Swimming

2024 ASUN Fan Guide: Revitalized SMU Men’s Roster Set to Make Splash in New Conference

Sports FEED

February 19, 2024

By Spencer Penland on SwimSwam

2024 Atlantic Sun Conference Championship

Dates: Wednesday, February 21 – Saturday, February 24
Location: Allan Jones Aquatic Center, Knoxville, TN
Combined men and women
Defending Champions: N/A (inaugural meet)
Live Results
Live Video: ESPN+
Championship Central: men’s site ׀ women’s site
Psych Sheet
Teams: Bellarmine, Florida Atlantic (men), Gardner-Webb, Liberty (women), North Florida (women), Old Dominion, Queens, SMU (men), UNC Asheville (women)

EVENT SCHEDULE

WEDNESDAY (2/21)

500 free
200 IM
50 free
200 medley relay
Women’s 3-meter diving
Men’s 1-meter diving

THURSDAY (2/22)

200 free relay
100 fly
400 IM
200 free
400 medley relay
Men’s 3-meter diving
Women’s 1-meter diving

FRIDAY (2/23)

100 back
100 breast
200 fly
800 free relay
platform diving (exhibition)

SATURDAY (2/24)

1650 free
100 free
200 back
200 breast
400 free relay

The 2024 ASUN Championships will be the first, as the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA) has morphed into the ASUN Conference, creating a new swimming and diving conference. It’s not just as simple as the CCSA teams moving over to ASUN, however, all 5 CCSA men’s programs from last year did move over to ASUN but SMU’s men’s team also joined the conference from the AAC, bringing the total men’s programs up to 6. Meanwhile, there were 11 women’s teams in the CCSA, but James Madison, Campbell, Georgia Southern, and Old Dominion women’s programs did not join the ASUN.

For what it’s worth, the Queens men’s team won the 2023 CCSA men’s team title, while Liberty won the women’s title. Heading into this meet, Queens should have quite the challenge on their hands with SMU in the men’s meet.

MEN’S PREVIEW

Queens was one of the top Division II men’s programs in NCAA history and now they’re an NCAA Division I program. They won last year’s CCSA title by a fairly comfortable margin but this year they’ll have to deal with SMU, which has a very good roster this year. SMU was most recently in the AAC, where their only men’s opponent was Cincinnati, which is now in the Big 12.

Queens senior Matej Dusa comes into this ASUN Championship as the top sprinter in the conference. Dusa leads the ASUN this season with a 19.47 in the 50 free, a time which he swam in a dual meet against Virginia Tech. He’s also clocked the top time in the conference in the 100 free, having posted a 42.75 in that same meet with Virginia Tech. It’s worth noting that Dusa was the NCAA Division II champion in the 50 free (18.88) back in 2022.

Dusa, who is from Slovakia, notably just finished racing at the World Championships in Doha. He clocked a 22.11 (LCM) in semifinals of the men’s 50 free and went 49.12 in prelims of the 100 free.

While he hasn’t been that fast in it so far this season, Dusa is also a great 100 flyer, holding a career best of 46.84 in the event.

Jack Hoagland is one of SMU’s grad transfers and is set to make a huge impact for the Mustangs. Hoagland came to SMU from Notre Dame, where he competed for 3 seasons (sat out the 2021-2022 season). During his time with the Fighting Irish, he qualified for NCAAs all 3 seasons, won ACC Most Valuable Swimmer in 2021 for winning the 500 free (4:11.26), 400 IM (3:40.99), and 1650 free (14:31.83) at those championships, and has placed 5th in the 1650 at NCAAs twice.

Hoagland has the ability to set the ASUN records with very fast times this week. He holds a personal best of 4:11.26 in the 500, 14:31.83 in the 1650, and 3:40.73 in the 400 IM.

This season, Hoagland has already been 4:15.69 in the 500, which leads the conference and is good for 16th in the NCAA. Hoagland has also put up a 14:44.08 in the 1650 this season, which leads the conference and is the #6 time in the NCAA this season. He’s 2nd in the conference this season in the 400 IM with a 3:45.39.

Christopher Mykkanen is another grad transfer who joined SMU’s roster this season. Mykannen joins the Mustangs after spending his undergrad as a standout for the UNLV Rebels. He hasn’t yet qualified for NCAAs in his career, however, he holds excellent career bests of 1:34.12 in the 200 free, 4:17.42 in the 500, and 15:12.70 in the 1650 free.

It does seem, however, that Mykkanen has shifted his focus since joining the Mustangs away from the mile and towards the 100 free. He holds the #2 time in the ASUN this season with a 43.17, which also stands as his career best in the event. His 1:34.12 200 free career best was also set this season and leads the conference. Meanwhile, he’s been as fast as 4:19.18 in the 500 free this season.

