Arizona State Press Release
TEMPE, Ariz. – On an unseasonably cool early afternoon in the East Valley, the Sun Devil women (5-2, 2-2 Pac-12), recently named the second most improved team in the nation, brought the heat and cruised to a 164-89 victory over Oregon State.
The win improves the Sun Devils to 9-0 all-time vs. the Beavers, all but one of which have been in Tempe (2015-16 was in Corvallis).
"We've had 10 really hard days of training since they came back from the holiday break," said associate head coach Ryan Mallam. "They're responding really well to the change in stimulus so we're just going to keep the train rolling. Once we begin the championship season and they start resting a little bit, there are going to be some special swims."
ASU started and finished strong with a pair of 1-2 touches in the 200 medley and 400 free relays and touched first in 11 of 12 individual events.
The Devils spread the wealth with nine different swimmers posting top finishes, Chloe Isleta (200 fly, 200 back) and Marlies Ross (200 breast, 400 IM) the only two to touch first in multiple events.
Notably, Isleta finished nearly 22 seconds ahead of sister and Oregon State senior Czsarina Isleta, in the 400 IM, in one of the most anticipated matchups of the afternoon.
Senior captains Alysha Bush (100 free) and Kat Simonovic (200 free) each won an event for ASU while five of the other winners are freshmen.
"The women's team is definitely freshman-heavy and we're going to bring more in next year so the change in culture is starting to come around. Big firepower is coming from the freshman class and we expected that. They're just going to fly the flag for us."
Despite the youth now characteristic of ASU's roster, senior leadership also plays a significant role in the team's growth.
"[Kat] is a team captain and she's seen it all. With her experience, she tells [her younger teammates] what not to do and provides help. She lets them know the mistakes that could come without making mistakes so her leadership is valuable."
ASU has two more weeks of training before one of the hardest tests of the season as the men and women welcome No. 1(women)/No. 4(men) Stanford (Friday, Jan. 20 – 2 pm) and No. 1(men)/No. 2(women) Cal (Saturday, Jan. 21 – 12 noon) to Tempe on back-to-back afternoons.
Saturday, Jan. 21 will serve as the teams' Senior Day, marking the final time the 2017 Sun Devil senior class will swim at home.
Oregon State Press Release
TEMPE, Ariz. — The Oregon State women's swimming team looked to recorded its first win of the new year, but came up short at Arizona State. The Beavers fell 164-89 to the Sun Devils.
Freshman Felicia Anderson made the first highlight for the Beavs in the 100-yard backstroke with a second place finish and a time of 56.58. Anderson also finished second in the 200-yard back with a touch of 2:03.80.
Senior Jesikah Cavanaugh took a top place finish in the 100-yard fly with a time of 59.12, while teammate freshman Merritt Allen came in third clocking a time of 1:00.42.
Oregon State will return to Corvallis for its final weekend of the regular season, hosting Washington State and Idaho on Friday and Saturday at the Osborn Aquatic Center.
