Herbie Behm

--Herbie Behm: A Journey from Swimmer to Coach of Arizona State (by Casey McNulty, Swimming World/April 30, 2024) Sun Devil Swim has a new leader as associate head coach Herbie Behm was elevated to head coach in April of 2024 after the team won its first national title.   In his first season at the helm of the program he guided the Sun Devils to two Big 12 championships, including the first conference title for the women's team in program history. The men earned their third straight conference championship and their first Big 12 title in program history. The ASU alum guided the women's team to their best finish since 2012 with a 19th place showing at NCAA Championships. The men's team finished in sixth place at NCAAs for their fourth straight season residing inside the top-10 nationally. The teams two Big 12 championships marked the third and fourth conference titles for the Sun Devil Athletic in their first season competing in the Big 12 Conference. In his first season he coached 15 different Sun Devils to 20 Big 12 championship in his first season, including eight relays that garnered conference titles for the team. Behm helped 16 Sun Devils earn All-American honors in his first season, including five women garnering the All-American title which marks the most in a season for the women's program since 2020. The ASU alum was named Big 12 Men's Coach of the Year and was named Big 12 Women's Co-Coach of the Year for leading the Sun Devils to success in his first season. Behm established one of the fastest teams in the country in his first season, helping butterfly specialist Julia Ullmann earn Big 12 Women's Freshman of the Year and assisting two-time bronze medalist Ilya Kharun to a short court world championship in the 200 fly. His first year featured Caroline Bentz garnering multiple Big 12 honors during the season and becoming one of the fastest 50 free sprinters in the country in her final year competing.  "Herbie is the brightest young coach in America and becoming the head coach at ASU is a perfect opportunity for him," Bob Bowman said. "He was my trusted partner in building our championship program and he will lead the Sun Devils to many more milestones in the future. I couldn't be happier for Herbie or for ASU!"   Behm is the new head coach in Tempe after most recently excelling as the associate head coach of both swim programs, a role he had held since August 2022. Before serving as the associate head coach, Behm established himself as one of the fastest rising names in the profession during a stint as the assistant coach for four seasons at Arizona State.   New ASU head swim and dive coach Herbie Behm made a statement regarding his hiring on Instagram. As an ASU swimmer in 2010, he said during winter break him and his teammates had to sell raffle tickets in order to prevent the program from being cut. Now he is leading a national… pic.twitter.com/Q4jq943rw4 — Blake Niemann (@Blakes_Take2) April 2, 2024   Started From the Bottom: New ASU Head Coach Herbie Behm Reflects on Swimming Days in Tempe https://t.co/ONaPNG1qn7 — SwimSwam (@swimswamnews) April 6, 2024 STATE PRESS FEATURE (9/27/18): Former Sun Devil Dives Back Into ASU The Sun Devil swim programs reached new heights over the past few seasons thanks in large part to Behm's efforts under Bowman's watch. He was part of a culture change within the program which most recently resulted in the men's team winning the 2024 NCAA Championship and the women's team recording a Top-25 finish at NCAAs. Whether as an assistant or associate head coach, Behm has been an integral part of signing and developing some of the World's elite swimmers. During his time with Arizona State, Behm has helped Leon Marchand put together one of the most three-year runs in the history of the sport. Marchand won an incredible eight NCAA individual titles, the new all-time record for a Sun Devil. Marchand is the three-time CSCAA Men's Swimmer of the Year and will be one of the premiere figures in the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics. Other NCAA Titles won during Behm's tenure in Tempe include the team's first two relay championships 2024 400 free relay & 400 medley relay. Ilya Kharun won the 200 fly national title, while Zalan Sarkany became the first Sun Devil to win the 1650 free.   The ties to the Sun Devil Swim program run deep for Behm. He swam for the Sun Devil swim program from 2010-13 and graduated with a bachelor's degree in Psychology with a minor in Communication in 2013. Behm is now one of nine ASU alumni who are head coaches of programs at ASU.   