 Player of the Week: Ja'Tavia Tapley (Jan. 13)
PAC-12 WINTER ACADEMIC HONOR ROLL: Taya Hanson, Jamie Loera, Reili Richardson, Jamie Ruden, Kiara Russell Robbi Ryan, Jayde Van Hyfte

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CROSS COUNTRY/CORY LESLIE/FIRST YEAR/NAMED HEAD COACH JULY 1, 2019
Head coach Cory Leslie's first year in charge of the women's program and second year at the helm of the men's squad saw the Sun Devils continue to make noise in the west despite lining up one of the youngest teams in the region. The men finished ninth in the Pac-12 and the women 11th. Two freshmen men in Vincent Mauri and Lee Nasewytewa scored in every regular season race, and the latter scored in every event throughout the season. On the women's side, freshman Ava Shackell became the first true freshman to score in every race since 2015. At the Pac-12 meet, team captains Megan Reniewicki and Jackson Lewis led the way for the teams.

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FOOTBALL/HERM EDWARDS/SECOND YEAR/NAMED HEAD COACH DEC. 4, 2017/8-5 OVERALL/4-5 PAC-12 (4TH IN SOUTH)

For the first time since 2014, the Sun Devil Football team reached eight wins and captured a bowl victory, taking another step forward in year two under Herm Edwards. Arizona State was the only Pac-12 South Division school to win a bowl game, winning the Sun Bowl, 20-14, over Florida State. ASU secured a victory in the Territorial Cup for the third consecutive season and for the seventh time in the last 10 matchups. Edwards became just the third coach in school history to win their first two games over Arizona, joining Todd Graham and College Football Hall of Famer Frank Kush. His squad finished the year on a three-game winning streak, representing only the third time since joining the Pac-10 it finished the season on a three-game win streak (also in 1978 and 2012). The Maroon & Gold earned several signature wins, defeating three AP Top-25 teams. They played spoiler in a late-season upset win over No. 6 Oregon on Homecoming, ending the Ducks' nine-game winning streak. The Sun Devils traveled to a face-off with a pair of Top-20 programs, coming away with victories in low-scoring, defensive battles with No. 18 Michigan State and No. 15 California. Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk proved to be one of the top playmakers in the country, taking home AP & FWAA All-American honors during a breakout senior season. Eno Benjamin cemented his legacy as one of the top running backs in school history, reaching 1,000 yards on the ground for the second consecutive season on his way to earning Pac-12 First-Team honors. Quarterback Jayden Daniels played with maturity and poise beyond his years during a brilliant freshman campaign in which he made a name for himself nationally. On seven occasions, the defense allowed 21 points or fewer despite playing some of the highest-scoring teams in the nation. A young defense capped the season with two of their most impressive performances, forcing a combined nine turnovers while allowing only 14 points in each game.
ATTENDANCE: 344,161 (7 home events)/49,166 average 
All-Americans: Brandon Aiyuk (First Team – AP & FWAA; Second Team – Phil Steele)
FWAA Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Semifinalist: Jayden Daniels
Freshman All-American: Jayden Daniels (ESPN)
Pac-12 Honorable Mention Freshman Offensive Player of the Year: Jayden Daniels
Pac-12 All-Conference: Brandon Aiyuk (Consensus First Team), Eno Benjamin (Consensus First Team), Michael Turk (Consensus First Team), Case Hatch (First Team), Kobe Williams (HM; Third Team – PFF & Phil Steele), Jermayne Lole (HM; Second Team – PFF; Third Team – Phil Steele), Aashari Croswell (Second Team – PFF), Jack Jones (HM; Third Team – Phil Steele), Cohl Cabral (Third Team – Phil Steele), Khaylan Kearse-Thomas (HM; Third Team – Phil Steele), Frank Darby (HM), Cam Phillips (HM – PFF), Dohnovon West (HM; Third Team – PFF)
2019 Pac-12 Fall Academic Honor Roll: Eno Benjamin, Jared Bubak, Vincenzo Granatelli, Michael Matus, Eddie Medina, Marco Salas, Corey Stephens, Michael Turk, Kyle Williams, Cristian Zendejas

