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Five ASU sports closest to bringing home a championship

Despite poor play by some of its revenue programs, ASU still has athletic teams on the verge of capturing glory

Roberta Liti tees off from the 5th tee box on Friday, April 8, 2016 during the 2016 Ping ASU Invitational at Karsten Golf Course in Tempe, Arizona.

Roberta Liti tees off from the 5th tee box on Friday, April 8, 2016 during the 2016 Ping ASU Invitational at Karsten Golf Course in Tempe, Arizona.


Athletics are instrumental to any university, and ASU is no exception. 

Yet with the recent disappointing seasons put together by some of the school's revenue sports, questions aplenty linger over Sun Devil sports. However, there are still at least a few athletic teams at ASU that may be closer to winning a championship than expected.

Here are the top five ASU programs that could be hoisting a trophy sooner rather than later. 

1. Women's Golf

It may not be entirely well known, but the women’s golf team has been one of the best programs at ASU recently. The team is currently ranked second among all Division I women’s golf programs.

Junior Roberta Liti is the star as of late, with her first place finish in the PING/ASU Invitational earlier this month.

“I still can’t believe it,” she said after the first place finish. “I honestly could’ve never imagined that I would’ve won this at the beginning of the week. I have been struggling a lot the past couple years … this was very unexpected but it feels great.”

Her efforts helped the team earn its first home win in 10 years, and provided the Sun Devils with the boost needed to capture the top prize.

As the Pac-12 Championships approach this week, the Sun Devils have a chance at winning a championship before any other team on this list.

Whether the women are able to capture a title this week or not, ASU will only be losing one senior at the end of the season, Monica Vaughn, leaving the majority of its core intact for next year.

2. Wrestling

The men on the mat put the entire country on notice this past season, and with the way redshirt freshman Zahid Valencia (38-1) performed, the possibilities are endless for this program.

Valencia was ranked No. 1 in the 174 lbs. division heading into the NCAA Championships where he lost in an unfortunate fashion.

Head coach Zeke Jones was supportive of his wrestler, giving him high accolades for his hard work.

"Zahid may be the best wrestler in the tournament, and I say that knowing he took third," Jones said.

Although Valencia is the centerpiece of the program, his supporting cast heavily contributed time and time again.

Sophomore Tanner Hall went into the NCAA Championships ranked No. 7 in the heavy weight division, and redshirt freshman Anthony Valencia, Zahid’s brother, made his way to the quarterfinals on college wrestling’s biggest stage.

With such a young nucleus, this team seems destined for a championship in the coming years.

3. Women's Tennis




ASU women’s tennis has seemingly had a story line every single match with their last-second victories or their complete domination of other programs.

The 26-ranked Sun Devils wrapped up the regular season with wins against in-state rival Arizona and No. 22 UCLA.

Senior Gussie O'Sullivan was the leading force behind ASU’s upset victory over the Bruins.

"With Gussie, we call her 'The Grinder' for a reason," head coach Sheila McInerney said after the match. "It is not always pretty, but she is just tough out there and you have to beat her. Sometimes down at the six position, it isn't easy for the kids to do that. Gussie is going to stay out there for breakfast lunch and dinner."

The women have won seven of their last eight matches and are looking to keep up the intensity during this week’s Pac-12 Championships.

No matter the number of wins, the team faces uncertainty with a good portion of contributing players being juniors or seniors. This has the tennis team’s clock for a title is ticking.

4. Men's/Women's Swim and Dive

ASU men’s swim and dive team had a 2016-17 season full of ups and downs, but when looking at the bigger picture, the Sun Devils are on the verge of something special.

ASU and former USA Olympic head coach Bob Bowman brought in some of the most promising talent in the entire country with women’s freshman IM and backstroke specialist Chloe Isleta, and men’s freshman Cameron Craig, who swims primarily backstroke.

Isleta helped the women get voted the second most improved team in the country, while the men ranked first in that category, according to CollegeSwimming.com. During the Pac-12 Championships Craig was crowned Pac-12 Swimmer of the Meet for the men.

As a whole, these units are some of the most diverse and gifted at ASU with several swimmers competing in the Rio Olympic qualifiers, and Bowman said he believes this is the time for ASU swim and dive.

“I can't thank our administrators, our coaches and our support staff enough for the incredible support, enthusiasm and hard work that all put into our program,” Bowman said. “It's a very special time to be Sun Devils.”

5. Beach Volleyball




This year marked one of the best ever for ASU sand volleyball. The team sported a winning percentage of over .500 and the program’s first ever sweep of a Pac-12 team.

Despite the run of wins against California, New Mexico and Stanford, the program is in a state of now or never mode when it comes to winning.

The team’s top group consists of seniors Whitney Follete and Bianca Arellano.

With graduation just around the corner for Follete, Arellano and two others, there is no saying what the drop off may be when the they leave.

However, the team is coming off a 5-0 sweep over Stanford and riding a five-game win streak hoping to stay away from playing No. 1 USC and No. 2 UCLA early on in the Pac-12 Championships.

ASU still has a chance to be crowned Pac-12 Champions by the end of the year and with the recent hot streak, don’t be surprised to see the Sun Devils take home the trophy.


Reach the reporter at atotri@asu.edu or follow @Anthony_Totri on Twitter.

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