Head Coach Bob Bowman
Opening Statement
"We’re looking forward to the meet this weekend. It’s another stop on our journey to what we hope is a very successful championship season. There’s a lot of emotions that come with this meet so you know that we’ll get the very best effort from our guys and ladies when they step up to swim. We had a very good weekend against Cal and Stanford, almost two weeks ago, where we did some significant performances. Our goal at this next meet is to race at that same intensity and see what level we can swim at before we head into the Pac-12 and the NCAA (Championships). We’re looking forward to it as an opportunity to perfect some details, to maybe try a couple of new things with some people in events to see where they are relative to the Pac-12, and also to just really have a great day with our alumni. We’re going to have a big event with alumni from Arizona and Arizona State. They’ll have a meet right after our meet and then a bunch of other gatherings that are centered around this competition. So, it should be a good event for ASU this weekend."
On what sets this team apart and what makes them so successful this season
"The first step is we have, by far, our most talented team. We spent a lot of time recruiting. So, you have to have "Léons" if you're going to compete at the top level. So now we have one Léon and several others that are aspiring to that level, so that really helps. The other part is I think that we have a team that is very goal-oriented and very process-oriented to achieve those goals. Everyone is bought in to the philosophy we have that the process is more important than the outcome. So what matters is what you do today when you walk in the pool at 2:00, not what you're thinking about doing in six months down the road. So when they come into practice today, they'll have a mission, I'll give them a plan for what we're going to do, they will look it over, formulate the best way that they can accomplish it, and then give their full effort towards that. And I think if you do that day in day out over a period of years, you can become very successful. So, I think our culture is very strong. And that's why the team is very strong."
On if the decision to have swimmers suit up in dual meets will have a ripple effect on the rest of the NCAA
"Yeah, I do. It already has, you know, Texas and NC State suited up the next week [after ASU vs. Cal] and sometimes they wait a little longer to do that. We decided to wear the tech suits because, number one, why don't we want to go fast in meets? Why do we impose slowness on ourselves when we don't have to? We'd like to learn how to swim in the tech suits. So, these meets are really our only chance to do it, other than a couple practices that we use them. So we wanted to be able to do that under racing conditions. And number two, we also want to learn about our training plan. And if you're going to go through your whole season, without using the tech suits for the most part and then at the end, you're going to add a tech suit, shave and taper the training, there's three variables you just changed, and you don't really know which one made the difference, or how much of a difference. So, we're taking one out of the equation. We're going to know what the suits are doing for us so we'll have a much better idea of how we're planning for the championship season, and whether our taper was successful or not. So I think that you'll see a lot more people doing that, because number one, it's a lot more fun. And number two, I just think it'll make the sport better. I think the days of people just trying to be as slow and tired as they can be all season, and then have some miraculous thing at the end, are over. It just doesn't make sense to me and I hope it doesn't make sense to everybody else and they'll keep moving the sport forward."
On fan support throughout this season
"Well, I think it's been amazing, so far, compared to previous years. We've had huge crowds at the meets at home. We've had good crowds when we travel. So, I think in general, there's a lot more interest and a lot more excitement in the events and I think this Saturday, you'll see a huge crowd here."
On how the decision to wear the tech suits will change team dynamics going into NCAA Championships
"Yeah, I hope it helps us swim better, because we got some good information from those meets. We were able to do some things and I think what you have to understand is when you wear the technical suits, we're not changing the training we're doing it all, we just put on the suit. So, while you get a faster time, it's not like you did a three-week taper and put the suit on and did a faster time, we trained regularly through that. So, I do think we learned quite a bit from those races that we're going to now put into the meet with Arizona and then we're going to take what we learned here and put it into the Pac-12s. So, I think that, in terms of us, it's just a natural stop on our plan. And Cal has their plan which includes not wearing the suits at all until Pac-12s. And I fully respect that. And they've been very successful with that, they've won four or five championships doing that. So, I'm not saying they need to do it our way, but I'm saying I think the best way for us is to use these suits and learn how to swim in them. And then at the end, we'll all know, right? Everybody will be fully prepared at NCAAs and we'll see how it shakes out. But, I'm confident and optimistic and our guys have worked really hard and that's the key ingredient."
On what about sophomore Léon Marchand is unteachable
"Well, he has what all high performers have, which is the ability to kind of block everything out at the critical moment and focus on the task at hand. A lot of people have issues with that. Most people who don't perform well in competition are distracted by things or don't fully concentrate on what they're doing. So, he's very good at that, you know, as good as anybody I've ever coached at that, to be honest. He also is a student of the sport and is always learning how to swim his races better and he's very aware of how he swims the races. When he comes out after a race, I don't have to tell him what he did wrong, he already knows. And I can help them figure out how we can correct that. And every now and then I'll give him some pointers about some things. But in general, he's very aware about what's going on, and that just allows him to make changes much quicker."
On newcomer Zalan Sarkany’s recent performance and what his addition has meant to the team
"Well it's a huge change, because we haven't been doing distance swimming on the highest level since I've been here, and it's something that's near and dear to my heart, so I'm excited that we have somebody now that will compete for a championship in those events. But it also raises the level of everyone around him, because having him here and training has really raised the level of the rest of the group. So, it's going to make that area of our team incredibly strong. I think that's what it's done for us. It's just added a level of excitement about those events, and certainly scored more points. Those are the things we're looking for."
