(Photo: Alli Cline/WCSN)
Following a fifth place finish at the Pac-12 championships three weeks ago, the ASU men’s swim team is gearing up for the biggest meat of the year at the NCAA Championships. ASU will be sending six swimmers to the big dance this year, compared to last year when they only set one.
Richard Bohus, Tadas Duskinas, Barkley Perry, Juan Tolosa, Christian Lorenz and Patrick Park will be representing ASU this week in Atlanta, GA. After a few weeks of rest and focused training, the team is excited to race in the biggest meet of the year.
“After last year when just Tadas went, it was a huge disappointment for all of us,” Park said. “We couldn’t make it in the relay. The fact that we have so many guys going this year, is a huge blessing for us and it’s a huge opportunity for us in the future.”
At the Pac12 championships, the ASU men’s swim team broke six school records. Lorenz broke records in the 100 yard and 200 yard breastroke and placed fourth and third, the highest from anyone on the team. Lorenz teamed up with Bohus, Duskinas and Perry to qualify in the 400-yard and 200-yard medley relay for the NCAA meet.
“Bob (Bowman) spoke to us earlier about the progress,” Park said. “In the next few years it’s going to be a championship culture and a championship team.”
Park said his performance at the Pac12 championships was not impressive. Despite being the conference swimmer of the month in November, he was taken off the relays and missed the top eight in the 100-yard butterfly. Now he gets a chance to bounce back and prove why he is one the top swimmers on the team.
“For the NCAAs, we are all in the same boat,” Park said. “We were all talking the other day about how NCAAs is about making the meet first. There is going to be such a wide range of athletes. Guys have tapered specifically for this meet and some just to get some points for their team.”
The meet this weekend signals the end Coach Bob Bowman’s first year as head coach of ASU. Although the team may not be ranked that high going into this meet, the amount of school records broken, and swimmers going to the national championship proves that his first year has been a success.
“I am definitely so proud,” Park said. “Last year we would compete with these teams and I don’t want to say we didn’t know how to handle it, but this year we stepped up. Every practice, every race and ever meet we stepped up. We are going to use this as a pedestal for the future.”