right where it belongs ?? pic.twitter.com/PBJ0aOynyC

— Sun Devil Football (@ASUFootball) December 1, 2019

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MEN'S GOLF/MATT THURMOND/4TH YEAR IN 2019-20/HIRED JULY 25, 2016

Matt Thurmond's fourth squad won three tournaments in in the Coronavirus shortened season...seniors Chun An YuAlex del Rey and Blake Wagoner arrived in the fall of 2016 and led the program to 12 tournament wins...the team came out of the gates fast, with the team and Cameron Sisk both winning the 2019 Maui Jim Intercollegiate in Scottsdale in the first tournament of the year...team and Alex del Rey then both won the second tournament of the season, the Trinity Forest Invitational in Texas...junior Mason Andersen became the seventh Sun Devil to earn Pac-12 Golfer of the Month when he earned the honor for February...program has won tournaments in Hawaii, Mexico, Texas, Arizona (6), California (2) and Oregon under Coach Thurmond...James Leow won the individual tournament at the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games on Friday (Dec. 6), bringing home Singapore's first gold in the category in 30 years...team won the Cabo Collegiate in early March...2019 First-Team All-American Chun An You finished his career with a 70.40 stroke average, the second-best in Sun Devil history behind only Jon Rahm...Chun An Yu won three collegiate tournaments in his four seasons...final rankings were third (GCAA), sixth (Golfstat) and seventh (Golfweek).
 

Our seniors (@a_delrey99 @kevingolfyu and @blakewagoner7 ) led us to 12 team titles
2020, Cabo Collegiate
2019, '17 Maui Jim
2019 Trinity Forest
2019 John Burns
2019 Lamkin Grips
2019 NIT
2019, '18, '17 ASU TBird Collegiate
2018 Bandon Dunes
2016 Alister MacKenzie pic.twitter.com/osjaESD191

— Sun Devil Men's Golf (@sundevilmgolf) March 23, 2020

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WOMEN'S GOLF/MISSY FARR-KAYE/5TH YEAR IN 2019-20/HIRED JUNE 25, 2015
The Sun Devil Women's Golf program put together yet another successful year in Head Coach Missy Farr-Kaye's fifth season in Tempe. After being ranked anywhere from 8-10 in the national preseason polls, Arizona State quickly put the country on notice that they would exceed those expectations. For her efforts at the helm of Sun Devil Women's Golf, Coach Farr-Kaye was recognized as the WGCA West Region Coach of the Year. A successful fourth-place finish at the ANNIKA Intercollegiate put the Sun Devils in the conversation of elite teams, as they skyrocketed into the Top-5 of the polls. They would remain in the Top-5 of every major national poll for the remainder of the season, proving to be one of the best teams in the NCAA. What separated Coach Farr-Kaye's team from their opposition was the depth of the lineup. Arizona State featured six highly-ranked amateur golfers, all hailing from different European countries. This blend of different cultures and unique talent led to competition in practice for a chance to crack the lineup, with teammates pushing each other every day to get better. The Maroon & Gold finished in the Top-5 in all seven of their tournaments, including three Top-3 finishes, despite facing some of the stiffest competition at the most prestigious events in women's collegiate golf. Arizona State picked up their first team title of the season at the Stanford Intercollegiate, putting together their sixth-lowest score vs. par over 54 holes in school history to beat out six Top-10 teams for the Team Championship. For the second consecutive season, ASU won the Duel in the Desert Tri-Meet, defeating Denver and No. 16 UCLA in a head-to-head matchup. The Sun Devils ended their season on a high note, capturing the Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational Team Championship in Hawaii with Linn Grant taking home Individual Medalist honors, the only Sun Devil to accomplish the feat this season. Grant was spectacular throughout her freshman season, finishing in the Top-10 at five of the seven tournaments. Despite her inexperience at the collegiate level, she played with a consistency and maturity beyond her years, helping her land on the ANNIKA Award Watch List as one of 15 candidates for National Player of the Year. Grant was recognized as a First Team All-American by the WGCA, one of only 11 golfers nationally to receive the honor. Olivia Mehaffey capped off a historic career with yet another spectacular season. She finished second at the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge and sixth at the Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational, giving her 20 career Top-10 finishes. Mehaffey was an integral part of the Sun Devils winning the 2017 National Championship during her freshman season, an indication of the accomplishments that would follow. She leaves Tempe as one of the most decorated golfers in the history of the Sun Devil Women's Golf program, including becoming just the third four-time All-American in school history. Alessandra Fanali gave the Sun Devils three All-Americans for the first time since 2017, as the sophomore earned Honorable Mention honors after making a jump during her second year in Tempe. Arizona State was ranked No. 3 in the final Golfstat poll, while three individuals were slotted in the Top-50. Linn Grant earned a spot in the Top-10, coming in at No. 8 nationally. With five talented golfers returning and the addition of two local standouts in the 2020 signing class, the future is bright for Coach Missy Farr-Kaye and the Arizona State Women's Golf program.

