Success came often this season for ASU freshman Joona Puhakka, and it seemed inevitable that the Finnish star would find success at the NCAA championships.
Coaches and fans didn't have to wait long as Puhakka clinched the national title on the 1-meter springboard on the first day of competition in Austin, Texas.
The national championship was the first for an ASU diver in 35 years and only the third diving crown in school history.
Puhakka finished the regular season undefeated on the 1-meter springboard and continued his dominance of the event by beating his closest opponent by 37 points.
Before the meet, diving coach Mark Bradshaw predicted that Puhakka's performance would be a "big difference" in how the ASU men's squad finished in the meet.
The national title certainly didn't hurt the Sun Devils as they finished the weekend in 11th place. With the women's 10th-place finish at their meet, ASU now has two top-12 teams for the first time since 1987.
Junior Nick Brunelli notched a fifth-place finish in the 100-meter freestyle on the final day of competition to give ASU a needed boost. The time of 42.93 was a personal best for Brunelli.
Freshman David Kolozar used the national meet to showcase his own record-breaking style. Kolozar set a career-best time in the 200-meter butterfly early in the meet and then broke his own mark again on Sunday.
In the end, Puhakka's 37 points, the 12th highest individual point total, were the difference in ASU's 116.5 team points.
Reach the reporter at cameron.eickmeyer@asu.edu.
