Arizona

#1 Arizona State Men Win All 14 Swimming Events as Sun Devils Sweep In-State Rivals

Published

2 years ago

February 10, 2024

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#1 Arizona State Men Win All 14 Swimming Events as Sun Devils Sweep In-State Rivals

Arizona Wildcats vs. Arizona State Sun Devils

February 10, 2024
Hillenbrand Aquatic Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
Short Course Yards (25 yards), Dual Meet
Meet Results
Team Scores
- #1 Arizona State Men def. #23 Arizona Men 227-73
- #16 Arizona State Women def. HM Arizona Women 189-111

Arizona State took dominant wins over their in-state rivals from the University of Arizona, including the Sun Devil men winning all of the day’s swimming events.

With the win, the top-ranked Arizona State men finished the season with a 9-0-1 record, their only blemish being a tie with 2nd-ranked Cal.

The Arizona State women finished their season 5-6.

The meet served as senior day for the Wildcats.

Men’s Meet

While Arizona’s Gage Dubois swept the diving events, the rest of the wins went to the Arizona State Sun Devils, who went 14-for-14 in swimming races in their last dual meet of the season before the Pac-12 Championships.

The Arizona State men had four swimmers when a pair of events each. That was led by World Champion and World Record holder Leon Marchand, who won the 200 fly in 1:39.62 and 100 fly in 44.67.

Those times both came within a whisker of his lifetime bests in those events, missing his best in the 200 fly by .05 seconds and the 100 fly by .01 seconds. Marchand is unlikely to swim either event at March’s NCAA Championships, though he is the defending World Champion in the 200 fly in long course meters.

Also winning a pair for the Sun Devils was Jack Dolan, who topped the field in the 50 free (19.23) and 100 free (42.17). In the 50, he led a 1-2-3-4 Arizona State finish, with Jonny Kulow (19.47), Ilya Kharun (19.56), and Cam Peel (19.65) following him. Arizona’s Tommy Palmer was 5th in 19.91 to cap the Arizona State run.

In the 100, Kharun was .01 seconds behind Dolan in 2nd place.

Kulow (42.18), Kharun (42.33), Tiago Behar (42.21), and Dolan (41.48) then won the 400 free relay in 3:48.20, with their “B” relay of Marchand (41.39), Patrick Sammon (42.34), Cam Peel (42.78), and Hubert Kos (42.51) finishing 2nd in 3:49.02. Arizona’s “A” relay was 3rd in 2:54.61, just .37 seconds ahead of Arizona State’s “C” relay, showing off just how deep the Sun Devils are in the sprint freestyles this season.

That 41.39 for Marchand is a new personal best; previously he had been 41.61.

That sprint depth might be what puts them over the top for the program’s first NCAA Championship.

The team also went 1-2 in the 200 medley relay, again splitting their top swimmers. Dolan was 21.19 on the backstroke leg and Marchand 23.33 on the breaststroke leg for the “A” relay, which finished 2nd, while Ilya Kharun split 19.55 fly on the fly leg for the winning “B”. His was the defining split, as Kulow anchored the runner-up group in 18.55.

The two relays went 1:23.47 and 1:23.72, respectively, but their best splits would have come out to 1:22.62 – which would be a best time for all but two schools this season (them and Cal).

The other double winners for Arizona State were:

David Schlicht, the former Arizona Wildcat, won won the 100 breaststroke (52.83), just ahead of teammate Andy Dobrzanski (52.86); and the 200 breast in 1:54.05.
Owen McDonald, who won the 200 back (1:43.14) and 200 IM (1:44.92).
Arizona State grad student Julian Hill won the 200 free in 1:33.58, just holding-off Arizona’s Ralph Daleiden Ciuferri, who very-nearly gave the Wildcats a swimming win with his 2nd-place 1:33.62. Daleiden has been a 1:33 in three consecutive dual meets; including the last two faster than his time from last year’s NCAA Championship meet. Hill later won the 500 free in 4:23.40.

Other big winners include Hungarian Zalan Sarkany, who took the victory in the 1000 free in 8:39.89. After spending the fall semester training back home, he made his season debut in January with a new school record in the 1000 free. That time was an 8:38.13 against Stanford, which he lowered a day later against Cal in 8:37.82.

He now has the five best 1000 yard frees in program history, excluding splits en route to a full 1650, which would have entries on that list as well.

Other Winners:

Women’s Meet

The Arizona State women won 9 out of 14 swimming events, including three individual races from sophomore Charli Brown.

Brown started her winning in the 100 back (53.09), which is just .10 seconds shy of her personal best. Her teammate Katrina Marty was 2nd in 53.31, which is a new personal best for her. That’s in fact her second personal best int hat race in two meets, improving upon her 53.44 from the team’s mid-season invite in November.

