By Robert Gibbs on SwimSwam
NC State vs. Arizona State
- October 25th-26th, 2024
- Willis R. Casey Aquatic Center, Raleigh, NC
- Dual Meet Format
- SCY
- Results on Meet Mobile as “NC State vs ASU 2024”
- Scores Through Day 1:
- Men: ASU 98, NC State 88
- Women: NC State 126, ASU 60
- Live Stream: ACCNX (Subscription Required)
With the explosion of fast in-season swimming over the last few years, we’ve almost become inured to what should be eye-popping times in October. But with Arizona State and NC State squaring off in Raleigh for a two-day meet this weekend, there’s plenty for swim fans to get excited about.
Men’s Recap
The biggest story of Friday night’s session had to be Arizona State sophomore Ilya Kharun. He’s been swimming fast all season, having already gone 44.57 in the 100 fly, 1:39.47 in the 200 fly, and 46.91 in the 100 IM (3rd-fastest time ever).
Last night, he continued his quest to become swimming’s version of Mr. October, rocking a 1:38.74 to move back ahead of Luca Urlando (1:39.03) for the top time in the nation this season.
That was Kharun’s only individual swim of the session, but he helped the Sun Devils to nation-leading times in the 200 medley and 400 free relays as well.
On the medley, Kharun split a speedy 19.31 on the 50 fly, which appears to be the 7th-fastest split ever. Kharun owns another four splits between 19.24 and 19.35, giving him four of the nine fastest splits of all time. Lucien Vergnes led off for ASU with a 21.01 split, followed by Andy Dobrzanski (23.85) and Kharun, before Jonny Kulow anchored in 18.23. The Sun Devils’ time of 1:22.40 is now the fastest in the country by over a second, improving on their own time of 1:23.54 from the UNLV meet.
Kharun led off Arizona State’s 400 free relay with a 41.56, improving on his previous-best 100 free time of 42.18. Patrick Sammon split 41.29, Filip Senc-Samardzic split 42.46, and Kulow anchored in 41.27, as the Sun Devils stopped the clock in 2:46.58. That time would’ve won NCAAs as recently as 2021, and is now the fastest in the country by nearly three seconds, surpassing Tennessee’s 2:49.23 from the day before.
The Sun Devils also earned individual event wins from Dobrzanski in the 100 breast (52.26) and Sammon in the 200 free (1:32.63).
The NC State men didn’t have one swim quite as impressive as Kharun’s 200 fly, but they fought ASU tooth and nail, coming away with some incredibly strong performances. That started with the 200 medley relay. Quintin McCarty led off in 20.89, his best time ever, Sam Hoover split 23.52 on breast, Luke Miller 19.94 on fly, and Drew Salls anchored in 18.64, good for 1:22.99.
Yes, it’s still October. And yes, a team can go sub-1:23 in the medley relay at a dual meet and still not win. That’s where we are, folks.
Individually, sophomore Daniel Diehl led the Wolfpack with 12 points, winning the 200 IM in 1:43.11 and taking 3rd in the 100 back with a 46.67. That 100 back was a tight race, with fellow sophomore Hudson Williams touching first for the Wolfpack with a 46.40, and ASU’s Jack Wadsworth finishing between the NC State swimmers with a 46.53.
Fellow sophomore Chase Mueller took the win in the 500 free, clocking a 4:15.31 to set a new personal best. In a thrilling race, yet another sophomore, Quintin McCarty, won the 50 free in 18.91. touching just ahead of ASU’s Kulow (18.95).
Women’s Recap
While the margin between the two programs is wider on the women’s side, there was no shortage of great racing last night between the women’s teams.
Individually, the standout performer was NC State freshman Leah Shackley. She arrived in Raleigh as the #3 recruit in the class of 2024 and having had a tremendous performance at Junior Pan Pacs, and she kept that summer momentum going into her college debut last night.
In the first race of the night, the 200 medley relay, freshman Erika Pelaez led off in 23.48, Grace Sheble split 27.83 on breast, Shackely split 22.78 on fly, and Lily Christianson anchored in 21.85 to win in 1:35.94. That makes the NC State women the first team in the country to go under 1:36 this season.
In her first individual event, Shackley blasted a 50.40 in the 100 back. Not only is that a new personal record for her by 0.03s, but it would’ve put her 2nd at NCAAs last season, behind only former NC State standout Katharine Berkoff. Shackley also won the 200 fly, going 1:55.25 to win the event by nearly two seconds.
Erika Pelaez, the #2 recruit in the class of 2024, also had a strong college debut. That 23.48 backstroke leadoff was her best by over a second, and she followed that up with a win and a personal best in the 200 free (1:43.14), winning that event by nearly four seconds. She also anchored the Wolfpack’s 400 free relay in a very quick 46.76 (off a personal flat start best of 47.48). NC State’s 400 free relay time of 3:13.10 puts them at #2 in the nation this season, behind only Louisville (3:12.26).
Freshman Lisa Nystrand, a Swedish national, earned another Wolfpack win with a 1:00.40 in the 100 breast, Kennedy Noble got the win in the 200 IM (1:56.22), and Ashton Zuburg took the 3m diving event with a 288.08.
The Arizona State women had a strong session of their own, breaking a couple of school records.
The first came in the 200 medley relay, where the Sun Devils kept pace with the Wolfpack for most of the race. Miriam Sheehan led off in 24.22, Iza Adame split 27.10 on breast, Julia Ullmann split 23.19 on fly, and Caroline Bentz anchored in 21.66, combining for a 1:36.17.
According to first year ASU head coach Herbie Behm, not only was that a school record by over two seconds, that’s the first NCAA ‘A’ cut for the Sun Devil women in that event in at least ten years. The Sun Devil women never really got momentum going the same way the men’s team did under former head coach Bob Bowman, but they’re certainly starting off strong under Behm.
Bentz, a fifth-year transfer from Virginia Tech, also won the 50 free, with her time of 21.88 breaking a 16 year-old program record. Deniz Ertan was the Sun Devils’ other indiviudal winner, taking the 500 free in 4:40.19.
Action resumes Saturday morning in Raleigh at 10am eastern.
Read the full story on SwimSwam: Ilya Kharun Goes 1:38 in the 200 Fly; ASU Women Shatter School Records