TEMPE, Ariz. – The No. 5/NR Sun Devils are back in the water this week against a pair of conference foes, as they'll head to Southern California to meet No. 17/8 USC (Friday, November 4, 1:00 p.m.) and No. 20 UCLA (Saturday, November 5, 11:00 a.m., Women's team only).
Back in action this week ??
— Sun Devil Swim/Dive (@ASUSwimDive) October 31, 2022
?? Friday, November 4: at USC
?? Saturday, November 5: at UCLA (Women's team only)#ForksUp /// #O2V pic.twitter.com/f9oF1pvv3m
FRIDAY AT USC
It'll be a top-20 showdown on the Men's side of things, as the Sun Devils will test their No. 5 ranking against the No. 17 Men of Troy at the Uytengsu Aquatics Center. The USC Women boast a No. 8 ranking thanks to a star-powered roster led by Kaitlyn Dobler, Anicka Delgado and Co.
Fans can keep up with the action via the USC Live Stream or with live results via the Meet Mobile app.
Friday will serve as the season opener for the USC Men, while the Women (1-0) are less than a week removed from a win vs. Utah, 145-111, on October 29.
Both Trojan squads are led by Lea Maurer, who's in her first season at USC after spending seven years leading the Stanford Women's program. A 1992 Olympic Gold and bronze medalist, Maurer guided the Cardinal to seven consecutive top-five finishes at NCAAs and back-to-back conference championships in 2010-11.
SATURDAY AT UCLA
A lack of a UCLA Men's program will see the No. 20 Bruins host just the Sun Devil Women on Saturday morning at the Spieker Aquatics Center.
The Bruins own a 2-0 record after a pair of early-season victories over UC Santa Barbara (150-112) and Utah (175-125).
In the Pac-12 opener against the Utes, the Bruins won 13 of 16 events and swept both relays. Fifth-year Claire Grover won both the 50 free and 100 free and freshman Katrina Bellio took the 500 free and the 1000 free.
Fourth-year head coach Jordan Wolfrum is at the helm of the Bruins, coming off a solid showing in 2021-22 that saw UCLA have 45 finalists at Pac-12s to place fourth overall.
A live stream and live results, if made available, will be shared with fans prior to the beginning of the meet.
SUN DEVIL NOTABLES
A one-two punch has powered the No. 5 Sun Devil Men in the early going via Léon Marchand and Grant House. The two have combined to go a perfect 11-for-11 in the individual races they've competed in this season. Marchand has won all seven of his individual events; House has taken all four of his.
Seven wins for @leon_marchand in his first seven individual events this season.
— Sun Devil Swim/Dive (@ASUSwimDive) October 23, 2022
?? 100 breast
?? 200 back (won by 5.76 seconds)
?? 400 IM (won by 17.35 seconds)
?? 200 fly
?? 200 breast
?? 200 IM
?? 150 breast pic.twitter.com/nMtdGhFxtr
After an impressive rookie season last year, Emma Gehlert has completely burst onto the scene for the Sun Devil Women in '22-23. Through the team's first trio of meets, she's already added a pair of wins (200 breast and 200 IM) and four second-place finishes (100 breast twice, 200 breast and 150 breast).
In the off-season, the coaching staff raved about the transfers that have joined the team, and they've certainly made their mark on the Sun Devils so far this year. Max McCusker, Daniel Matheson, Jack Wadsworth and Laura Garcia have been right in the thick of the ASU action and will be four key pieces for the Sun Devils this weekend in Southern California.
It's a youth movement all across the board for the Sun Devils. In the early going of this season, these freshmen have already made valuable contributions: Ieva Maluka, Owen McDonald, Cale Martter, Jonny Kulow, Katherine Randall, Izzy Krantzcke, Zoe Summar, Amayah Wiley and Andy Dobrzanski, among many others.
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FOLLOW ALONG
Don't miss out on an exciting weekend of Sun Devil Swim & Dive. Follow the team's Twitter account to receive scores, results and more from both meets.