WGCA All-Americans: Linn Grant (First), Olivia Mehaffey (HM), Alessandra Fanali (HM)
Golfweek All-Americans: Linn Grant (Second), Alessandra Fanali (Third), Olivia Mehaffey (HM)
WGCA West Region Coach of the Year: Missy Farr-Kaye

Thank you @SunDevilWGolf @missymkaye @MichelleEstill for the best 4 years. I will forever be grateful for the growth, fun and development! So proud to be a Sun Devil 4 life ???? https://t.co/sWb7T8zctV

— Olivia Mehaffey (@OliviaMehaffey) March 20, 2020
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GYMNASTICS/JAY SANTOS/4TH YEAR/HIRED MAY 27, 2016/7-6-1
Despite the abrupt end to the season, fourth-year head coach Jay Santos led a young gymnastics squad to a successful 2020 season with some of the top scores in program history. With seven gymnasts making their collegiate debuts in 2020, the team was young but hustled to prove themselves. ASU finished the season with a 7-6-1 record, wrapping up the year ranked No. 21 after jumping 13 spots from the second-to-last week of the season. The Sun Devils also finished in fourth in the Pac-12 regular season standings. This was the second season in a row that ASU finished with a winning record. Four of those wins came against ranked opponents, including a win over No. 10 Cal, ASU's first ranked win over a top-10 opponent since 2014. The Gym Devils scored a 196.000-plus five times, including the last four meets, and two of those scores are in the top 20 team scores in the ASU record book. In total, the Gym Devils racked up 23 event titles: seven on vault, seven on bars, one on beam, two on floor and six in the all-around. Junior Cairo Leonard-Baker led the way with seven total event titles, five coming from bars. She finished the season ranked No. 19 in the nation on bars, which she scored a 9.825 or better all but once. Her best score on that event was a 9.950, the highest score of any ASU gymnast in any event this year. Next was freshman Juliette Boyer with five event titles and freshman Hannah Scharf with four. The Gym Devils said goodbye to five seniors: Jessica Ginn, Morgan Hart, Ashley Szafranski, Morgan Wilson and Graycee Zaugg. Ginn, Hart and Wilson shined in their final season.
 

2??0??2??0?? was a season we will never forget!

Read all about what the #GymDevils accomplished in 2020 here >> https://t.co/6UbTfx9CIC pic.twitter.com/SXyqFCkZT4

— Sun Devil Gymnastics (@SunDevilGym) April 8, 2020

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HOCKEY / GREG POWERS / 5TH YEAR / HIRED NOV. 18, 2014 /22-11-3
Despite not getting the opportunity to learn their postseason fate, head coach Greg Powers and Sun Devil Hockey took another step forward by setting a new program record for wins in a season with 22, including victories over No. 4 Denver, No. 8 Clarkson and a sweep of No. 9 Quinnipiac in 2019-20. For the second-straight season, Powers was named a finalist for the Spencer Penrose Award, which is awarded to the nation's best coach. The season ended with the team sitting 13th in the all-important Pairwise, USCHO and USA Today/USA Hockey Polls, and a 96% lock to make their second-straight NCAA Tournament appearance. The Devils spent 12 weeks in the Top-15 of USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men's Hockey Poll -- the longest streak in the program's history. Following the season, senior defenseman and captain Brinson Pasichnuk became the second Sun Devil player to agree to terms on an NHL contract (San Jose Sharks), and the first Sun Devil to do so as a free agent. He was also the first and only Sun Devil in program history to reach the 100-career point milestone with 107 in his four-year career. He will depart ASU with a variety of program individual records, including games played (136), points (107), assists (68) along with No. 1 in every offensive category by a defenseman. Up front, junior forward Johnny Walker played in his 100th game in the Maroon & Gold, becoming the seventh in program history to accomplish that feat, and second fastest to reach the milestone (Brett Gruber). It was the second-straight 30-point, 20-goal season for Walker, who set a new personal collegiate best with 38 points this past season, and he'll enter his senior season with 96 points in 100 games played for ASU. His linemate, junior forward James Sanchez who played his first season in the Maroon & Gold, finished the regular season as the only Sun Devil in program history to reach 40 points in a season. As a team, the Devils finished with 12 victories at home to tie a program best from last season. Offensively, it was a program best with 121 goals scored, which ranked tied for 6th in the country. This was heavily due to the six double-digit goal scorers (a program high in a season). 
ATTENDANCE: 15,759 total (16)/987
Hobey Baker Award (Player of the Year): Johnny Walker (nominee), Brinson Pasichnuk (nominee), James Sanchez (nominee)


