Graduate Caroline Bentz transferred after four years at Virginia Tech to Sun Devil Country, intending to finalize her career by leaving a lasting legacy. With multiple broken records and two Big 12 awards already in the books, Bentz has much promise as she continues to leave a mark at ASU.
Bentz has participated in four record-breaking times for ASU dating back to the very first meet. She was in the 200 medley relay, coming in at the anchor swimming 21.64. In other performances, she broke the 50 free school record with a 21.88 time, led a 400 relay swimming her leg at 48.30, and the 200 back, finishing in 1:53.11.
Head coach Herbie Behm sees a true competitor in Bentz because of her immense talent and desire to win. He said she raises the bar and leaves a model for the rest of her teammates, who believe they can write their name into history as well.
“She’s incredibly talented … she’s just someone who really wants to win that bad,” Behm said.
Bentz has always brought a strong pride in everything she does. As the youngest of four siblings who all swim, her competitive nature and “go for it” attitude started when she was little.
“That’s what I wanted to do,” Bentz said. “I wanted to come to a team where I could make a difference and help the team be the best they could be.”
She entered the sport at around eight or nine years old, getting her feet wet by practicing with local clubs in King George, Virginia.
She took the next step by competing with Nation’s Capital Club. This is where Bentz truly kickstarted her career with hours of intense training. She focused more on her times, national rankings, and anything else she could improve on.
The club was an hour away from her home, and she said she felt overwhelmed and stressed by her commitment. So, she graduated from high school at 16 and took a gap year before transitioning into collegiate swimming around the pandemic.
She completed four years at Virginia Tech, becoming a three-time All-American swimmer and qualifying for the Olympic Trails. After a full and successful career as a Hokie, she decided to transfer to the desert for her final season.
Besides the high-level program at ASU, it was the culture that attracted Bentz. She said she believes it's the best culture she's ever been part of, with every swimmer motivating each other to reach excellence.
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“I believe in myself but it’s so nice when someone reinforces that and you’re like, 'wow thank you I can do that," Bentz said. “It's really good because that’s not always the case.”
Bentz fits right into the Sun Devil culture and is known to always bring positive energy. Her roommate, sophomore Miriam Sheehan believes this team wouldn't be the same without her. Teammate and senior Charli Brown sees the same light and admires her mindset.
“She has so much energy and is so fun to be around,” Brown said. “No matter what happens in the pool, she won't let it affect her outside of the pool.”
Bentz has always seen herself to be a very confident and driven athlete. She stays focused, is attentive, and spends a large amount of effort in the intricate parts of how she swims from both her speed and strength.
She called swimming a very objective sport, because all the focus is on time performance in the most important events. Bentz has learned to always live in the moment and to persevere on challenging days, bouncing back from moments can define one's character.
“You can either be defeated or get back up,” Bentz said. “Swimming has constantly taught me how to get back up and not let my circumstances define the rest of my life … Pushing to succeed has always been the whole basis of my career.”
Although Bentz has reached her goals of breaking records and bringing pride to Tempe, a swimmer with a winning spirit like hers won’t ever be satisfied. She wants to embrace this season as she nears the end of her career, and the impact she's made on this program proves she goes above and beyond to give it her all.
“I’m not going to do this for the rest of my life,” Bentz said. “I have to take advantage of every moment and every opportunity that I get because it doesn't last forever. These moments are so pure and golden and I am blessed that I get to have these moments.”
Edited by Henry Smardo, Sophia Ramirez and Madeline Schmitke.
Reach the reporter at linunez@asu.edu and follow @laurentahuka on X.
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