The ASU men’s swimming team finished in fifth place at the Pac-10 Championships in Long Beach, Calif. with a score of 326.
Stanford won the conference crown for the 29th consecutive year with 897 points. Cal claimed second place with 829.5 points, and UA followed in third with 654.5 points.
Still, the Sun Devils had some strong finishes that earned them consideration times for the NCAA National Championships.
“I think pretty much everybody had personal best times,” ASU associate head coach Simon Percy said. “They had a good experience. People got out what they put in all year long.”
Senior Max Laney earned a consideration time in the 200-yard backstroke, finishing 13th with a time of 1:46.44.
Freshman Caleb Veazey placed 16th in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4:25.36. He also placed 10th in the 1650-yard freestyle, clocking in a 15:28.17.
Sophomore Xavier Mohammed had several successful finishes, earning three NCAA consideration times. He placed 13th in the 200-yard IM, clocking in at 1:47.66 to move into fifth all-time in school history, and 11th in the 400-yard IM with a “B” time of 3:51.16. Mohammed also placed 11th in the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 1:45.92.
The ASU 800-yard freestyle relay team also earned a consideration time of 6:31.53.
Percy said the ASU swimming coaching staff used this year’s Pac-10 meet as a way to give its young swimmers experience, and as a way to evaluate where it is as a new coaching staff.
“I was extremely pleased with some of the freshman kids that really had a great job at their first meet,” Percy said, “It’s a good foundation to build from.”
Although they didn’t earn NCAA consideration times, several other Sun Devil swimmers had top finishes in their heats.
Junior Nolan Ruane finished first in the “C” heat of the 50-yard freestyle. Junior James Rigg finished second in the “C” heat of the 100-yard butterfly. Freshman Joey Wasko finished in third place of the “C” heat of the 100-yard backstroke.
“Everybody has learned a lot about what to expect and how to operate,” Percy said. “We’re a very young team, and as we get older and stronger, we’ll become more competitive. They learned a lot and they’ll develop from it.”
The Sun Devils now wait to see who will be selected to compete in the NCAA Championships.
Reach the reporter at nicole.klauss@asu.edu