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LACROSSE/TIM MCCORMACK/FIRST YEAR/HIRED JUNE 12, 2019/5-3 OVERALL, 1-1 PAC-12 (T-3RD)
In the first season of the Tim McCormack era, the Arizona State Lacrosse team showed significant signs of progress, giving Sun Devil fans a lot to be excited about with the future of the program trending in the right direction. Despite an abbreviated first season at the helm of the Sun Devil Lacrosse program, McCormack's team began building the winning culture that he is attempting to establish in Tempe. The new coaching staff installed a high-powered offense relying on a balanced attack that featured multiple scoring threats, helping Arizona State get off to a 5-3 start before the season was cut short. The season highlights included road victories over UC Davis and Detroit, followed by a 3-0 start at home with wins over Marquette, Fresno State, and California. Fans got a glimpse of the fast-paced, up-tempo style that Coach McCormack wants his program to be known for. Goalkeeper Berkeley Bonneau thrived under the tutelage of McCormack, the former All-American goalkeeper at UMass, earning one of only five Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week honors handed out in 2020. She was one of three Sun Devils to win a Pac-12 Player of the Week honor in the five weeks of the award, joined by attackers Kerri Clayton and Emily Glagolev, who each won Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week. The offense saw a considerable jump in production compared to last season, thriving under the direction of the new coaching staff. Through eight games, Arizona State scored at least 18 goals four different times, a feat they accomplished only twice last season. The Sun Devils were the highest scoring offense in the Pac-12 conference and the 12th-best in the country, averaging 16.38 goals/game. As a result of a balanced attack that featured multiple dangerous scoring options, the Maroon & Gold averaged the third-most assist/game in the country (9.5). In a historic victory over Detroit in only his second game as Head Coach, McCormack's Sun Devils scored 24 goals with 13 different goal scored, both representing new program records. Additionally, the 18-goal margin of victory (24-6) matched a program-high. Kerri Clayton was unstoppable during the eight-game run, racking up 41 points (29 goals & 12 assists). Emily Glagolev was the main facilitator, operating the offense at a high level. She dished out an incredible 24 assists in only eight games, the third-best mark in the country. She added 13 goals to give her 37 points, one of two Sun Devils to rank in the Top-20 nationally (19th) along with teammate Kerri Clayton (14th).
ATTENDANCE: 605 (4 home events)/151 average
PAC-12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Kerri Clayton - Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week (3/2), Berkeley Bonneau Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week (3/2), Emily Glagolev Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week (2/17)

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SOCCER/GRAHAM WINKWORTH/THIRD YEAR/HIRED NOV. 29, 2016/6-11-3 OVERALL/0-9-2 PAC-12 (12th)
The 2019 season saw its fair share of ups and downs for ASU soccer. but under the direction of third-year head coach Graham Winkworth the team continued to grow in the right direction. The Sun Devils got off to a hot start winning their first match, 4-1, at Cal State Fullerton, before going on to post back-to-back 7-1 wins over Central Arkansas and Tennessee Tech. The pair of games with seven goals marked the first time ASU had scored seven in a match since 2012. The Sun Devils would continue their dominant start, securing five-straight wins for just the second time in program history, and carded their best start since winning nine straight to start 2000. Looking to end the non-conference portion of the schedule on a high note, ASU battled CSUN to a 1-1 draw, giving the Devils an impressive 6-2-1 record entering league play. The Sun Devils would go on to battle through Pac-12 play, but the tall-task of playing in the nation's best conference would prove a very difficult challenge for the young Sun Devil team, as the squad would finish 6-11-3. Statistically, ASU saw a lot of growth on offense through the 2019 season. As a team, the Sun Devils combined to score 33 goals on the year, the best offensive output since scoring 34 goals in 2015. Sophomore Nicole Douglas led the way for ASU, scoring eight goals and adding four assists to finish with a team-high 20 points. In goal, freshman Giulia Cascapera finished with 78 saves, and a 0.743 save percentage, the seventh-highest number of saves.
HOME ATTENDANCE: 6,569 (10 home events)/657 average attendance

