Arizona State vs. NC State (LCM Exhibition)
- Oct. 21, 2023
- Mona Plummer Aquatics Center
- Tempe, Arizona
- LCM (50 meters)
- Results on MeetMobile: “ASU vs. NCST”
- SCY dual meet recap from Friday
An unscored LCM exhibition held the morning after an energetic dual meet between Arizona State and NC State did not produce many lifetime bests on Saturday at Mona Plummer Aquatics Center. But as is so often the case, Leon Marchand was the exception.
The 21-year-old Frenchman won the 100-meter butterfly with a personal-best 52.42, shaving 0.02 seconds off of his previous-best 52.44 from the Spanish Summer Junior National Championships last July. Marchand beat ASU teammate Ilya Kharun (52.79), who was about a second and a half slower than his personal-best 51.22 from the World Championships in July. Kharun added an individual victory in the 200 fly (1:57.94) and a 6th-place finish in the 50 free (23.36) that was just off his lifetime best (23.31).
Marchand also won the 200 free (1:49.16) and placed 3rd in the 100 back (55.32) behind ASU sophomore Hubert Kos (54.76) and NC State fifth-year Kacper Stokowski (54.07). Marchand, who didn’t have a 100-meter back swim on record entering the weekend, lost his first race since last year’s runner-up finish in the 200 fly behind world record holder Kristof Milak at the 2022 World Championships.
Related: Leon Marchand Becomes 1st NCAA Champ Since Natalie Coughlin to Complete Perfect Season
Kos, the reigning world champion in the 200 back, owns a best 100 back time of 53.11 from Worlds this year while Stokowski has been as fast as 53.74 in April.
NC State freshman Quintin McCarty won the 50 free (22.82), ASU junior Patrick Sammon triumphed in the 100 free (49.67), and ASU fifth-year Jack Dolan tallied runner-up finishes in both sprint free events (22.86/49.85). Sun Devils sprint star Jonny Kulow was absent this weekend while competing for the U.S. at the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, where he posted a 47.44 100 free relay split as well as a personal-best 48.38 flat start en route to a tie for silver with American teammate Brooks Curry.
The NC State men picked up other individual wins courtesy of Ross Dant in the 400 free (3:54.67) and JT Ewing in the 200 back (1:58.86).
NC State fifth-year Katharine Berkoff cruised to victory in the 100 backstroke (59.19) and ASU senior secured the 200 fly title in 2:13.16. NC State senior Abby Arens clocked a 1:00.24 en route to the 100 fly win, and ASU sophomore Deniz Ertan swept the 400 free (4:15.66) and 800 free (8:44.01).
Leon is a beast!
Would this count against a second undefeated season even though it was an unscored exhibition meet?
IDK. Coaches constantly tell me that unscored exhibition meets count. I don’t know if it was exhibition or not versus just unscored. Both teams were there?
It’s a tough one. I tend toward it counts but IDK we have to figure out what the consistency is.
Alt headline: Backstroke world champion gets narrow win over Leon Marchand in the 100 back, Marchand’s 10th-best event
Kos didn’t win, Stokowski did, and he’s not a world champion. He came 14th at worlds.
Kos was 7th at WC!
He did win the 200 back there.
Ha, you’re right. I clearly didn’t read to the end of the sentence.
Kos did win a backstroke event at worlds – the 200. What I was really getting at was that only the best of the best can beat Marchand at any event, even if it’s his worst and their best.
There are videos of some of the races on You Tube at “poolside perspective”
Check out the 50, looked like McCarty swam in a brief?
Based off these times im assuming theyre all in heavy training?
No they’re tapered and ready to fire off the best swims of the year in late October.
McKeown: hold my beer
Merely asked to fish and see if anyone had insight to what their training cycle is like, but yes very clever of you there stating the obvious ah ah ah
Yes! They are in heavy training! I was on the pool deck.
Heavy Training or not, ASU’s Jonny Kulow, who was doing the same heavy training till he left to head south has 3 Silvers and One Gold along with some PB in 4 events at the Pan Am games this week.
Yea until he left and started a light taper
The plane ride was taper
we are at the point where everyone expects a world record everytime Marchand swims
i lol’d
While it was a great one, he had only broken one world record. One! Once!