A junior at SMU, Cotton Fields has been terrific for the Mustangs in his first two seasons. Fields was the SMU Male Freshman Athlete of the Year in 2022, as well as the American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year that same year.

Fields has been strong so far this season, already having clocked a 3:43.16 in the 400 IM, which leads the ASUN this year. He’s also 2nd in the conference with a 1:45.45 in the 200 IM and 2nd in the 200 fly with a 1:43.33.

Fields qualified for the NCAA Championships in his freshman season but didn’t earn an invite last season. Given his season best times heading into the meet, it seems Fields has a good shot at earning an invite again this season.

Danny Kovac completed his senior season at Mizzou back in 2022 but is now using his fifth year of eligibility this season at SMU. Kovac was nothing short of a star for Mizzou, holding the program records in the 100 fly (44.66), 200 IM (1:41.35), and 200 fly (1:40.78). While at Mizzou, Kovac was the 2020 SEC Champion in the men’s 100 fly and he was a 5-time first team All-American.

After not competing anywhere last season, Kovac looks to be in great shape heading into this meet. He leads the ASUN this season with a 45.86 in the 100 fly, a time which he swam in SMU’s dual meet with Texas earlier this month. Kovac has also already posted a 1:42.15 in the 200 fly, which also leads the conference. His 200 IM season best of 1:45.33 is 3rd in the conference this season.

RACES TO WATCH

400 IM

The 400 IM should turn out to be a really fun races between SMU teammates Jack Hoagland and Cotton Fields. So far this season, Fields leads the conference with a 3:43.16, while Hoagland is 2nd with a 3:45.39.

Hoagland holds the faster career best, however, having been as fast as 3:40.73, a time which he swam back in 2020. Meanwhile, Fields’ 3:43.16 from the SMU Invite earlier this season also stands as his career best. Hoagland should already have an NCAA invite locked up with his 14:44 mile from earlier this season, but he may be able to push Fields to an NCAA invite of his own in the 400 IM this week.

50 Free

The 50 free ought to be a really fun race, even if it ends up not being that close. Matej Dusa was the NCAA Division II champion in the event back in 2022, clocking an 18.88. If he can put up a similar time this week, we would have one of the top 50 freestylers in the NCAA coming out of a mid major conference, which is quite uncommon.

Adding a little wrinkle is that Dusa just finished up competing at the World Championships in Doha, where he swam very well, clocking a personal best of 22.11 in the LCM 50 free. The question coming into the meet is how well Dusa will be able to maneuver flying back home from Worlds then moving straight into another championship meet, pone which will be in yards this time. Still, if Dusa is on point, he’ll make a big splash not just in this meet but around the NCAA as well.

SMU’s Lance Butler is worth keeping an eye on here as well. Butler holds the #2 time in the conference this season with a 19.53, a time which he swam leading off a 200 free relay way back during the SMU Invite in October.

SWIMSWAM’S PICKS

Queens won the CCSA last year and they are no doubt an excellent team, however, SMU is just too stacked this season not to be the favorites. Not only do the Mustangs have as much top-end talent as we’ve ever seen in a mid major men’s program, they have a ton of depth this year as well.

SMU
Queens
Florida Atlantic
Old Dominion
Gardner-Webb
Bellarmine

WOMEN’S PREVIEW

It’s a new conference name, but the same familiar faces on the women’s side of the ASUN – with the exception of the departed runners-up James Madison University (who won their conference meet last weekend in the Sun Belt).

The Liberty women are back and look strong again with a much-needed boost to their sprint group via Canadian star Kamryn Cannings. She ranks 4th in the ASUN this season in the 50 free (22.97), 3rd in the 100 free (49.57), 1st in the 200 free by more than two seconds (1:45.67), 1st in the 100 fly (52.51), and 1st in the 200 fly (1:58.32).

She will pick up the slack left behind by the graduation of Eva Suggs, who led the team’s relays last season. Cannings fills a hole left by graduation in the sprint freestyle events, pairing with junior Sydney Stricklin, but she fills one left by early-departure of Chloe Harris in the women’s butterfly races. Harris was 4th in the 100 fly, 2nd in the 200 fly, and won the 200 IM at last year’s CCSA Championship meet, but didn’t return to the pool this season for her senior year.

Abbie Shaw is a good butterflier, but as the 2023 CCSA Champion in the 100 and 200 backstroke, Cannings’ presence keeps the pressure off Shaw in the 100 fly and especially on the medley relays.

While Cannings has been the class-of-the-field this season in the ASUN in the butterfly races, she won’t be without competition. At last year’s CCSA Championships, only one swimmer, Florida Gulf Coast’s Cam Kuriger, was under two minutes. She won the race in 1:59.16, an NCAA “B” standard.

