The ASU women's swimming and diving teams were able to post a fifth-place finish at the Pac-10 Championship thanks to a strong effort from junior diver Trisha Tumlinson and junior swimmers agnes Kovacs and Florencia Szigeti.
The women had not finished better than sixth place in the Pac-10 Championships since 1998.
Stanford claimed the team championship with 1,380 points, which just beat out UCLA's total of 1,329. UA and California finished third and fourth respectively.
In the Pac-10 diving championships in Federal Way, Wash., Tumlinson -- last year's diving newcomer of the year -- won both the 3-meter springboard and platform events.
Tumlinson's two victories were a first in ASU women's diving history. It was also the first time that an ASU women's diver won an event at the Pac-10 Championships since 1994. Tumlinson also finished fourth in the 1-meter final.
Szigeti brought home the women's other Pac-10 crown, winning the 200-yard freestyle on Friday. Szigeti's victory was the first by an ASU women's swimmer other than Kovacs since 1995. Szigeti also finished fourth in the 100-yard freestyle, her specialty event.
Kovacs, who had been recovering from an illness the past two months, and had participated in only one competition in that time, took home a second-place finish in the 100-yard breaststroke as well as a third-place finish in the 200-yard breaststroke.
In the relay events, the Sun Devils finished in fifth place in every event except for one, the 400-yard freestyle relay.
Men divers dominate
Sophomore diver Joona Puhakka claimed Pac-10 titles in the 1-meter and 3-meter events for the second year in a row, a first in ASU diving history.
Puhakka's win in the 3-meter event, which earned him a score of 674.75, broke his own school record by nearly 25 points. Puhakka beat the next closest competitor by 93.25 points. In the platform event, junior Gordon Blukis finished sixth.
Reach the reporter at matthew.schubert@asu.edu