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SOFTBALL/TRISHA FORD/4TH YEAR/HIRED JUNE 15, 2016/22-7
In the 40th season of NCAA softball, ASU continued its upward trajectory under fourth-year head coach Trisha Ford with a team makeup that 11 returners and 11 newcomers who made their mark on the shortened season. The Sun Devils completed the regular season with a 22-7 record. The season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic before the Pac-12 Conference play started. ASU hosted four tournaments in the shortened season's five weeks and proved the strength of softball in the desert, recording a 19-4 mark at Farrington Stadium and finshed No. 15 in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll (March 8, 2020). ASU led the nation's slugging percentage (.648), and the 2020 squad was the first NCAA team to reach 50 home runs - as no other major conference team exceeded more than 38 home runs. To achieve the title of the NCAA home run leader, the Sun Devils acted on their 2020 motto: #OnTheBoat - a standard that requires a team-first mentality and next-player-up attitude - to see the 50 home runs come from hits by 13 of the team's possible 17 batters. The team also led the nation with 13 shutouts and 133 walks. Although ASU never got the chance to compete against its conference foes, the Sun Devils outpaced the Pac in the above categories as well as doubles (58), doubles per game (2.00), home runs per game (1.72) and scoring (7.79). Pitchers - Coach Ford's bread and butter - excelled in 2020, out-throwing last season's non-conference ERA by a full mark. This season's trio included seniors Cielo Meza, Samantha Mejia and junior Madison Preston with the occasional supplement from freshman Lindsay Lopez. ASU's 2020 pitching staff combined for a 2.24 ERA - through non-conference play in 2019, the pitching staff - which included Meza and Mejia - threw for a 3.50 mark. From the mound, ASU struck out 221 batters and walked only 49 in 181.0 innings pitched while holding opponents to a .202 batting average.

 

???????? ?? ????????

Victories, upsets, walk-offs, and a ?????? of home runs. It all happened in 2020. Read the season recap here ?? https://t.co/JV5JE0lHfJ#OnTheBoat ??

— Sun Devil Softball (@ASUSoftball) April 9, 2020


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MEN'S SWIMMING//BOB BOWMAN/5TH YEAR IN 2019-20/HIRED APRIL 24, 2015
MEN'S DIVING/MARK BRADSHAW/23RD YEAR/HIRED JULY 30, 1997

Zach Poti successfully defended his Pac-12 Championship in the 100 backstroke at the 2020 competition as the team finished fourth, taking first place while missing the NCAA and American record by less than one-tenth-of-a-second. He also placed second in the 200 back to cap off a dominant senior season. He took home ten first place finishes throughout the regular season en route to his All-America selection by the CSCAA in the 100 and 200 back, 200 medley relay and 400 medley relay. Ten others joined him on the list including Liam Bresette, Cody Bybee, Evan Carlson, Jack Dolan, Jack Edgemond, Julian Hill, Ben Olszewski, Youssef Selim, Carter Swift and Elijah Warren. For their efforts, Dolan was also named the Pac-12 Freshman Swimmer of the Year, as he scored the most points by a freshman at the Pac-12 Championship and third-most points overall. Selim also nabbed a conference honor, being named Men's Diver of the Year. Selim took second in one meter and fourth in both the three meter and platform events at the championships. For their success in the classroom, 13 men were named to the Pac-12 Winter Sports Honor Roll with majors ranging from mechanical engineering to business law.

