March 23, 2005
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This Week
The Arizona State University men's swimming and diving team sends three swimmers and one diver to the 2005 Men's NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships held March, 124-26 in Minneapolis, Minn. The men return two swimmers and one diver from last year's NCAA meet in David Kolozar, Emerson Ward and Joona Puhakka. The Sun Devils add one new face to the NCAA squad in Leonardo Martins.
Men 2004-05 Season
The women's swimming and diving team finished the 2004-05 season with a 2-6 overall record and 0-4 in the Pacific-10 Conference. The team finished with 311.50 points to earn a fifth-place finish at the 2004 Men's Swimming and Diving Championships. The Sun Devil men saw Joona Puhakka defend his Pac-10 titles in the one-meter and three-meter events.
Men Last Year at NCAAs
The Arizona State University men's swimming and diving tem travelled five swimmers and one diver to the 2004 NCAA meet where they finished 18th overall. Joona Puhakka won his second national championship for the Sun Devils, taking the title in the three-meter springboard. He placed third on the one-meter. The swimmers were led by performances from David Kolozar who placed 14th at the NCAAs in the 200 butterfly. Ward swam in his first NCAA Championships last season, where he competed in the 100 breaststroke event.
New Faces at the NCAAS
The Sun Devil men are sending one swimmer to the NCAA meet for the first time. Junior Leonardo Martins qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 200 breaststroke. Martins swam a season-best time of 1:59.51 at the Pac-10 Championships in the 200 breaststroke. He ranks third on ASU's all-time top-ten list with a time of 1:59.48 that he set at the 2004 Pac-10 Championships.
Men's Swimmers This Year at the Pac-10s
The men's swimming team was last in action at the 2005 Pac-10 Men's Swmming Championships held in Long Beach, Calif. where they swam into a fifth-place finish. The men were led by the swims of Emerson Ward, David Kolozar, Leo Martins, Joey Clements and Jeff Barrett. Ward swam into sixth-place overall in the 100 breaststroke with a season-best time and NCAA cosideration time of 54.63. His time qualified for the 2005 NCAA Men's Swimming and Divng Championships. Kolozar, who also qualifed for the NCAA meet for the Sun Devil men, took sixth in the 200 butterfly event with a season-best and NCAA consideration time of 1:45.84. Martins led the men in the 200 breaststroke event, finishing in fifth-place with a NCAA consideration time of 1:49.66, while Clements took eighth-place for the Sun Devil men with a NCAA consideration time of 2:00.13. Barrett rounded out the individual top-eight performances for ASU, with an eighth-place swim in the 100 freestyle, swimming a time of 45.04. Barrett's preliminary time of 44.13 puts him ninth on ASU's all-time top-ten list in that event.
Re-Writing the Pac-10 Record Books
Junior All-American Joona Puhakka made Pac-10 history last week, claiming his third Pac-10 title on the 1-meter and 3-meter springboard events. Puhakka became the third man to win three Pac-10 titles on the 1-meter event and the first since 1994. He continued to make conference history on Thursday evening, winning his second conference title in as many days, claiming the 3-meter springboard event. With that victory, Puhakka solidified himself into the Pac-10 record book as he became the third Pac-10 diver to ever win the 3-meter on three occasions and the first man to win three Pac-10 Championships in the 1-meter and the 3-meter events.
Diving High
Junior All-American Joona Puhakka set two new school-records in as many days in meets against Stanford (Jan. 21) and California (Jan. 22). Puhakka returned to dual meet action against Stanford for the first time since November bettering his previous school-record in the 1-meter springboard event with a 403.58. The reigning NCAA champion broke his second-school record in as many days, destroying the school record in the 3-meter event that he set in a dual meet against USC earlier this season by more than 51 points, scoring a 449.48.
