March 21, 2006
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This Week
Arizona State University men's swimming and diving is traveling to Atlanta, Ga. this week to compete in the NCAA Men's Swimming and Diving Championships March 23-25. Sophmore Lucas Azevedo (Belo Horizonte, Brazil) will compete in the 500-yard freestyle, 200-yard freestyle and 1,650-yard freestyle for the Sun Devils. Sophomore C.J. Nuess (Medical Lake, Wash.) and freshman Gal Nevo (Kibbutz Hamadia, Israel) will swim in the 200-yard IM, 400-yard IM and 1,650-yard freestyle for ASU. In diving, senior Joona Puhakka (Helsinki, Finland) will try to defend his titles in the one-meter and three-meter springboards. Also competing for the Sun Devils is senior diver Brant Bingham (Mesa, Ariz.).
The Polls
In the poll released by the CSCAA, the ASU men are ranked 25th. For the complete poll, visit www.cscaa.org. In the poll released by collegeswimming.com, the men's team is ranked 24th. For the complete poll, visit www.collegeswimming.com.
Men, Last Time In The Pool
At the Pac-10 Men's Swimming Championships held in Federal Way, Wash. March 1-4, the Sun Devils finished in fifth place. ASU freshmen had a big weekend with two of them recording school records. Gal Nevo (Kibbutz, Hamadia, Israel) recorded a school-record time of 3:46.07 in the 400-yard IM and finished third in the event. Marcus Titus (Tucson, Ariz.) touched the wall in a school-record time of 54.28 to finish sixth in the 100-yard breaststroke. The freshmen continued their stellar performance in the pool on the last day of Pac-10s in the 1,650-yard freestyle and the 200-yard breaststroke. Nevo recorded ASU's sixth-fastest time in school history and finished third in the 1,650 free. In the 200 breast, Titus recorded a personal-best time of 2:00.58. Sophomore Lucas Azevedo (Belo Horizonte, Brazil) finished right behind Nevo in the 1,650 free recording the seventh-fastest time in school history. In the 500-yard freestyle, Azevedo finished sixth placing him sixth in the school record books in the event. ASU diver Joona Puhakka (Helsinki, Finland) won the one-meter and three-meter titles at the Zone E Championships held March 9-11 in Oklahoma City, Okla.
Puhakka In The Zone
Senior diver Joona Puhakka (Helsinki, Finland) became an eight-time Zone E champion when he won the one-meter and three-meter springboards at zones. In the finals on the one-meter springboard, Puhakka recorded a 427.40 to set a record in the event for a championship round. At the Pac-10 Diving Championships held in Federal Way, Wash. at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center, Puhakka came away with two more Pac-10 championships. He earned titles in the one-meter and three-meter springboards becoming the first diver in Pac-10 history to win four consecutive Pac-10 titles in an event. In all, Puhakka has earned eight Pac-10 championships, six Zone E championships and four national championships. He was also honored as Pac-10 Diver of the Year three straight years (2003-05) and National Diver of the Year in 2005. Puhakka competed for Finland in the 2000 and 2004 Summer Olympics.
Andrew Has The Answer
At the NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships held March 16-18, sophomore Caitlin Andrew (San Antonio, Texas) finished in second place in the 100-yard butterfly touching the wall in a school-record time of 52.23. She competed in two other events at NCAAs including finishing 28th in the 100-yard backstroke and 24th in the 100-yard freestyle. Andrew also finished second in the 100 fly at the Pac-10 Women's Swimming Championships. At the Pac-10s she also recorded a school record in finishing fourth in the 100-yard backstroke by touching the wall in 53.81. Andrew also swam the opening leg of the 400-yard freestyle relay team that recorded ASU's fifth-fastest time in history by touching the wall in 3:21.33. She currently holds school records in the 100-yard freestyle, 100-yard backstroke and 100-yard butterfly. Andrew recorded her school records in the 100-yard freestyle 100-yard butterfly and 100-yard backstroke this season, with the record in the 100 back coming in the Pac-10 Championships and 100 fly record at the NCAAs. Also, Andrew has the school's second-fastest time in ASU history in the 50-yard freestyle and the 200-yard backstroke. At the FINA World Cup Series held in East Meadow, N.Y. Feb. 3-4, Andrew was the third-highest American woman in the medal count. In the 50-meter backstroke Andrew touched the wall in 27.84 to capture the title. She also finished in second in the 100-meter backstroke and third in the 50-meter butterfly by recording times of 1:00.25 and 26.49 in the events respectively. Last season, Andrew was the Pac-10 champion in the 100-yard butterfly.