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WOMEN'S SWIMMING/BOB BOWMAN/5TH YEAR IN 2019-20/HIRED APRIL 24, 2015
WOMEN'S DIVING/MARK BRADSHAW/23RD YEAR/HIRED JULY 30, 1997

Finishing up their season at the 2020 Pac-12 Championships where it finished fifth, as several women excelled this season highlighted by Emma Nordin's dominance in distance freestyle. Nordin garnered her first Pac-12 Championship in March in the 500 freestyle event, putting up what would be the fastest time in the nation in that event with the conclusion of the season. Freshman Lindsay Looney also excelled in the pool for ASU, smashing the 11-year school record in the 200 fly by an entire second. She also excelled in that event in Federal Way, racing to a fourth place finish in the 200 fly at the Pac-12 Championships. They were two of eight women named CSCAA All-Americans including Camryn Curry, Kendall Dawson, Jadé Foelske, Silja Kansakoski, Erica Laning, Lindsay Looney and Cierra Runge. 13 women were named to the Pac-12 Winter Sports Honor Roll at the conclusion of the season, with majors ranging from Mechanical Engineering to Biological Sciences. Nordin led the pack in the classroom as well with her team-leading 3.97 GPA in Biological Sciences as a junior. Sun Devil for Life Melissa Belote Ripley was also honored by the conference, as she was inducted into the Pac-12 Hall of Honor for her time as a Sun Devil. Belote left an unparalleled legacy for the Sun Devils, winning three gold medals and setting the new American record in the 200m backstroke at the 1972 Olympics in Munich. Belote was a six-time individual National Champion at ASU and a four-year All-American for the squad.
 
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MEN'S TENNIS/MATT HILL/THIRD SEASON/HIRED JUNE 29, 2016/4-7 OVERALL
Men's tennis had some high points in its short-lived season (click here for final stats), including opening the season with a 4-0 sweeping win over crosstown rival Grand Canyon. The Sun Devils followed their Arizona dominance in their match against NAU in early February, handing the Lumberjacks a 6-1 loss for their largest margin of victory since April 2019. The young team showed resilience as they faced many of the top squads in the nation including No. 2 Ohio State and No. 13 Texas A&M, scratching wins against Michigan State and UNLV before finishing up their season. The freshmen showed several bright spots in the lineup throughout the season in Christian Lerby and George Stoupe, who held the most wins on the Sun Devils this season as a doubles pair. Lerby also led the team in singles wins with five on the season.

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WOMEN'S TENNIS/36TH YEAR/HIRED AUG. 16, 1984/12-5/FINAL RANKING NO. 18
Under Sheila MacInerney  for the 36th season, the women's tennis squad began the year with a 6-0 record, the best since they started 7-0 to begin the 2008. The Sun Devils traveled to Chicago for the ITA Indoor Championship, where the team faced three ranked opponents including a successful singles win for Savannah Slaysman over No. 23 Alle Sanford. For the remainder of the season, ASU went 6-1 at the Whiteman Tennis Center and won at Oregon in its lone Pac-12 match. The Sun Devils were two matches away (12) from tying last season's total wins (14). Ranked in singles, No. 94 Sammi Hampton and No. 40 Ilze Hattingh both went 15-9 on the season. Hampton also concluded the season with a four-match win streak in doubles with her partner Savannah Slaysman. Closing out as the No. 46 doubles tandem in the country, Ilze Hattingh and Tereza Kolarova defeated two ranked opponents en route to a 16-5 record. As a squad, the Sun Devils (12-5) finished the season ranked No. 18 after being ranked for six weeks in a row.

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MEN'S AND WOMEN'S TRACK AND FIELD/DION MILLER/FIRST YEAR (ANNOUNCED MAY 15, 2019)
Four Sun Devils earned NCAA Indoor Championship trips that were cancelled the week of the championship. Cole Riddle (pole vault) posted a first place finish at the MPSF Championships on February 28, while Turner Washington (discus) finished third at the MPSF Championships.Cortney Jones and defending champion and All-American Samantha Noennig, the defending shot put champion in both the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships, posted a second-place finish at the MPSF Championships. The Sun Devil women finished ninth with 44 points at the MPSF Championships, while the men took tenth with 43 points. At the USATF Indoor Championship in New Mexico, Cortney Jones ran a season's best 8.10 to finish fourth in the 60-meter hurdles, while NCAA champion Samantha Noennig secured a top-five finish in the shot put competition while being the highest finishing collegiate athlete in the competition. At the Don Kirby Elite, Ian Schulz finished second in the men's shot put competition with a 18.61m/61-3.25-foot heave, while Josephine Anokye won the women's 200-meter dash while finishing with the fourth best time in school history of 23.57. Several distance Sun Devils also made noise in the Iowa State Classic, with Bianca Tinoco claiming the fifth best mile run time in school history with 4:45:49, and Megan Reniewicki finishing victorious in the women's 5,000 with her personal best time of 16:51:39.