ALL-AMERICANS UNDER HERBIE BEHM (15) WOMEN: (5) Iza Adame Caroline Bentz Erin Milligan Miriam Sheehan Julia Ullmann MEN: Tiago Behar Andy Dobrzanski Ilya Kharun Jonny Kulow Daniel Matheson Tommy Palmer Patrick Sammon Filip Senc-Samardzic Quin Seider Lucien Vergnes BIG 12 CHAMPIONS UNDER HERBIE BEHM: (28) Women's 50 Free: Caroline Bentz (21.77) Men's 50 Free: Jonny Kulow (18.64) Women's 100 Fly: Julia Ullmann (51.40) Men's 100 Fly: Ilya Kharun (44.13) Men's 100 Breast: Andy Dobrzanski (51.75) Women's 100 Back: Caroline Bentz (51.22) Men's 100 Back: Jack Wadsworth (45.01) Men's 100 free: Jonny Kulow (41.07) Women's 200 Free: Erin MIlligan (1:45.41) Men's 200 Free: Patrick Sammon (1:31.57) Women's 200 fly: Deniz Ertan (1:54.92) Men's 200 fly: Ilya Kharun (1:39.41) Men's 200 breast: Andy Dobrzanski (1:51.93)  Women's 200 back: Caroline Bentz (1:51.89) Women's 500 Free: Alexa Reyna (4:39.24) Men's 500 Free: Daniel Matheson (4:14.37) Women's 200 IM: Charli Brown (1:57.84) Men's 200 IM: Cale Martter (1:42.94) Women's 400 IM: Sonia Vaishnani (4:10.28)  Men's 400 IM: Michael Hochwalt (3:41.40) Women's 200 medley relay:  Miriam Sheehan, Iza Adame, Julia Ullmann and Caroline Bentz (1:35.63)  Men's 200 medley relay: Lucien Vergnes, Andy Dobrazanski, Ilya Kharun and Jonny Kulow (1:21.16) Women's 400 medley relay: Bentz, Adame, Ullmann, Milligan (3:30.09) Men's 400 medley relay: Vergnes, Dobrzanski, Kharun, Kulow (3:00.55)  Women's 400 Free Relay: Bentz, Milligan, Ullmann, Brown (3:13.64) Men's 400 Free Relay: Kharun , Sammon, Palmer, Kulow (2:44.03) Womens 800 free relay: Erin Milligan, Charli Brown, Grace Lindberg and Alexa Reyna (7:04.24)  Men's 800 free relay: Tiago Behar, Quin Seider, Filip Senc-Samardzic and Patrick Sammon (6:08.54) SUN DEVIL ALUMNI HEAD COACHES SWIM- HERBIE BEHM – '13 BS (PSYCHOLOGY) MEN'S GOLF- MATT THURMOND -- '22 MALM (MASTER OF APPLIED LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT) WATER POLO/PETRA PARDI - '18 MEd HIGHER AND POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION; '15 BA PSYCHOLOGY FOOTBALL/KENNY DILLINGHAM -- '13 BA INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES BASEBALL/WILLIE BLOOMQUIST -- '01 BS MANAGEMENT HOCKEY/GREG POWERS -- '99 BS BROADCAST JOURNALISM WOMEN'S GOLF/MISSY FARR-KAYE -- -- '90 BA ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION WRESTLING/ZEKE JONES  -- '90 BS CORPORATE FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT DIVE/MARC BRIGGS – '01 SECONDARY EDUCATION   Before returning to his alma mater in 2018, Behm served as the assistant sprints coach at the University of Utah for two seasons. During his tenure in Salt Lake City, Behm led a group of more than 20 student-athletes in their daily training programs while assisting and working with each individual's technique, training strategies and post race analysis. Under Behm, 20 student-athletes set school records in just two seasons.   Prior to Utah, Behm served on the staff right here in the Valley with the Phoenix Swim Club. While with the Phoenix Swim Club, Behm developed a strong background in stroke technique  and the ability to develop and enhance the skills of all ages and competitive backgrounds.   Behm also brings experience from the national circuit as well, serving as a coach on both the USA and Puerto Rican National Team.  Behm mentored several athletes who won gold and silver medals at the Pan-American Games and swimmers who earned a total of 62 national final swims and broke a total of eight national records.   THE ASU CAREER Behm swam at Arizona State from 2010-13. Excelling in the classroom as well, Behm was a three-time scholar athlete award winner and graduated with his degree in Psychology while minoring in Communications. As a Sun Devil, Behm was a part of the foursome to set the school record in the 400 medley relay. SUN DEVIL MEN'S NATIONAL CHAMPIONS (WITH BEHM ON STAFF) Léon Marchand, Jack Dolan, Patrick Sammon, Jonny Kulow 400 free relay (2024) Ilya Kharun 200 fly (2024) Léon Marchand 200 breast (2024) Zalan Sarkany 1650 free (2024) Hubert Kós, Léon Marchand, Ilya Kharun, Jonny Kulow 400 medley relay (2024) Leon Marchand 400 IM (2024) Leon Marchand 500 free (2024) Leon Marchand 200 breast (2023) Leon Marchand 200 IM (2023) Leon Marchand 400 IM (2023) Leon Marchand 200 breast (2022) Leon Marchand 200 IM (2022) Men's All-Americans in 2023-24 | Women's All-Americans in 2023-24 MEN'S SWIMMING COACHING HISTORY Fred Bryant, 1952 Mona Plummer, 1957-1960 Walter Schleuter & Dick Smith, 1962-1971 Phil Hasel, 1972 Ron Johnson, 1974-1993 Ernie Maglischo, 1993-1998 Michael Chasson, 1998-2009 Dorsey Tierney-Walker, 2009-2014 Bob Bowman, 2015-2024 Herbie Behm, 2024-present   WOMEN'S SWIMMING COACHING HISTORY Mona Plummer, 1975-1979 Bill Rose, 1979-1981 Bob Gillett, 1981-1985 Tim Hill, 1985-1998 Michael Chasson, 1998-2009 Dorsey Tierney-Walker, 2009-2014 Bob Bowman, 2015-2024 Herbie Behm, 2024-present