TEMPE -- In the previous eight years, the Arizona State swimming program had only four men qualify for the NCAA Swimming Championships. In 2016 under first-year head coach Bob Bowman, the Sun Devils are sending six men along with four relay teams.
Juniors Richard Bohus, Tadas Duskinas, Barkley Perry and Thomaz Martins will accompany sophomores Patrick Park and Christian Lorenz and senior Juan Tolosa to Atlanta, Ga. to represent the revamped ASU swim program. Juniors Reid Elliott and Thomaz Martins will also participate in the men's relay events, with Elliott in the 200-yard medley and Martins in the 800-yard freestyle.
Sophomore diver Heikki Makikallio will also be diving in the men's 3-meter springboard and 10-meter platform event. He placed fifth and sixth respectively at the NCAA Zone E Diving Championships just two weeks ago, while also placing third at the Pac-12 meet off the tower. This will be his first time competing at the NCAA Championships.
The men will be riding off of an impressive Pac-12 Championship three weeks ago where they broke six school records.
Lorenz broke two of them in the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke while placing fourth and third, respectively. Those were the two highest finishes of anyone on team and the only podium for any Sun Devil swimmer at the conference meet. He will once again be competing in the two events on Friday and Saturday in Atlanta.
In the relays, Lorenz is also a part of the men's 200- and 400-yard medley relays who have qualified for the NCAA Championships. Him and his relay teammates Bohus, Duskinas and Perry swam a 1:25.35, which ranks 17th in the country. The 400 medley relay -- which also includes the four -- swam a 3:08.78 for the new school record at Pac-12's and rank 19th heading into the national championships.
The men will also compete in the 400- and 800-yard freestyle relays over the weekend, with the latter on Wednesday at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT. Junior Thomaz Martins joins Perry, Bohus and Park for the 800, while Duskinas takes Perry's spot on the 200.
Individually, Perry will compete in his primary events -- the 100- and 200-yard backstroke -- as well as the 500-yard freestyle. In the 200, Perry currently holds the 27th-fastest qualifying time out of 46 qualifiers.
Along with Perry, Bohus will also compete in three events, including the 100-yard backstroke with the 29th best qualifying time. He will also swim in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle events.
Duskinas will join Bohus in the two freestyle sprints as well as the 100-yard butterfly where he holds the 20th best time in the country entering the NCAA Championships.
Park will also swim in the 50-yard freestyle, while joining Duskinas in the 100 fly and swimming on his own in the 200-yard butterfly.
In the distance events, Tolosa will join Perry in the men's 500-yard freestyle as well as the 1,650-yard freestyle -- an event in which he holds the 20th fastest time.
For a schedule of each day, please click here for the championship home page. The men's 800-yard freestyle relay will start off the four-day championship week on Wednesday night.