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TRIATHLON/CLIFF ENGLISH/FOURTH YEAR/HIRED NOV. 13, 2015
Triathlon successfully defended their national championship, taking first place as a team to register four-straight national titles as a program at the Tempe Town Lake on Nov. 16. The Sun Devils placed two on the podium en route to the victory including Kyla Roy, who registered her first  individual national championship. Liberty Ricca also earned USA Traithlon Freshman of the Year honors for her efforts in the race. The squad kicked off the regular season with a team victory at the Central Regional Qualifier, and put up two more to sweep the regular season. They show no signs of slowing down, as they will return all six women who raced at Nationals while adding two talented signees including Youth Olympics Gold Medalist Amber Schlebusch and local Arizona product Katy Clausen. English was named the College Triathlon Coaches Association Division I Coach of the Year for the third season in a row, while freshman Liberty Ricca was named Division I Freshman of the Year. English was also named Linda Vollstedt Coach of the Year award, honoring the top women's team coach in the department. Six Sun Devils were named to the 2019 Scholar All-America list as created by the Collegiate Triathlon Coaches Association (CTCA). The list marks the third-straight season in which six or more Sun Devils took home the honor.

 

ICYMI: We won national championship #?4? today ??

Get a recap of what went down: https://t.co/rKpUgFGcvH

— Sun Devil Triathlon (@sundeviltri) November 17, 2019


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VOLLEYBALL/SANJA TOMASEVIC/3RD YEAR/HIRED DEC. 21, 2016/17-14 OVERALL, 9-11 PAC-12 (8TH)

The Sun Devils had their best season under third-year head coach Sanja Tomasevic. They finished 17-14, 9-11 in the Pac-12 to take eighth place, the best finish since 2015. Since joining the Pac-12 in 1986, this season marked the 11th nine-win Pac-12 season for ASU and was the first since 2014. In the past 19 years, it is just the fourth time reaching nine conference wins. Posted season sweeps over Oregon, Oregon State, Washington State and in-state rival Arizona. The Cougars were ranked in both matchups this year for the Sun Devils' biggest wins. In the Territorial Cup matches, ASU beat Arizona in both matches for the first time since 2007. For the season sweeps over the Oregon schools, Arizona State achieved that for the first time since 2002. Libero Courtney Leffel wrote her name across the ASU record books in her stand-out senior season as she finished sixth in career digs with 1,527 and eighth for season digs with 566. Sun Devils earned three Pac-12 weekly awards, most since 2012. Leffel was named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week twice, the first Sun Devil to win a conference weekly award twice in the same season since Macey Gardner did so in 2012. Freshman Iman Isanovic was named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Week.
HOME ATTENDANCE: 20,004 (10 home events)/2000 average attendance

 

DOWN GO THE CATS??

For the first time since 2007,
@SunDevilVB beats Arizona in Tucson and gets the season sweep ?? ?? pic.twitter.com/vyy59nwtTS

— Arizona State Sun Devils (@TheSunDevils) November 30, 2019



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WATER POLO/TODD CLAPPER/15TH YEAR IN 2019-20/HIRED AUGUST 3, 2005/12-5

The 2020 came to a close earlier than expected, but the No. 6 Sun Devil women's water polo team proved there's a lot to be optimistic about when they return to the pool next season. The Sun Devils finished the shortened season with a 12-5 record (1-1 MPSF), coming just two wins short of matching their total number of wins for the entire 2019 season. ASU defeated nine ranked opponents and the team posted a dominant 6-1 record at home. With a wealth of new talent coming in for the 2020 season -- including six freshmen and one transfer -- the young Sun Devil team got off to a hot start, opening the year with two wins at home against Ottawa University of Arizona. The team broke a school record, scoring 20 goals in the season opener, and tied for third-most goals in a home game. Following the team's third place finish at the 16-team UCSD Triton Invitational, which included upsets over No.5 UC Irvine and No. 7 UC San Diego, the Sun Devils swept the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation weekly honors with Borbala Kekesi named Player of the Week and Eszter Kiss named Newcomer of the Week. In the final weekend in action, and first weekend of MPSF play, the team traveled to the Bay Area where they defeated No. 13 SJSU in dominating fashion behind a career-high six-goal performance from Amira Van Buren. The Sun Devils ended the season with an 8-9 near-comeback loss at No. 2 Stanford.  Freshman goalkeeper Itzahiana Baca was selected to the All-MPSF First Team, the first Sun Devil to earn this recognition since 2017. Junior Amira Van Buren was named to the Second Team, her second conference honor after making the MPSF All-Newcomer Team her freshman year. Freshman Eszter Kiss earned All-MPSF Honorable Mention, and both Baca and Kiss were named to the All-Newcomer Team.
ALL-AMERICANS: Amira Van Buren (ACWPC Second Team), Itzahiana Baca (ACWPC Second Team), Eszter Kiss (ACWPC HM)

 

Our season may have been cut short, but we have so much to be proud of ????