Marty, the latest of a huge wave of improvement for Arizona State this season, had never been under 54 seconds coming into this season. She’s now done so eight times in the last four months.

Brown got her next win in the 200 back in 1:55.57, more than two-and-a-half seconds clear of the field, and finished her day with another huge margin in the 200 IM, touching in 1:58.18.

Brown also had the fastest split of the field on the backstroke leg of the 200 medley relay (24.83) on ASU’s 4th-place “B” relay. That could give her the chance to lead off that relay at Pac-12s.

Her teammate Lindsay Looney swept the butterfly events, first winning the 200 in 1:53.44 and the 100 fly in 53.57, the latter by just .15 seconds ahead of Arizona’s Maddy Burt. Looney went undefeated in the 200 fly in dual meets this season and has swept the butterfly events at four meets this season.

We didn’t get to see a head-to-head matchup with Arizona’s Julia Heimstead in the 200 fly. Looney was 4th and Heimstead 6th in that event at last year’s Pac-12 Championships. Heimstead instead swam the 200 free, which she won in 1:44.73, and the 100 free, which she won in 48.73, picking up crucial points for her team. That time in the 200 free was only .04 seconds shy of her personal best.

She also swam the butterfly leg (23.01) on Arizona’s 200 medley relay, which won in 1:37.20. She combined with Paige Armstrong (back – 25.19), Maddy Ahluwalla (breast – 27.17), and Julia Wozniak (free – 21.83) to win that race by over half-a-second.

That anchor split for Wozniak is a revelation – it’s about eight-tenths better than her lifetime best in a flat-start coming into the meet. That flat-start time also fell in this meet – she dropped two-tenths to win the individual event in 22.48 ahead of Arizona State’s Erin Milligan (22.54).

The other double winner for Arizona State was Deniz Ertan, who won the 1000 free in 9:42.34 and the 500 in 4:47.28.

Arizona State finished the day with a win in the 400 free relay in 3:16.21, winning by a second-and-a-half over Arizona. That included 48-second splits on the middle two legs from Ieva Maluka (48.81) and Lindsay Looney (48.73). They had another on their “B” relay from Marte Lovberg, who split 48.97. Those were the only 48-second splits in the field.

Both teams concluded their regular season with this meet and will next race from February 28 – March 2 in Federal Way, Washington.

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Arizona

Future of Arizona’s Oak Flat faces pivotal day in Phoenix courtroom

Published

6 hours ago

January 7, 2026

Press Room

Future of Arizona’s Oak Flat faces pivotal day in Phoenix courtroom

Three lawsuits are before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to prevent the U.S. Forest Service from transferring Oak Flat to a mining company.
The site, sacred to Apache and other Native peoples, would be destroyed by a proposed copper mine by Resolution Copper.
The land exchange was authorized in 2014 through a last-minute addition to a defense bill, sparking a decade-long battle.

Three lawsuits aiming to keep the U.S. Forest Service from turning over Oak Flat to a mining company for a massive copper mine go in front of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for arguments Jan. 7.

The British-Australian firm Resolution Copper has long sought the exchange to build a mine that bodes to obliterate a site Apaches and other Native peoples hold sacred. It also is one of Arizona’s few functional wetlands.

Two lawsuits filed by the San Carlos Apache Tribe and a coalition of environmentalists and the Inter Tribal Association of Arizona challenged the land exchange, authorized by a last-minute amendment to a “must-pass” defense bill in December 2014. The arguments in the lawsuits are based on the tribe’s religious beliefs and on environmental concerns, including disputes over water usage and possible damage of one of central Arizona’s key aquifers.

In the third suit, the latest to be filed, a group of Apache women who have spiritual and cultural connections to the site argue that the exchange would violate the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, the First Amendment’s religious rights protections and two environmental laws.

Their lawsuit also brought two new factors into play: a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that affirms parental rights to direct their children’s religious education and references to Justice Neil Gorsuch’s blistering dissent to the Supreme Court’s refusal to hear another case related to the land exchange.

A three-judge panel will hear the cases at the Sandra Day O’Connor U.S. Courthouse in Phoenix.

Religious rights advocates and First Amendment experts have said the ability of Native peoples to exercise their religious rights is at stake.

Oak Flat story: As an Apache girl enters womanhood, lawsuits and tariffs cast shadows

The struggle over Oak Flat nears 30-year mark

For more than two decades, Oak Flat Campground, known to Apaches as Chi’chil Biłdagoteel, “the place where the Emory oak grows,” has been ground zero in a battle over Native religious rights on public lands as well as environmental preservation for a scarce Arizona ecosystem.

The 2,200-acre primitive campground and riparian zone, within the Tonto National Forest about 60 miles east of Phoenix, also lies over one of the nation’s largest remaining bodies of copper ore.