This year, Kuriger is one of four swimmers in the ASUN who have been under two minutes already.

Kamryn Cannings, Liberty – 1:58.32
Caroline Crouse, UNC Asheville – 1:59.07
Abigail Zboran, Queens – 1:59.70
Cam Kuriger, FGCU – 1:59.99

Crouse started her career at Pitt before transferring to James Madison for the last two years, where last year she wasn’t on the team’s scoring roster at CCSAs. This season, she’s racing for the Bulldogs of UNC Asheville and heads into the conference championship meet seeded 2nd on a huge turnaround.

Also a part of those challengers in the butterfly races are Maddie Foster and Abigail Zboran, the two stars of Queens’ first freshman class that was recruited primarily after the school announced its move to Division I.

Foster ranks 2nd in the ASUN this season in the 100 fly and Zboran ranks 3rd in both the 100 fly and 200 fly. Zboran is also the only ASUN swimmer under two minutes in the 200 IM this season (1:59.42), with Queens holding three of the five best swimmers in the conference this year.

That is added depth for Queens that has both the best sprint freestyle group and the best distance group in the conference. Danielle Melilli has been 22.26 in the 50 free and 48.43 in the 100 free this year for the Royals, while Sophie Lange has been 4:53.23 in the 500 and 16:43.39 in the mile (14 seconds clear of the conference’s next-best). They offer depth in both of those races as well.

While Lange, a 2022 and 2023 conference champion in both of those events, is a heavy favorite again this year, the returning runner-up Isabelle Gomez is not as far back as it may seem. She was a 17:13 mid-season for Liberty, but last season she tapered off 25 seconds at the conference championship meet.

And that’s indicative of the ‘trap’ that Liberty sets heading into this meet every year. As much as really any team in any conference Liberty has a history of hitting huge tapers for its conference championship meet and catapulting up the rankings as compared to seed.

Overall, the major throughline of this meet will be the impact of freshmen. For FGCU, once the dominant team in this conference, that includes German Jasmin Kroll. She is 2nd in the CCSA this season in the 50 free (22.61), 100 free (49.53), ranks 3rd in the 200 free (1:48.32) and is the top seed in the 500 free (4:50.64). For a team that has been searching for a star and an anchor since the graduation of All-American Petra Halmai in 2022, Kroll gives them that potential.

North Florida also counts a freshman, Kayla Daley, among its top performers this season. She already set the school record in the 100 fly mid-season (54.31) and ranks 5th in the conference so far this season.

The same is true for Gardner-Webb, who will count on Slawka Ndubuisi to help them climb the ASUN ranks. She is tied for 8th in the 50 free this season in the ASUN in 23.35 and is the only Bulldog under 24 seconds, and so she is a crucial to rebuilding their relays, which graduated big contributors in Alyssa Church and Kayla Smith last season.

RACES TO WATCH

100/200 fly – Kamryn Cannings chasing NCAA Championship qualification is exciting enough. Last year, it took 52.20 and 1:55.92 in the 100 and 200 yard flys, respectively, to earn an invite to nationals, and Cannings is capable of both of those times. But zooming out beyond that, many of the electric freshmen in the conference like Maddie Foster (52.93), Kayla Daley (54.31), and Abigail Zboran (1:59.70) will join these races.

500 free – The top three from last year’s meet, Sophie Lange, Shelby Kahn, and Katherine Bailey, who went 4:47-4:50-4:51 in 2023, all return this season to race the 500 free again (though Anna Marcotti, who was 4th last season, has shifted downward to the 50-100-200 this year). Throw in FGCU freshman Jasmin Kroll, who has already been 4:50 this year, and Maddie Foster from Queens, who has been 4:55 this year after graduating high school with a best of just 5:01, and this race lines up to be a knock-down, drag-out affair. These are schools that now how to rest their 500 freestylers too – Lange, for example, dropped three seconds at CCSAs, Khan dropped seven, and Bailey dropped two.

LAST YEAR’S (CCSA) STANDINGS

LIberty – 1441.5
~~James Madison – 1339~~
Queens – 1119
FGCU – 931
UNC Asheville – 791
~~Campbell – 546~~
~~Georgia Southern – 526~~
~~Old Dominion – 475~~
Gardner-Webb – 332
North Florida – 293.5
Bellarmine – 192

SWIMSWAM’S PICKS

Liberty and Queens are the class of the conference right now. They have both depth and top-end talent, and while their divers aren’t as good as FGCUs, overall, James Madison leaving the conference should benefit Liberty (Queens doesn’t offer diving).

With a ton of diving points and their pending Liberty taper, it’s hard to pick against the Flames to win again this year. While they did have some significant graduations/retirements after last season, Cannings goes a long way toward erasing some of those gaps.