Cierra Runge Breaks School Record; Fail Swims Lifetime Best in Tucson

Arizona State vs. Arizona

• February 9th, 2019
• University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
• 25y, dual meet format
• Meet Results
• Team Scores:
  • Men: Arizona State 159.5 -Arizona 140.5
  • Women: Arizona 180.5-Arizona St. 119.5

The Arizona State men and the Arizona women came away with a split victory on Saturday in the Duel in the Desert in Tucson. While the Arizona women won in a rout, the men’s meet was a competitive 19 point margin: much tighter than the 109 points by which Arizona State won last year.

There were fast times, and even career bests, all around the meet, especially from both teams’ distance crews. Most swimmers appeared to be suited for the event.

Women’s Meet Recap

Arizona State junior Cierra Runge started her collegiate record in record-breaking fashion at Cal in the 2014-2015 season. After spending the 2016-2017 year at Wisconsin, Runge has returned to the Pac-12 to train with her childhood coach Bob Bowman and has brought her career full-circle: once again out west tearing up the Pac-12 and breaking records.

On Saturday, she swam a 1:44.04 in the 200 free, which broke Arizona State’s 7-year old school record in the event, previously having belonged to Shannon Landgrebe.

In the 1000 free, which Runge is one of the fastest swimmers in history in, her teammate Emma Nordin finished in 9:40.71. That’s almost 3 seconds faster than the 2012 record set by former open water National Teamer Tristin Baxter in 2012 and Nordin’s personal best by nearly 30 seconds.

A sign of the day in the women’s meet though came when she swam that school record and still lost by 4 seconds. Arizona’s Hannah Cox touched in 9:36.68 to take the win in that event. That’s her season best, though 4 seconds shy of her lifetime best.

Joining her in season-best swims for the Wildcats were freshman Aria Bernal, who won the 100 back in 52.40 (an NCAA invite took 52.54 last season); and Mallory Korenwinder swam a season best to win the 100 breaststroke in 1:00.25.

Arizona got two individual wins from Katrina Konopka, who topped both the 50 free (22.79) and 100 free (49.01). Her best swim of the day was a 22.02 anchor on Arizona’s winning 200 medley relay (1:37.57). Arizona went 1-2 in that race.

Arizona State freshman Ruby Martin took 3rd in the 200 fly in 1:58.09, which moves her to 5th in school history; and Fanny Teijonsalo finished 2nd in the 54.05, good for 8th in school history.

Men’s Meet Recap

Like the women, the Arizona men won the first two events of the day; but unlike the Arizona women, the men couldn’t hold on to that momentum. A 1:34.86 200 free from Grant House broke the early Arizona streak, followed by a 46.82 win in the 100 back from Zachary Poti. The Sun Devils showed big depth in both of those events, finishing 1-3-4 in each (worthy of 9 point scoring margins in each).

The Arizona men got their fair share of punches in, though, and had some big confidence-boosting swims in the meet. In the 1000 free, Brooks Fail won in 8:55.00 (16 seconds better than the runner-up Ben Olszewski of Arizona State). Fail’s previous lifetime best was a 9:01.94, done in 2017 when he was still in high school.

That swim continues Fail’s breakout sophomore season, springboarding off a 4:14 time trial at Pac-12s that qualified him for the NCAA Championships. That swim came after being left off Arizona’s scoring roster at the meet while battling an undisclosed illness.

Also swimming lifetime bests for Arizona was Sam Iida in the 200 breast (1:54.58), which now ranks him 6th in school history. Iida also won the 100 breaststroke in 53.11, followed by Arizona freshman transfer David Schlicht in 53.64. That’s Schlicht’s first career 100 yard breaststroke (he’s Australian).

Later i the meet, Schlicht won the 200 IM in 1:46.16, just edging out House (1:46.17). That’s also Schlicht’s first-ever 200 yard IM swim.

The two teams split wins (8 for each), but Arizona State was able to seal the day with a 2:53.63 in the 400 free relay: half-a-second ahead of Arizona. For the Sun Devils, that included a 42.57 rolling-start split from sophomore Evan Carlson. He also won the 50 free (19.90) individually, and was the latter-half of a 1-2 finish with Carter Swift (43.18) in the 100 free.

Both teams are now done racing until the Pac-12 Championships, which start on February 27th for women and March 6th for men.

Press Releases

Courtesy: Arizona Athletics:

UCSON, Ariz. – Arizona women closed out the season with a win against rival Arizona State, 180.5-119.5. The men narrowly lost 140.5-159.5, for an overall split of the dual meet. In total, the Cats tallied 19 wins. Two sophomore men earned personal bests and six swimmers posted season bests.

The day began with a Facility Dedication for the renovated pool, followed by honoring our seniors.

Personal Bests

Brooks Fail won the 1000 free with 8:55.00, setting a personal-best and fifth-fastest in school history.

Sam Iida set a personal best in the win in the 200 breast with 1:54.58. The sophomore earned an NCAA B cut and moves up to sixth-fastest in school history.

Mik Ranslem won the 200 IM with 1:59.10, earning an NCAA B cut and a personal best.

Season Bests

Hannah Cox won the 1000 free with 9:36.68, a season best.

Aria Bernal won the 100 back, with a season-best 52.40. The freshman earned an NCAA B cut in this race.

Mallory Korenwinder set a season-best in the 100 breast and earned a win (1:00.25). Iida won the 100 breast for the men with a season-best 53.11. Both times earn NCAA B cuts.

Ranslem set a season-best in the 200 fly with 1:57.93, finishing runner-up. The senior also earned a season best in the 100 fly (54.11), placing second.

David Schlicht placed second in the 200 breast with 1:56.99. The Australian won the 200 IM with 1:46.16. The freshman transfer competed in both events for the first time this season.

