Arizona State First Men’s Program to Win Four Relays at NCAA Championships Since 2017
When Jonny Kulow touched the wall at the end of the 400-yard freestyle relay on Saturday night, he punctuated Arizona State’s latest relay triumph of the NCAA Championships in Atlanta. The Sun Devils finished fourth in the team standings at the McAuley Aquatic Center, but their biggest achievement during the four-day meet was claiming titles in four of the five relays contested. Only the 800 freestyle relay championship remained elusive, as Arizona State placd eighth in that event.
By winning four relays at the NCAA Champs, the Sun Devils became the first men’s program to accomplish that feat since 2017, when the University of Texas pulled it off. In addition to the 400 freestyle relay, Arizona State prevailed in the 200 freestyle relay, 200 medley relay and 400 medley relay. The 200 freestyle relay blasted an NCAA record of 1:12.46, behind the quartet of Remi Fabiani, Adam Chaney, Ilya Kharun andKulow.
Coach Herbie Behm has developed a sprint contingent which provided numerous options when it came to determining lineup orders. Certainly, he made the right decisions throughout the meet, and the trust he instilled in his athletes was rewarded with a multitude of elite performances. Kharun and Chaney were each members of all four winning relays, while Kulow and Fabiani contributed to a trio of victorious squads. On the medley relays, Andy Dobrzanski delivered on the breaststroke legs.
“That’s why we came here, to win all the relays,” Chaney said. “It’s equally as important as winning the meet overall. Obviously, we got fourth, but it’s nice to come away with all the relays, especially with these guys.”