MINNEAPOLIS – With just one day remaining at the NCAA Men's Swimming & Diving Championships, the Sun Devils sit just 13 points back from current leader Cal, courtesy of a handful of terrific performances on Friday evening at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center.
NCAA Championship Central | Live Results | Day 1 Recap | Day 2 Recap
TEAM STANDINGS
1. Cal, 315
2. ASU, 302
3. Texas, 292
4. Indiana, 259
5. Florida, 251
Poised to grab the highest finish at the NCAA Championships in program history, the Sun Devils had seven compete in a championship final in addition to a third-place showing in the closing relay.
Marchand drew the collective attention of the swimming world in the first event on Friday evening, setting a new NCAA record in the 400 IM with his winning time of 3:28.82. It crushed his previous record of 3:31.57, which he set at the Pac-12 Championships in early March.
It's also the second title this week for the Toulouse, France, native, and the fourth of his Sun Devil career (200 IM x2, 200 breast, 400 IM). His four national titles ties diver Joona Puhakka for the most individual championships in Sun Devil team history. He's also the first Sun Devil to ever win a national title in the 400 IM.
Leon Marchand just redefined what we thought was possible in the 400 IM
— Kyle Sockwell (@kylesockwell) March 24, 2023
3:28.82 to become the first swimmer sub-3:30 in the event and he did it BY A MILE ??
SPLITS:
FLY - 47.10
BACK - 52.20
BREAST - 58.59
FREE - 50.93 pic.twitter.com/l8QGYUShnN
Hubert Kos delivered a fourth-place performance in the 400 IM at 3:37.00, and David Schlicht was victorious in the consolation final at 3:38.03.
But the biggest swing of the night came moments later, when Grant House (3rd/1:31.12), Julian Hill (6th/1:32.25), Patrick Sammon (7th/1:32.61) and Andrew Gray (11th/1:32.47) stacked the top-11 in the 200 free. The four teamed up to grab a whopping 47 points, which catapulted the Sun Devils atop the leaderboard and momentarily gave them a six-point edge over second-place Cal.
It's the second top-three national finish for House, who was runner-up in the event last spring.
First-Team All-Americans ?? pic.twitter.com/az734BwGTz
— Sun Devil Swim/Dive (@ASUSwimDive) March 25, 2023
Owen McDonald (44.85) and Jack Dolan (44.93) went sixth and seventh, respectively, in the 100 back, serving as another momentum swing in favor of the Sun Devils to pick up 25 points.
Dolan's red-hot week in Minneapolis continues, as he's now a First-Team All-American in the 50 free (7th), 100 back (7th), 200 medley relay (2nd), 400 medley relay (3rd) and 200 free relay (5th).
The Sun Devils ended the night with the 400 medley relay, in which they went a school-record 2:59.18. It knocked off the previous NCAA record of 2:59.22, set by Texas in 2017, while marking the third top-three relay finish for the Sun Devils this week. Marchand's 100 breast split of 49.23 in the relay is the fastest in NCAA history.
It's also the fifth school record the Sun Devils have broken while in Minneapolis.
RELAYS IN MINNESOTA
200 medley relay – 2nd
800 free relay – 2nd
400 medley relay – 3rd
200 free relay – 5th
MORNING PRELIMS
Seven Sun Devils qualified for an evening final session, in Léon Marchand (1st/400 IM), Hubert Kos (4th/400 IM), Julian Hill (3rd/200 free), Grant House (7th/200 free), Patrick Sammon (8th/200 free), Jack Dolan (5th/100 back) and Owen McDonald (7th/100 back).
Andrew Gray (13th/200 free) clinched a spot in a consolation final, marking the fourth Sun Devils to finish within the top-13 of the 200 free. David Schlicht also took 11th in the 400 IM to secure his spot in the consolation final.
SATURDAY EVENT SCHEDULE (8 a.m. prelims/4 p.m. finals)
1650 Freestyle | 200 Backstroke | 100 Freestyle | 200 Breaststroke | 200 Butterfly | Platform Diving | 400 Freestyle Relay
SUN DEVIL MEN'S SWIMMING POSTSEASON FINISHES UNDER COACH BOWMAN (PAC-12/NCAA)
2023: 1st/TBD
2022: 3rd/6th (program's highest finish since 1982)
2021: DNC (entire program redshirted due to COVID-19)
2020: 4th/no NCAA due to COVID-19
2019: 4th/21st
2018: 4th/20th
2017: 4th/14th
2016: 5th/44th(T)
SUN DEVIL MEN'S NATIONAL CHAMPIONS
Léon Marchand, 400 IM (2023)
Léon Marchand, 200 IM (2023)
Léon Marchand 200 breast (2022)
Léon Marchand 200 IM (2022)
Joona Puhakka, 3m Dive (2005)
Joona Puhakka, 1m Dive (2005)
Joona Puhakka, 3m Dive (2004)
Joona Puhakka, 1m Dive (2003)
Attila Czene, 200 IM (2000)
Francisco Sanchez, 50 Free (1996)
Mike Orn, 200 Free (1983)
Andy Astbury, 500 Free (1982)
Keith Russell, 3m Dive (1968)
Bernie Wrightson, 1m Dive (1966)
SCHOOL RECORDS SET IN MINNEAPOLIS
400 medley relay – Dolan, Marchand, McCusker, Kulow (2:59.18)
400 IM – Marchand (3:28.82, NCAA record)
200 IM – Marchand (1:36.34, NCAA record)
200 medley relay – Dolan, Marchand, McCusker, Kulow (1:21.07)
800 free relay – House, Sammon, Hill, Marchand (6:05.08)
ALL-AMERICANS IN MINNEAPOLIS
Léon Marchand – 400 IM, 200 IM, 200 medley relay, 800 free relay, 400 medley relay
Jack Dolan – 100 back, 50 free, 200 free relay, 200 medley relay, 400 medley relay
David Schlicht – 200 IM (Second-Team), 400 IM (Second-Team)
Hubert Kos – 400 IM, 200 IM (Second-Team)
Max McCusker – 200 free relay, 200 medley relay, 400 medley relay
Jonny Kulow – 200 free relay, 200 medley relay, 400 medley relay
Grant House – 200 free, 200 free relay, 800 free relay, 200 IM (Second-Team)
Patrick Sammon – 200 free, 800 free relay
Julian Hill – 200 free, 800 free relay
Andrew Gray – 200 free (Second-Team), 500 free (Second-Team)
Owen McDonald – 100 back
FOLLOW ALONG
Keep up with the Sun Devils in their pursuit of the program's first national championship on the fourth and final day in Minneapolis via the team's Twitter account, @ASUSwimDive, which will be updated daily with results, recaps, photos and more.