Two Sun Devils returned to Tempe from Federal Way, Wash., on Sunday as Pac-12 champions.
On Friday, senior Rebecca Ejdervik sealed a victory in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 59.77, her third consecutive conference title in the event. Ejdervik defeated UA junior Ellyn Baumgardner by just .22 seconds to complete her three-peat.
“Given where she’s at as far as her physical preparation, it’s impressive,” swim coach Dorsey Tierney-Walker said. “Her main focus is the NCAA championships and qualifying for her Olympic team. Winning her third Pac-12 title is of guts and heart. She’s done a great job keeping her eye on the ball. We swam through this past weekend and she still took care of business.”
A day later, senior Elina Eggers captured a victory in the 10-meter platform event with a score of 308.35, earning her second conference title. The diver also earned a silver medal in the 3-meter springboard and earned a bronze medal in the 1-meter.
The Sun Devils continued to see success outside of Eggers and Ejdervik’s championship finishes.
Sophomore Tristin Baxter took home a silver medal in the 1650 free. Tierney-Walker was impressed by Baxter’s performance considering her situation.
“Honestly, I couldn’t have been more proud of Tristin,” Tierney-Walker said. “She was injured early in the season, had some motivational issues, and really took it upon herself to reevaluate things and take care of her injury. She came back better than ever.
“She’s matured so much as an athlete. She was very comfortable in the final heat in the mile, and it was a great opportunity for her. I think she’ll be more capable in two or three more weeks.”
Senior diver Cameron Bradshaw also returned with two medals, earning silver in the 1-meter springboard and bronze in the 3-meter.
The ASU 400 free medley relay team of juniors Shannon Landgrebe, Caroline Kuczynski, Mattie Kukors and Cassie Morrice placed fifth in the finals. Landgrebe broke her own school record in the 200 free and finished fourth, and senior Jordyn Green placed sixth in the 200 breast.
Overall, the No. 21 Sun Devils finished sixth in the final conference rankings, with defending national champion No. 1 California winning the Pac-12 title. Tierney-Walker thought her team met their goals as they wrapped up the meet.
“Our main focus was to go in, finish with lifetime bests and qualify as many people as possible for the NCAA championship,” Tierney-Walker said. “I think we accomplished that for the most part. We’re going to end up with seven, eight and possibly nine.”
The women close out their season in Auburn, Ala., at the NCAA championships March 15-17.
Reach the reporter at jnacion@asu.edu
Click here to subscribe to the daily State Press newsletter.