Wildcat Wins

Arizona started the meet with a bang, winning the first four events. The women’s 200 medley relay, consisting of Bernal, Madison Blakesley, Mackenzie Rumrill, and Katrina Konopka, earned gold with 1:37.57. The LadyCat B team placed runner-up with 1:39.29.

Rumrill won the 200 fly with 1:57.20. Brendan Meyer wins the 200 fly for the men with 1:45.86. Mathias Oh finished second with 1:46.17.

LadyCats sweep the 50 free, with Konopka finishing first (22.79), Jamie Stone second (22.80), Ashley Sutherland third (23.04), and Kayla Filipek fourth (23.10).

Konopka picked up her second win of the day in the 100 free with 49.01. Taylor Nations finished right behind her with 49.77.

Sophomore Fail won the 500 free with 4:18.30, his second win on the day.

Delaney Schnell won the 3m dive with 320.63.

Senior Chatham Dobbs won the 100 fly with 47.35.

Arizona women’s 400 free relay closed out the meet with a win with 3:17.55.

Up Next: The Cats head to Pac-12 Championships in Federal Way, Washington. Women’s swim and men’s and women’s diving will compete Feb. 27-March 3 and the men March 6-9.

Courtesy Arizona State Athletics:

TUCSON, Ariz. – In their final regular season meet, the Sun Devil women’s swimming and diving squad fell to the No. 21 Arizona Wildcats, 180.5-119.5, on Saturday afternoon at the Hillenbrand Aquatic Center.

THE DETAILS

The Sun Devils were highlighted by Emma Nordin and Cierra Runge, who both broke school records in back-to-back events in Tucson. Nordin stepped to the block in the third event of the afternoon, the 1000 free, and touched the wall at 9:40.71, almost three seconds faster than Tristin Baxter’s record set in 2012. The mark was a personal best by nearly 30 seconds for Nordin, which she set last January at Cal.

Runge did the same in the very next event, downing Shannon Landgrebe‘s seven-year old record in the 200 free with a time of 1:40.04, also a personal best.

Like Nordin, Kendall Dawson also had a showing in the 1000 free, as her time of 9:54.75 gave her possession of the 7th fastest time in school history. Several other Sun Devils wrote themselves in the record books as Chloe Isleta raced to the sixth-best time in school history in the 200 back today, giving her seven of the top-10 times. Isleta also added the No. 9 mark in school history in the 100 back during the meet.

Freshman Ruby Martin also contributed a top time in the 200 fly, as her time of 1:58.09 is the fifth-fastest time in ASU history. Fanny Teijonsalo rounded out the top times, contributing the No. 8 time in school history in the 100 fly at 54.05.

ASU notched five wins in the outing in the 200 free (Cierra Runge), one meter springboard (Ashley McCool), 200 back (Chloe Isleta), 200 breast (Silja Kansakoski) and 500 free (Runge). The Sun Devils also notched 20 podium finishes, including a sweep of the top-three spots in the 200 breast by Kansakoski, Marlies Ross and Nora Deleske.

THE STATS

Individual Wins (5):
Cierra Runge (200 free, 500 free)
Ashley McCool (one meter)
Chloe Isleta (200 back)
Silja Kansakoski (200 Breast)

Personal Bests (10):
Cierra Runge: 1:44.04 in 1000 free
Cameron Smith: 23.51 in 50 free | 50.64 in 100 free | 1:48.62 in 200 free
Lilia Smith: 1:50.03 in 200 free
Lizzy Spears: 56.58 in 100 back
Lana Berry: 1:02.08 in 100 breast
Kendall Dawson: 9:54.75 in 1000 free
Bentley Hulshof: 10:06.28
Emma Nordin: 9:40.71 in 1000 free

THE PLAY-BY-PLAY

The Sun Devils got off to a slow start, taking third and fourth in the opening 200 medley relay. Nordin took the block in the 1000 free, racing to a second place finish. She was followed by Kendall Dawson in fourth, Caitlyn Wilson in fifth and Bentley Hulshof rounded out the Sun Devils in sixth.

Cierra Runge took top honors in the 200 free with a personal best of 1:44.04, and ASU slowly began to build traction. Chloe Isleta took second in the 100 back followed by Silja Kansakoski and Lana Berry taking second and third, respectively, in the 100 breast. Freshman Ruby Martin contributed a podium finish as well, taking third in the 200 fly.

Diver Ashley McCool won her third three-meter springboard title on the season in the meet, putting up a score of 344.63 to take first place. Fellow Sun Devil Frida Kaellgren also place third in the event with a score of 312.00.

At the first break, the Wildcats held a 86-45 advantage over the Sun Devils.

Camryn Curry placed third in the 100 free and Isleta took gold in the 200 back to start a little hot streak for ASU, as the women went on to sweep the top three spots in the 200 breast. Kansakoski, Marlies Ross and Nora Deleske swept first, second and third, respectively, and Runge followed with her second win of the competition in the 500 free shortly thereafter.

ASU added another more second place finish through Fanny Teijonsalo, who earned that spot in the 100 fly. Just as swimming headed into their second break, McCool competed to a second place finish in the one meter springboard and Kaellgren placed third.

Ross opened the final stretch of events with silver in the 200 IM, and the Sun Devils headed into their final event of the day, the 400 free relay. The ASU A squad of Curry, Teijonsalo, Rune and Ross touched the wall at 3:20.24 for second place while the B squad of Nordin, Berry, Dawson and Erica Laning placed fourth to bring the score to its final of 180.5-119.5.

UP NEXT

With the regular season coming to a close today, the Sun Devils turn their attention toward the postseason. Next up for the Sun Devils is the Pac-12 Championships in Federal Way, Washington.