Courtesy: Big 12 Sports
Arizona State collected a share of five weekly awards as Ilya Kharun (men’s swimmer), Lane Stallworth (men’s co-diver), Lucien Vergnes (men’s newcomer), Deniz Ertan (women’s swimmer) and Caroline Bentz (women’s newcomer) earned Conference recognition. Kansas’ Shiyun Lai (women’s diver) and TCU’s David Ekdahl (men’s co-diver) completed the winners for the fourth week of the season.
Kharun tallied six gold medals in ASU’s win over NC State. The sophomore took home individual wins in the 100 fly (43.95) and 200 fly (1:38.74) with an additional four golds coming in the 200 medley relay (1:22.40), 400 medley relay (3:02.04), 200 free relay (1:15.11) and 400 free relay (2:46.58). Kharun tied a school record with a 50 free split of 18.59 in the lead-off spot on the 200 free relay as the Sun Devils relay broke the pool record. The Las Vegas, Nevada native also set the record in the 200 fly with the fastest time in the country this season, over five seconds faster than the runner up at the meet. It is his second Conference weekly award this season.
Ertan finished her weekend with three individual wins (400 IM, 500 free, 1000 free) and a runner-up result (200 fly) against the Wolfpack. The 2020 Tokyo Olympian swam a season-best in the 500 free (4:40.19) to earn the gold medal before a come-from-behind victory in the last 25 yards of the 400 IM (4:10.83). The junior rounded out her top-place finishes with a time of 9:37.96 in the 1000 free. It is her first career Big 12 weekly award.
Stallworth swept both diving events to become the first Sun Devil to score 300+ points in both events at a dual meet. The junior registered scores of 301.2 (1-meter dive) and 306.53 (3-meter dive) to contribute 18 points to the ASU team score and secure his first career Big 12 weekly award.
Ekdahl notched NCAA zone cuts on the 1-meter and 3-meter dives to help the Horned Frogs defeat No. 24 SMU. The senior notched a runner-up finish in the 1-meter with a score of 375.60 and a third-place result in the 3-meter (361.73) to earn his first award for the season and eighth of his career.
Lai collected her third weekly Conference award of her career by sweeping the diving events against South Dakota. The 2024 Big 12 3-meter diving champion finished with score of 378.38 in the 3-meter and 325.28 in the 1-meter.
Vergnes competed in five events and recorded top-three finishes in each competition. The freshman picked up wins in the 200 medley relay (1:22.40; 21.01 back split) and the 400 medley relay (3:02.04; 45.79 back split) in addition to a season-best time of 53.17 in the 100 breast. He added a runner-up result in the 200 breast (1:54.31) and a third-place outcome in the 200 IM (1:46.50). It is his first career Big 12 weekly award.
Bentz spotlighted her weekend with a win in the 50 free as she set the school record in 21.88 seconds. The graduate student followed that up with another school record in the 200 back (1:53.11). She wrapped up her weekend with three runner-up finishes in the 200 medley relay (1:36.17, 21.66 split), 400 medley relay (3:33.56; 48.56 split) and the 400 free relay (3:15.73, 48.30 split). It is her third Conference award this season.
Big 12 Swimming and Diving Weekly Awards- October 30
Men’s Swimmer of the Week: Ilya Kharun, Arizona State
Men’s Co-Divers of the Week: Lane Stallworth, Arizona State & David Ekdahl, TCU
Men’s Newcomer of the Week: Lucien Vergnes, Arizona State
Women’s Swimmer of the Week: Deniz Ertan, Arizona State
Women’s Diver of the Week: Shiyun Lai, Kansas
Women’s Newcomer of the Week: Caroline Bentz, Arizona State