On how the caliber of Marchand helps raise the overall competitiveness within the program
"Yeah, definitely. When you see someone performing on that level, number one, it gives you more confidence that what you're doing is working too, right? That maybe everything we're doing is contributing to that, it's not just some kid that came in. Maybe it's the environment that's helping us. So, I think it just gives everybody energy and certainly helps them set their goals higher. Because when you see someone breaking an NCAA record in a dual meet -- which I don't know if that's happened in the last 50 years, probably never -- it just gives you an idea of what's possible if you work really hard. And they see what he does every day in practice. So, it sort of raises their individual expectation of what they can accomplish in practice and in meets. It definitely helps."
On how Coach Bowman will help Marchand choose what three events he will compete in for the NCAA championship
"Well, you know, I think we look at his big picture, right? Because once you're leading the nation in these times, you're likely to win any of those at NCAAs, right? So, from the team standpoint, it's sort of all things are equal. But I want to look at what's going to make him the best swimmer he can be in the World Championships this summer, and most importantly, next summer, and hopefully the Paris Olympic Games. So, I'm looking at the events that he might swim in those meets. We're weighing that against what he could get out of swimming certain events during the college season, because that all ties together. And then give them the best chance to do some, you know, kind of remarkable times. He's in a good spot right now. It's hard to get there and my experience is that it doesn't last forever. So, when you're there, you want to try to put up some pretty good times. We'll try to help them do that and find spots where he can do something really exceptional."
On watching Sun Devils Max McCusker and Alex Colson compete each day against each other in butterfly events
"Well, I love it because, you know, the competition brings out the best in both of them. And they both approach it from different kinds of perspectives. Max is coming from a pure sprint perspective, right. He's over there in the sprint group working on a 50 and 100 and Alex is coming down from a 200. So, we're training [Alex] for a 200 primarily, and he's coming down to the 100. So it's really fun to see them be neck and neck coming from very different vantage points. But they're both super competitive and they've both improved quite a bit. And I think they've got a lot more in the tank. Alex has trained by far better than he ever has this year. So, I'm really excited about where he'll be at the end and I know Max is doing the same. And he put in a great summer with us. I think both those guys are going to be big players at NCAAs and it'll be fun to watch them compete and see how it shakes out."
Sophomore Léon Marchand
On if he expected to reach the heights that he has since coming to ASU
"No, I didn't know I would be at this level right now when I came to ASU. We were maybe top-ten when I came here and the team was already climbing a lot of steps. Last year, I think we took maybe nine swimmers to NCAAs and I feel like this year we’re going to bring like twice as more. From my part, I’ve been improving a lot in the last three months, my times are more precise, my backstroke is better. I mean, there’s other technical stuff which is better for the 400 IM. I think that’s where I won like two seconds, two weeks ago.
On his reaction to setting an NCAA record
"So, last year, I broke the NCAA record in the 200 IM. It was different because I was at the NCAAs in front of many people from different states. But this year was very fun because we were against the defending champions Cal and we were at home so my family was in the stands. We packed the house, the crowd was pretty cool. My teammates were on the deck and we’re a big team, like about 50 swimmers, so it was just really fun to do it here. I was very surprised by the time."
On what else he wants to accomplish this season
"I mean this year, it's more like a team goal, I guess, but we want to win the NCAA championships. I mean, who doesn't? But, I feel like this year we're like in a good spot to do it and that would be crazy to win with my boys, you know? We're training together like 24-7. And that would be the greatest goal this year. Of course, there is World Championships after. I would also like to win some gold medals there. But yeah, the main goal from that is NCAAs and Pac-12s."
On if wearing the tech suits helped decide what events he wants to target at the NCAA and Pac-12 Championships.
"Yeah, I didn't help that much because we don't actually know what I'm gonna do. I know I'm gonna do the IM. So, 200 IM and 400 IM. But we don't know what I'm going to do for the third event. I might do the 200 breast because I feel like in the 200 fly, we have some guys who are pretty fast already, who can make a lot of points -- and in the 200 breast too. But like, last year, I won the 200 breast so I'm going to try to win again. The main part about the tech suit is that I've never been that fast in this part of the season. Since we didn't taper that match, we have been maybe one day before, which was like a little bit easy. So, the tech suit would mean that we can be way closer to our competition pace while we're training pretty hard. So, that was pretty cool."
On whether or not he finds it difficult to hone in on one meet at a time with NCAAs and World Championships ahead.
"You know, when I was in France, I was training for maybe for three, four months until the first meet. And now we have like a meet every two weeks, three weeks around it. And I really like it. For me, it's just way better because I know if my work pays off, like, pretty quickly. And, it's also easier for me to get to work when I know in two weeks I'm going to compete against another team. So, I like doing one step at a time. We just need to manage it, because after NCAAs, I'm gonna get back to work in long-course meters. Then doing a training camp in altitude. And then I'm going to try to qualify for Worlds, so it's just like one step at a time, but I really like it. It's been good so far."
On what teammates push him and motivate him to be better
"Yeah, there's a lot. We have a really high-level group here. We have Owen McDonald, who is a freshman here. He was a top recruit from last year in the U.S. and he's just crazy fast. Like, even this morning, we had like a set and he was ahead of everyone during the entire set. So, sometimes it's him, sometimes it's someone else. But when we do like fly set, we have Alex Colson, who is pushing me a lot. In backstroke, we have Owen and Jack Wadsworth. In breaststroke, we have Chase [Kalisz, a member of the pro group training in Tempe]. And we have so many people in each different stroke just pushing me every day. And I'm trying to push them too, so we're just improving a lot."