The rest of the Big 12 never stood a chance.
From the opening day to the final finish, Arizona State didn’t just win the Big 12 Swimming and Diving Championships, they owned it, rewriting the record book and leaving no doubt about who owns the conference heading into March.
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Both the men and women are now two for two on Big 12 titles since joining the league.
Here are the main takeaways from this year’s Big 12 swimming and diving championships.
Arizona State men are ready for March
The Sun Devils closed the meet with a statement swim.
In the 400-yd freestyle relay ASU broke the NCAA record posting a time of 2:42.15. Ilya Kharun, Adam Chaney, Remi Fabiani, and Jonny Kulow broke Tennessee’s record from 2025 by fifteen one-hundredths of a second.
The Arizona State men have been the definition of consistency throughout the 2025-26 season. Nothing changed this week as they won the Big 12 title with ease.
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The undefeated Sun Devils have steamrolled through the season, including a big win at the in November where they dominated No. 9 Tennessee, No. 12 Michigan, and No. 25 Virginia.
Twelve meet records fell at the Big 12 championships, and all but one belonged to the Arizona State men. The Sun Devils also set Big 12 conference records in the 400-yd medley and 200-yd freestyle relays. The time posted in the 400-yd medley relay is good enough for fastest time in the country this year ahead of the quartet from No. 1 Texas.
“Swimming fast year round is a big emphasis of our program.” fifth-year senior Jordan Tiffany told Yahoo Sports. “Every single person on the team buys into such a high standard and it’s been special to be a part of it.”
The Sun Devils were led by Kharun, who set meet records in the 100-yd and 200-yd butterfly and 50-yd freestyle. Kharun, , has been on fire all season. He is heads back to Tempe with seven more Big 12 titles to his name.
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Arizona State’s dominance was felt most in the sprints, where it placed seven swimmers in the top eight of the 50-yard freestyle. The Sun Devils swept the podium, led by Kharun’s meet-record 18.46.
This iteration of Arizona State has strength in experience, as the team is made up of four fifth-year seniors, who all transferred in from a number of different programs.
Fabiani, who transferred in from Cal Baptist, won the 100-yd and 200-yd freestyles and was a part of four Big 12 title relays for the Sun Devils. His Big 12 record in the 100 freestyle ranks him as the ninth-fastest performer in history.
The Arizona State men will now try to climb back into the top three at the NCAA Championships in March. The Sun Devils finished sixth a year ago after winning the national championship in 2024.
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Arizona State women set the pace
Much was the same in the women’s meet as the Sun Devils took home another Big 12 title. All together the team had strength in numbers as ASU had five total event winners who took home nine total Big wins.
led the way, sweeping the 50-yd, 100-yd and 200-yd freestyles. The freshman was also a part of three conference winning relays for the Sun Devils.
Senior swept the distance freestyle events and won the 200-yd butterfly to be the second Sun Devil to go three for three.
Joining Cachot and Ertan at the top of the podium were Alexa Reyna (400-yd IM), Julia Ullmann (100-yd butterfly) and Sonia Vaishnani (200-yd IM).
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One of the most impressive feats is the historical strength of the Arizona State women’s roster. This year the team has posted 19 times in . broke the school record in the 100-yd freestyle in 47.42, which was also a Big 12 meet record, and Ullmann set the 100-yd butterfly record back in the fall. The roster is loaded with depth and positioned for a bright future.
While the ASU women’s times may not yet match the national standard set by the men, the program had never won a conference title before 2025. The Sun Devils are now building serious momentum after capturing back-to-back Big 12 crowns.
Highlights from the rest of the pack
Although the Sun Devils stole most of the headlines, the rest of the Big 12 had several bright moments throughout the week.
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Arizona prevented a relay sweep, as the Wildcats won the 200-yard freestyle relay to claim their first Big 12 title of the meet.
Arizona sophomore Kayman Neil dropped six-tenths of a second on the final night to win the 200-yard backstroke in 1:52.44.
BYU’s Tanner Nelson out-paced the field in the men’s 400 IM, winning the title by 0.09 seconds over ASU junior Reece Grady.
Senior Joleigh Crye earned a victory for Cincinnati in the women’s 100 backstroke, touching first in 58.02.
Utah found success in the men’s distance events and in diving. The Utes swept both the men’s and women’s team diving titles on the opening night. Utah also went one-two in the men’s 500 freestyle, with Nick Chirasfisi and Jones Lambert taking gold and silver. Chirasfisi added another win in the 1,650 freestyle, and Evan VanBrocklin captured the men’s 200 IM.
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Full Team Results
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Women
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