For the first four meets of the season, the ASU swim and dive team tested themselves by going up against top-25 competition at duals.
But this time, the Sun Devils begin competing in invitational meets starting Friday against a number of ranked opponents.
The ASU swim team travels to Long Beach, Calif. on Friday for the prestigious Arena Invitational, while the divers stay in state for UA’s Wildcat Invitational beginning Saturday.
The Arena Invitational features elite opposition for both the men and women. On the women’s side, some of the 13 teams the No. 23 Sun Devils will see are reigning national champions No. 2 California, No. 7 Stanford and No. 25 UCLA for the second time.
The competition in the men’s races will slightly be easier for ASU, as No. 8 Stanford is the only ranked team in the field.
The Sun Devils as a whole placed third overall in last year’s Arena Invitational, behind Stanford and Cal.
In Tucson, the divers will face a larger field of teams. 14 teams competed in last season’s Wildcat Invitational, including Pac-12 foes UA, Stanford, USC, Washington and Utah.
In the past, this event has been favorable for the ASU divers, as senior Constantin Blaha won the 3-meter championship last season, while Elina Eggers will defend her 1-meter title in that meet.
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