The ASU swim team will have to put the relaxing setting of Alumni weekend behind it as the squad returns to business with the first home meet of the season against Air Force on Friday.
Only the men’s swim team (0-1) will compete against Air Force (6-1, 0-1 Mountain West) on Friday, while the ASU dive team travels to Hawaii to open its season against the Warriors (2-0) on Friday and Saturday.
The Falcons have already competed in six duels compared to the Sun Devils’ one.
Air Force’s lone loss came against Texas Christian, but it is coming off victories over the Colorado School of Mines and Mesa State on Oct. 29.
The Falcons have been strong in their freestyle events as they won four of the five freestyle events in their last meet, including eight total first place finishes.
Although they opened the season with a loss, the Sun Devils are a very young team that acknowledged some first-race jitters. These jitters are something the team now feels is a thing of the past.
“The first meet’s always tough, especially for the new guys,” ASU senior Nolan Ruane said. “Now I think we are definitely in a lot better shape.”
ASU coach Dorsey Tierney-Walker also feels that her team is in better shape than they were two weeks ago and said she expects good things on Friday.
“Our habits are better on a daily basis,” Tierney-Walker said. “Our performance should raise another level.”
However, the Sun Devils are not alone in their youth, as Air Force has some talented freshmen on their team. Freshman Paul Leonhardt won the 200 fly for the Falcons last week and was part of an all-freshman relay team that won the 400-medley relay.
The swim team will try to build on its first meet, while the dive team will be taking part in its first meet of the season.
Going into the meet against Hawaii, ASU diving coach Mark Bradshaw is pleased with the way his team has performed in practice.
“We’re diving really well for this early time of the year,” Bradshaw said. “I’m very happy with where everybody is right now.”
The ASU divers are excited to finally compete and Bradshaw feels his team — with three Olympians and only one freshman — is experienced enough to avoid the first-meet jitters that hampered the swim team.
“They’re all pretty experienced,” Bradshaw said. “These guys are pros and they know what to do, but it will be nice to get a competition under their belt.”
While ASU wants to win every meet they participate in, Bradshaw said that UH is a good team and the meet will definitely give the Sun Devils a better understanding of what they need to work on.
The Sun Devils have been eyeing this meet because UH is in ASU’s zone to qualify for the NCAA Championships, despite not being in the Pac-10.
The UH dive team features a solid diver on both the women’s and men’s side. Senior Stephanie De Lima was the 2010 WAC Diver of the Year and junior Douglas Cohen was the men’s platform conference champion a year ago.
ASU will look to use this meet as a measuring stick early in the season.
“We have been doing it in a training environment,” Tierney-Walker said. “Now it’s time to see if we can do it in a competitive environment.”
Reach the reporter at william.boor@asu.edu
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