To obtain the copper, Resolution, which is owned by multinational firms Rio Tinto and BHP, plans to use a method known as block cave mining in which tunnels are drilled beneath the ore body, and then collapsed, leaving the ore to be moved to a crushing facility.

Eventually, the ground would subside, leaving behind a crater about 1,000 feet deep and nearly 2 miles across, obliterating Oak Flat.

Resolution Copper, a British-Australian mining firm, sought Congressional approval to exchange other parcels of land it had purchased with the U.S. Forest Service for nearly 10 years when the late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and other officials engineered a late-night rider to a must-pass defense bill in December 2014. Then-President Barack Obama signed the bill and ever since, tribes, environmentalists and their allies have fought to stop the exchange.

Resolution has said that the mine would bring much-needed jobs and revenues to the economically challenged Copper Triangle to the tune of about $1 billion a year. The company has provided funding to support recovery from the floods that devastated downtown Globe in October and has supported other community organizations.

In November, Resolution announced it had completed rehabilitation of the historic No. 9 shaft at the Magma minehead, including deepening it to nearly 6,900 feet and connecting it to the No. 10 shaft, which plunges about 6,940 feet below the surface.

Vicky Peacey, president and general manager of Resolution, said the shaft project was a huge milestone, employing homegrown talent from surrounding communities to get the job done.

Despite the ongoing litigation, she said, “We are ready to advance this important copper project, enabling thousands of high-paying jobs, billions in economic development for rural Arizona, and access to a domestic supply of copper essential to American security and modern infrastructure.”

Grassroots group Apache Stronghold, led by former San Carlos Apache Tribal Chairman Wendsler Nosie, filed the first lawsuit to stop the exchange. That litigation was declined twice by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2025, but Apache Stronghold continues to fight the land exchange as the group supports the other three lawsuits.

Debra Krol reports on Indigenous communities at the confluence of climate, culture and commerce in Arizona and the Intermountain West. Reach Krol at debra.krol@azcentral.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @debkrol and on Bluesky at @debkrol.bsky.social.

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Arizona

Trump issues rare dual endorsement in Arizona swing district

Published

19 hours ago

January 6, 2026

Press Room

Trump issues rare dual endorsement in Arizona swing district

The president praised both Jay Feely and Gina Swoboda as “Highly Respected America First Patriots.”
The president’s team had not publicly confirmed his endorsement of Swoboda before the Jan. 6 social media post.
The district, which includes wealthy pockets of Paradise Valley, Scottsdale, and north Phoenix, has a hot-and-cold relationship with the president.

President Donald Trump endorsed not one but two Republicans in a highly watched Arizona congressional primary, boosting a new candidate after his first pick met resistance from some in the GOP.

In a Jan. 6 social media post, Trump said he was backing Jay Feely, a former Cardinals kicker and sports commentator who recently switched his campaign into Arizona’s Scottsdale-area 1st Congressional District, in addition to Gina Swoboda, the state GOP chair whose candidacy has divided Republicans despite her securing Trump’s support in October.

The president praised both Feely and Swoboda as “Highly Respected America First Patriots.”

“JAY OR GINA WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!” he wrote on Truth Social, the social media platform he owns.

The announcement is a blow to Swoboda, a polarizing figure among Arizona Republicans. Her longtime rivalry with Turning Point, the network of conservative advocacy groups founded by the late activist Charlie Kirk, has shadowed her candidacy, prompting attacks and infighting among Arizona Republicans.

The president’s team had not publicly confirmed his endorsement of Swoboda before the Jan. 6 social media post.

In an interview with The Arizona Republic, Feely said he thought the endorsement came back to his “friendship” and shared values with the president.

“I love what he’s doing. I believe in what he’s doing. I’m committed to the same principles that he and his administration have,” Feely said.

“We wish Gilbert resident Jay Feely well in his latest campaign for Congress, but nothing has changed,” Swoboda campaign consultant Chris Baker shot back in a written statement to The Republic. “Gina Swoboda will be the Republican nominee in AZ01.”

The endorsement will also set back two other high-profile GOP candidates in the race, the ultra-conservative state Rep. Joseph Chaplik and businessman John Trobough, who both told The Republic they, too, had been in touch with the White House.

Though Trump’s endorsement will be a boon in the Republican primary, it could become a liability in the general election. The district, which includes wealthy pockets of Paradise Valley, Scottsdale, and north Phoenix, has a hot-and-cold relationship with the president.

National GOP leaders encouraged him to run in Scottsdale, Feely says

Feely initially launched his campaign in Arizona’s 5th Congressional District, which includes much of Chandler, Queen Creek and Gilbert, where he lives with his family. He billed himself as a home-grown candidate with a “heart to serve,” and a MAGA devotee who has a personal relationship with Trump.

