Leon Marchand Delivers Dual Meet For the Ages as Arizona State Routs Stanford

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

Leon Marchand Uncorks Three Nation-Leading Times as Arizona State Routs Stanford

Leon Marchand put together a sizzling Friday night show in Arizona State’s dual meet with Stanford, setting two nation-leading times in a 186-114 win for the Sun Devils in Temple.

Marchand also helped Arizona State set the top time in the nation in the 200 medley relay, anchored by Grant House, who added the quickest time of the season in the 200 free.

On the women’s side, Stanford handled Arizona State, 175-122.

The speed was with the men, though. Marchand started it by swimming breaststroke on the 200 medley relay that went 1:22.60. Jack Dolan led off, Max McCusker split 19.70 on fly and House brought it home in 18.76. The time nudges Arizona State from third in the NCAA this season to first, two tenths clear of Florida. ASU also holds the top time in the nation in the 200 free relay and capped the meet with a win in an NCAA A cut of 1:16.12 (Dolan, Jonny Kulow, McCusker, House).

Back to the Leon Marchand show: He won the 100 breast by nearly a second and a half in 51.15. That’s a best time for Marchand – he went 52.00 in an intrasquad meet in the fall. It vaults him into the NCAA title picture in the event – Max McHugh of Minnesota won in 49.90 a season ago. He’s just behind Auburn’s Reid Mikuta (51.14) in the national rankings.

In the 200 breast, Marchand went 1:49.16. That’s the quickest time in the nation by more than a second, and though it’s shy of Marchand’s best time of 1:48.20. The reigning NCAA champ in the 200 individual medley went 1:38.89 to win that event. It’s his best time of the season and is three seconds clear of the nearest NCAA foe.

House also moved to the top of the NCAA rankings in the 200 free, with a season-best time of 1:31.51. That bumps him from second to first. House also won the 100 free in 42.54, with teammates Kulow and Dolan finishing out an Arizona State podium sweep. Dolan won the 100 back in 45.66, ahead of Stanford’s Leon McAlister.

Arizona State went 1-2 in the 1,000 free with Zalan Sarkany (8:50.56) and Daniel Matheson. Sarkany won the 500 in 4:17.83. Colson went 1:40.99 to win the 200 fly. Sarkany, a Hungarian international, set the program record in the 1,000, downing the time set in 1984 by Scott Brackett at 8:57.64.

McCusker won the 50 in a scintillating race in 19.55 seconds. Second was Stanford’s Andrei Minakov in 19.62, just .01 up on Kulow.

Stanford waited until the 200 back for a win, McAlister claiming that in 1:41.26. Second was Arizona State’s Hubert Kos, the Olympian making his college debut and taking second in 1:41.50. (Kos also went 1:44.53 for third in the 200 IM behind Marchand and Stanford’s Ron Polonsky, and 1:43.41 for third in the 200 fly.)

Minakov, in his second meet of the season, edged Colson in the 100 fly, winning in 45.07 to Colson’s 45.43.

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