Competing at the Division I level is usually pretty serious, but the ASU swim team is expecting to just relax and have fun at the annual alumni meet on Saturday.
“Our athletes are there to participate and be part of the fun,” ASU coach Dorsey Tierney-Walker said.
It has been two weeks since the ASU men (0-1) and women (2-0) have swum competitively and although the swimmers will be trying to win on Saturday, this meet is not about the results or the score.
“You take every race seriously, but it’s more [about] just getting to see people you swam with,” ASU senior Nolan Ruane said.
Ruane added that although he feels the meet is more like a reunion than an actual swim meet, he still wants to beat his former teammates and the other former Sun Devils.
There is no official word as to which alumni will be swimming, but Ruane said he was fairly confident that Max Laney and Marin Naranca would be swimming.
Both were seniors a year ago and Laney was a team captain.
The Sun Devils are expecting a fairly good-sized turnout with alumni from as far back as the 1980s, Ruane said.
Sun Devil swimmers typically enjoy the alumni meet because of the laid-back atmosphere and the chance to meet people who have previously experienced what the team is currently going through, Ruane said.
Tierney-Walker echoed the sentiment and added that the alumni meet provides an opportunity for the upperclassmen to reconnect with friends and former teammates, as well as an opportunity for the freshman to meet former Sun Devils.
There is no set list of events, because the Sun Devils want to be good hosts and make sure the alumni enjoy themselves.
“We want the alumni to have a great experience,” Tierney-Walker said. “Whatever events they want to do, we will do.”
Tierney-Walker added that the alumni meet is more about fun than competitive swimming, and she hopes the meet will get the Sun Devil alumni excited about the current team and the upcoming season.
While the weekend focuses on the swim meet, there are many events, such as dinners and mixers, where the current team gets to interact with former Sun Devils.
“We look forward to it every year,” Tierney-Walker said.
The Alumni Meet is scheduled to take place Saturday, at the Mona Plummer Aquatic Center at 12:30 p.m.
Reach the reporter at william.boor@asu.edu