His prospects in that district dimmed after the president endorsed one of his opponents, Mark Lamb, the well-known former sheriff of Pinal County. Early polling showed Lamb with a large advantage in the race.

But Trump took a liking to Feely, encouraging the former football player in a November social media post to “run in a different district, or for a different office.”

Feely followed the president’s advice. He switched his campaign into the Scottsdale district on Dec. 19. Trump’s endorsement followed about two weeks later.

In an interview Feely said national Republican leaders in D.C., and “grassroots leadership” in the Valley, encouraged him to pivot to the Scottsdale seat. He said he spoke several times with House Speaker Mike Johnson on the matter.

“I wanted to do what was best for the team,” he told The Arizona Republic.

“If they wanted me to run in CD1, and they felt like I was the best candidate, and the one that could hold that seat, then I was willing to do that.”

It’s rare but not unheard of for the president to endorse multiple candidates in a single race.

Last year Trump endorsed two congressional hopefuls in a West Valley-area Republican primary, including the eventual winner, U.S. Rep. Abe Hamadeh.

And in Missouri’s 2022 U.S. Senate race, Trump left election-watchers scratching their heads when he endorsed “Eric,” a first name shared by the race’s two front-runners. Both campaigns claimed the endorsement as their own.

For years the Scottsdale-area district has been considered one of the most competitive races in the country. Its incumbent, U.S. Rep. David Schweikert, announced last year he would not seek re-election in 2026, winding down his 15-year tenure on Capitol Hill and setting up a bitter contest for the rare open congressional seat.

Across the aisle, about half a dozen high-profile Democrats are fighting for their party’s nomination.

The candidates have already raised millions of dollars between them, with campaign spending only expected to escalate leading up to the Aug. 4, 2026 primaries. The Nov. 3, 2026, general election will bring millions more expensive television advertisements, mailers, and social media ads to the district, much of it financed by national Republican and Democratic groups wrestling for control over the U.S. House.

Feely has raised more than $1 million, about a third of which he has loaned himself, according to a report filed this fall. His personal financial disclosure shows he is worth at least $15 million, giving him a piggy bank that could help finance a campaign.

Swoboda has raised “quite a bit” of money, said campaign consultant Chris Baker, though her fundraising receipts aren’t yet public.

Rivals slam Feely’s out-of-district residence

Feely’s rivals have slammed him for running in a district where he doesn’t live.

“If Jay Feely wants to travel 50 minutes every day to run in Arizona’s 1st Ccongressional District, where he’s never lived, we will pay for his Uber,” Alfredo Rodriguez, a strategist with the Trobough campaign, wrote in a news release. “Tell him to send us the bill.”

“If Gilbert carpetbagger Jay Feely foolishly thinks he can win in AZ01, then more power to him I guess. But the outcome won’t change – Gina Swoboda will win the Republican primary,” Baker wrote in a statement to The Republic.

Feely said in an interview he has connections to the Scottsdale district, even though he doesn’t actually live there. The district is “about economics” and “represents the entrepreneurial spirit,” he said.

“I’ve invested in companies in this district. My friends and family live in this district. And I want to be an asset to all of them,” Feely said.

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Arizona

Arizona is still growing, but new migration data shows the trend may be shifting

Published

1 day ago

January 6, 2026

Press Room

Arizona is still growing, but new migration data shows the trend may be shifting

Arizona remains one of the fastest-growing states in the country, but new migration data suggests that growth is starting to level out.

According to the latest numbers from U-Haul, Arizona ranked number seven nationwide for growth in 2025. While that is down one spot from the year before, it marks the sixth consecutive year the state has remained in the top ten.

The rankings are based on more than 2.5 million one-way moving transactions for the Arizona-based company.

What stands out in the data is how close those numbers are.

In 2025, 50.3% of U-Haul’s one-way moves came into Arizona, while 49.7% moved out. In practical terms, that means for nearly every family moving into the state, there is another one packing up and leaving.

That does not mean Arizona is losing population. However, it does suggest the margin of growth is getting thinner than it has been in recent years.

Even with that shift, the greater Phoenix metro area continues to be a major driver of growth. Phoenix ranked fifth nationwide among U.S. metro areas, fueled by job creation and new housing across the Valley.

U-Haul leaders point to continued development tied to major employers, including chip manufacturing and data centers, as well as ongoing residential construction, as reasons Phoenix remains a top destination.

Experts who study migration trends say when in-migration and out-migration numbers get this close, it can be a sign that affordability pressures are starting to play a role, especially when it comes to housing.

The latest data does not point to a mass exodus, but it does show Arizona entering a period of transition, balancing opportunity and growth with affordability concerns.

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