Heading into days three and four of the 2017 Pac-12 Swimming and Diving Championships, the Sun Devils needed to swim faster and stronger than they had all season to make a strong finish.
Though they finished sixth in the standings, the ASU women's swim and dive team made a name for themselves – which hasn't be done in a long time.
Day 3: Despite team standings ASU continues to show improvement
On Friday, the women’s swim and dive team put together their best performances since the start of competition.
The highlight of the night was freshman Silja Kansakoski finishing first in the 100 breaststroke (58.82) racking up 32 points.
Kansakoski was not the only freshman to add to the Sun Devils point total, as freshmen Emily Glinecke, Ivana Ninkovic, Kendall Dawson and Chloe Isleta helped combine for 73 points.
Silja Kansakoski becomes the first Sun Devil women's swimmer to win a @pac12 title since 2012! @Pac12Network #BringtheHeat #Pac12Swim pic.twitter.com/wjT2tdc8Vg
— ASU Swimming&Diving (@ASUSwimDive) February 25, 2017
Another bright spot for ASU was senior Ingibjorg Jonsdottir who finished fourth in the B final of the 100 backstroke with a time of 53.69, a personal best.
The third day of action marked the greatest achievement for the Sun Devils when their 400-yard medley relay team qualifying for the NCAA Championships (3:32.88).
The relay team consisted of Jonsdottir, senior co-captain Alysha Bush, Kansakoski and 2016 senior Olympian Kat Simonovic.
An NCAA qualifying standard for the ASU 400 Medley Relay!! They finish in 3:32.88 for 4th, the highest placing Sun Devil relay this week!
— ASU Swimming&Diving (@ASUSwimDive) February 25, 2017
Head coach Bob Bowman said Friday marked a milestone for the swim and dive program.
“We took another big step forward today with our first Pac-12 individual champion,” Bowman said. “I'm very pleased with our performances, and we are looking to finish the meet with a strong day tomorrow.”
The Sun Devils showed promise during Friday’s events, but sat in sixth place – trailing University of California Los Angeles in fifth by 149 points.
With first and second place out of reach, ASU will need to swim better than they have all season on the final day of races to finish in the top five.
Saturday’s events consist of the 1650 freestyle, 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 200 breaststroke, 200 butterfly, 400 freestyle relay and the women’s platform dives.
Standings: 1. Stanford (1126 pts) 2. Cal (953 pts) 3. USC (762 pts) 4. UA (744 pts) 5. UCLA (640 pts) 6. ASU (491 pts) 7. Utah (309 pts) 8. WSU (235 pts) 9. OSU (184 pts)
Day 4: Sun Devils' trend of individual success not enough for top-five finish
The women’s swim and dive team kept the trend of strong individual performances but a lack of team showing on the final day of competition.
The evening started with the 1650 freestyle where freshmen Kendall Dawson, Bentley Hulshof and Andi Johnston all swam to their personal bests. Their effort was enough to add 37 points to the Sun Devils’ total.
Our Devils crushed the 1650! Big PRs: Dawson (16:15.09 - 27sec drop), Hulshof (16:32.64 - 22sec drop) and Johnston (16:52.29 - 9 sec drop)
— ASU Swimming&Diving (@ASUSwimDive) February 26, 2017
Freshman Silja Kansakoski had her second day of remarkable swimming as she placed second in the 200 breaststroke and set a new ASU record (2:06.41).
Kansakoski proved over the four days of championships that she is the top breaststroker on the roster with her first and second place finishes.
Although there were no dominant freshman performances or personal records set, the real show was on the diving platform.
Junior Mara Aiacoboae beat out second place finisher UA rival Karolyn Loftus for first place in the women’s platform dive.
Aiacoboae finished 33.7 points ahead of her preliminary score and 30.10 points ahead of Loftus in the finals.
With solid performances across the board, ASU was able to show the Pac-12 just how strong this young team can be.
However, solid performances were not enough to propel the Sun Devils into fifth place.
Stanford University took home the title as the 2017 Women’s Swimming and Diving Pac-12 Champion with 1587.5 points.
The Cardinal was led by freshman Olympian Katie Ledecky, who was part of several record-breaking races over the week’s competition.
Ultimately, ASU would like to have finished higher, but the team was able to compete with some of the Pac-12’s best, which is what the team strives for.
ASU’s men’s swim and dive team will get their chance at the Pac-12 Championships next week (March 1-4).
Standings: 1. Stanford (1587.5 pts), 2. Cal (1392 pts), 3. USC (1250.5 pts), 4. UA (1075.5 pts), 5. UCLA (1002 pts), 6. ASU (709.5 pts), 7. Utah (484 pts), 8. WSU (334 pts), 9. OSU (237 pts)
Reach the reporter at atotri@asu.edu or follow @Anthony_Totri on Twitter.
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