Our 2020 season recap ??https://t.co/wlsg28kD0P

— Sun Devil Water Polo (@SunDevilWP) April 14, 2020


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WRESTLING/ZEKE JONES/6TH YEAR IN 2019-20/HIRED APRIL 9, 2014/15-2 OVERALL, 5-0 PAC-12 (1ST)
The Sun Devil Wrestling team showcased one of the most successful seasons under the direction of sixth-year head coach Zeke Jones. The Maroon and Gold ended the 2019-20 season top of the Pac-12, garnering its third Pac-12 title in four seasons while scoring the highest conference tournament point total (141.5) since 1993. Jones was later recognized as Pac-12 Coach of the Year for the third time in four years, becoming the first ASU wrestling head coach to win the conference award three times since Thom Ortiz (2003, 2005-06). His squad put together a 15-2 mark in the dual meet season, notching the highest win total for Arizona State since 1989-90. They knocked off seven top-25 teams, earned a historic upset over No. 1 ranked Penn State in front of a record-breaking 8,522 fans and hosted the first collegiate wrestling match at an MLB ballpark at the Arizona Diamondbacks' Chase Field. The win over the Nittany Lions was not just a victory over the No. 1 ranked team in the country, it also snapped Penn State's 60-match dual win-streak and marked their first loss since 2015. Redshirt sophomore Kordell Norfleet became the fourth consecutive ASU wrestler to be named Most Outstanding Wrestler at the Pac-12 Championships after picking up his second conference championship. Brandon Courtney (125) and five-time New York State Champion Jacori Teemer (157) made their first trips to the conference tournament after remarkable seasons on the mat. Courtney led the team in wins (25), technical falls (four) and major decisions (11) while capping his sophomore campaign with a Pac-12 individual title. Teemer, a Pac-12 champion at 157 lbs., made strides in the regular season with two Pac-12 Wrestler of the Week honors, becoming the first Sun Devil wrestler to receive the honor twice in one season. Anthony Valencia (174) and Tanner Hall (285) rounded out the list of the five ASU wrestlers who put up championship performances at the conference tournament. Six wrestlers qualified as top-10 seeds for the national tournament, making the Sun Devils just one of three teams in the nation to have six or more wrestlers seeded within the top-10 at their respective weight classes. With Jones' No. 1 ranked 2015 recruiting class departing, the Sun Devils still show youth up and down the starting lineup that proves to be some of the top wrestlers at their weight divisions for next season.
ATTENDANCE: 17,171 (6 home events)/2,862 average 
PAC-12 COACH OF THE YEAR: Zeke Jones
PAC-12 CHAMPIONS: Brandon Courtney (125), Jacori Teemer (157), Anthony Valencia (174), Kordell Norfleet (197) and Tanner Hall (HWT)
2020 PAC-12 WINTER ACADEMIC HONOR ROLL: Cade Belshay, Tanner Hall (Scholar Athlete of the Year) and Anthony Valencia

?? 15 wins (Most since 1989-90)
?? Pac-12 Champs
?? 7?? top-25 wins
?? Pac-12 Coach of the Year

Incredible season for @nwcawrestling Coach of the Year Finalist, @ZekeJones pic.twitter.com/q3FNKKh98T

— Sun Devil Wrestling (@ASUWrestling) April 2, 2020

?????????????????????????????? to Charlotte Ahrens, who is 1?? of 2?? Sun Devils to be named a conference-level nominee for NCAA Woman of the Year

ASU is the only Division I school to have two student-athletes reach this stage of consideration

MORE INFO ?? https://t.co/dgkdXi8niX pic.twitter.com/vKI1GIzpK5

— Sun Devil Triathlon (@sundeviltri) August 13, 2020