Where They Rank
The Sun Devil men travelling to the 2005 NCAA Men's Swimming and Diving Championships rank amongst the top in the history of the ASU swimming and diving program. Joona Puhakka holds the school-record for ASU men's diving in the one-meter (dual and championship) and three-meter (dual and championship). David Kolozar second all-time in the 200 butterfly with a time of 1:45.16 that he set in 2003. Kolozar also holds the eighth position in the 200 IM all-time top-ten with a time of 1:49.59 that he swam at the 2005 Pac-10 Championships. Emerson Ward holds the second spot on the ASU all-time top-ten in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 54.58 that he set at the 2004 Pac-10 Championships. Leonardo Martins swam into third in the ASU record books in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 1:59.48.
David Kolozar - Junior (Returning All-American)
Budapest, Hungary
The top Sun Devil in the 200 butterfly and the 200 IM...swam into fifth-place at the Texas Invitational in the 200 butterfly...took first-place in the 200 fly at the Dallas Morning News Invitational...placed sixth at the 2005 Pac-10 Men's Swimming and Diving Championships with a season-best time of 1:45.84...finished 14th overall at Pac-10s in the 200 IM with a season-best time of 1:49.59...swam on the Sun Devils sixth-place 800 freestyle relay team...placed 14th at the 2004 NCAA Men's Swimming and Diving Championships in the 200 butterfly with a time of 1:45.56...finished 11th at the 2003 NCAA Championships in the 200 butterfly with a personal-best time of 1:45.16...his NCAA time put him second in the ASU record books in that event...has the eighth-fastest time in Sun Devil history in the 200 IM...will compete in the 200 butterfly and 200 IM events for the Sun Devils.
Leonardo Martins - Junior
Garanhuns - PE, Brazil
Is one of the top 200 breaststrokers in Sun Devil history...making his first NCAA appearance for ASU...placed eighth in the 200 breaststroke at the Texas Invitational with a time of 2:00.37...finished fifth in the 200 breaststroke at the 2005 Pac-10 Men's Swimming and Diving Championships with a time of 1:59.66...swam a season-best time of 1:59.51 in the preliminary swim at the Pac-10s...finished 12th at the Pac-10s in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 56.13...finished 10th at the 2004 Pac-10 Championships in the 200 breaststroke with a career-best time of 1:59.48, placing him third on ASU's all-time top-ten list in that event...will compete in the 200 breaststroke event for the Sun Devils.
Joona Puhakka - Junior (Returning All-American - NCAA Champion)
Helsinki, Finland
Solidified himself as one of the best athletes to ever compete in the ASU swimming and diving program...took first-place in every meet and in all but one event this season...took first-place against Stanford in the one-meter springboard event with a 403.58...set a career-best in the three-meter springboard event, scoring a 449.48 on way to first-place finish against California...broke his previous mark by more than 51 points...won the one-meter title at the 2005 Pac-10 Championships with a score of 387.05...took the three-meter title at Pac-10s with a score of 611.90...became the first man in Pac-10 history to win the three-meter event on three occasions and the first man to win three Pac-10 Championships in the one-meter and the three-meter...took the one-meter and three-meter titles at the 2005 NCAA Zone E Diving Regional...the 2003 NCAA Champion in the one-meter event, scoring a 395.80 and beating his nearest competitor by nearly 37 points...finished third at the 2003 NCAAs in the three-meter...the 2004 NCAA Champion in the three-meter event and placed third in the one-meter event...became the first male student-athlete in the history of the program to win two national championships in a career...holds the school-record in the one-meter events (dual meet and championships) and three-meter events (dual meet and championships)...will compete in the one-meter, three-meter and platform diving events for the Sun Devils.
Emerson Ward - Senior
Phoenix, Ariz.
Sun Devils...placed sixth at the 100 breaststroke at the Pac-10 Championships with a season-best time of 54.63...swam the breaststroke leg on the season-best 400 medley relay team at the Texas Invitational...finished eighth overall in the 100 breaststroke at the Texas Invitational...placed eighth in the 100 breaststroke B-Final at the Texas Invitational...finished second in the 100 breaststroke at the Dallas Morning News Classic...placed eighth at the Dallas Morning News Classic in the 200 breaststroke...competed at the 2004 NCAA Men's Swimming and Diving Championships in the 100 breaststroke...will compete in the 100 breaststroke event for the Sun Devils.