Petra Banovic - Croatia, Swimming @ Olympic Games 2004
Sun Devils strive for Olympic glory
16 past and present ASU coaches, athletes to compete in Athens
by Christopher Drexel
ASU junior-to-be diver Joona Puhakka practices dives at the Mona Plummer Aquatic Center. Puhakka, a two-time NCAA champion, will represent Finland in the Athens Olympics.
Swimmer Agnes Kovacs of Hungary
Junior-to-be sprinter Lewis Banda of Zimbabwe.
The 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, will certainly have maroon and gold undertones to it.
ASU athletics will be well represented when the Olympics' opening ceremonies commence on Aug. 13. On that night, 16 current and former Sun Devils will march into Olympic Stadium, ready to compete or coach on the international stage over the following 16 days.
However, much of the maroon and gold at the Games will not translate into red, white and blue. Of ASU's 16 representatives, only three will be there in an attempt to bring home gold for the United States. The other 13 will represent nine other nations.
There will be 441 athletes total at the Games. Of the 16 Sun Devil representatives, seven are current ASU athletes, four are former ASU athletes, three are current ASU coaches and one is a former ASU athlete-turned coach.
No doubt the Sun Devils will look to add to an already healthy Olympic tradition at the school. Over the years Sun Devil athletes have brought home 53 Olympic medals, including 23 gold, 10 silver and 20 bronze.
Two current Sun Devils and one former ASU competitor will return for their second Olympics, while two Sun Devil coaches are former Olympians themselves.
Seven athletes and two coaches from ASU will have their competition in the water for various swimming and diving events. The nine aquatic Sun Devils will represent six nations.
One current and two former ASU athletes representing three nations will compete on the track. And one coach and one former Sun Devil athlete will help to jumpstart the host nation on the softball diamond. Here are their stories:
THE ASU ATHLETES
Lewis Banda -- Zimbabwe, Sprints
After just two years as a member of the ASU track team, Banda is already one of the more accomplished athletes in the program's history.
The 5-foot-6 native of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, has already logged five Top 8 finishes in NCAA meets, has been a five-time All-American and a four-time Pac-10 champion for the Sun Devils. Banda, an accounting major, has won the last two Pac-10 400m dash titles and finished fourth in the event at the at the NCAA Championships in June.
Banda will be one of just 11 total athletes from his homeland to compete in Athens, and one of just five in track and field. He earned the invitation after competing in the African Championships held in Brazzaville, Congo, from July 14-18. Banda placed fourth in the 200m dash with a time of 21.08 and ran the second leg of a gold medal-winning 4x400m relay that clocked a time of 3:02.38.
Petra Banovic -- Croatia, Swimming
This senior middle distance swimmer enjoyed an impressive two years in Tempe after competing for San Jose State University as an underclassman.
In 2003, the marketing major raked in four All-American honors and put her name in the Sun Devil record books in five individual events and three relays, including setting the school record in the 200m freestyle with a time of 1:47.59 at the NCAA preliminaries. She then placed 12th in the event at nationals.
In 2004, Banovic -- a Zagreb, Croatia, native -- swam one leg of an 800m freestyle relay that set a school record with a time of 8:00.69 at NCAAs. She also recorded ASU's second fastest time ever (147.17) in the 200m freestyle while swimming the opening leg of the relay at the Pac-10 Championships.
Ahmed Hussein -- Egypt, Swimming
This backstroke and freestyle swimmer recently competed an impressive four-year collegiate career and will be competing in his second Olympiad after swimming for Egypt at the 2000 Games in Sydney, Australia.
In 2002, the civil engineering major set an ASU record in the 100m backstroke by recording a time of 47.62 as part of the first leg of the Sun Devil medley relay team at the Pac-10 Invitational. In 2003, he repeated the feat at the Pac-10 Championships and took home honorable mention All-American honors in the 400m freestyle relay and the 800m freestyle relay.
This season, he took fifth at the Pac-10s in the 100m backstroke (48.03) and seventh in the 200m backstroke (1:46.38). Hussein was born in Cairo, Egypt, but went to high school in Fullerton, Calif.
David Kolozar -- Hungary, Swimming
Kolozar, a young butterfly and freestyle swimmer, has already made plenty of noise after two years as a Sun Devil.
As a freshman in 2003, the recreation tourism major earned honorable mention All-American honors in the 200m butterfly and 800m freestyle relay. He also clocked the second fastest 200m butterfly time in ASU history (145:16) at the NCAA Championships, placing 11th.
This season, Kolozar took home a fourth place finish in the 200m butterfly with a time of 1:45.75 at the Pac-10 Championships, and made up one-fourth of an 800m freestyle relay team that placed 12th at the NCAA Championships.
The Budapest, Hungary, native has competed extensively on the international level and was the 2003 Hungarian National Champion in the 200m butterfly.
Agnes Kovacs -- Hungary, Swimming
Athens will be the second Olympiad for Kovacs, who won a gold medal at the 2000 Sydney, Australia, Games in the 200m breaststroke. In Tempe, Kovacs has competed as a Sun Devil for three years, and when it is all said and done, she may be considered the best female swimmer to ever don the maroon and gold.
As a freshman in 2002, the supply chain management major set ASU records in the 200m breaststroke (2:07.64) and 200m individual medley (4:10.77). She also finished second at the NCAA Championships in the 200m breaststroke and was the Pac-10 champion in the same event. 2003 saw Kovacs earn four All-American honors including first-team acclaim in the 100m and 200m breaststroke. She also placed third nationally in the 200m breaststroke and fourth in the 100m breaststroke.
In 2004, Kovacs had an uncharacteristic season, but was still successful by anyone's standards, as she finished sixth at the NCAA Championships in both the 100m breaststroke and 200 individual medley.
Kovacs was born in Budapest, Hungary, and was named her nation's female athlete of the year from 1997 to 2000 and was a seven-time European Champion.
Joona Puhakka -- Finland, Diving
Without a doubt, Puhakka can be called the Michael Jordan of male collegiate diving, but after the Olympics, he hopes to call himself the best diver in the world, period.
After just two years as a Sun Devil, the business major already has two national championships under his belt. During his freshman season in 2003, Puhakka became the first NCAA men's diving champion from ASU in 35 years as he went undefeated all year in the 1-meter springboard. He also placed third nationally in the 3-meter and earned three All-American honors, including first team status on the 1-meter and 3-meter before being named the Pac-10 diver and newcomer of the year.
This season saw Puhakka take home the national crown in the 3-meter and finish third in the 1-meter before being named the Pac-10's diver of the year for the second straight season. He was born in Helsinki, Finland, and won the bronze medal in the 2003 diving World Championships.
Florencia Szigeti -- Argentina, Swimming
What quarterback Andrew Walter has been to the football team, Szigeti has been to the ASU women's swimming team.
The supply chain management major may be set for her senior year, but has already established herself as one of the most dominant freestyle swimmers in the school's history. In 2003, Szigeti earned six All-American honors, including first-team in the 400m freestyle relay. She finished 15th at the NCAA Championships in the 200m freestyle.
This season, Szigeti set a school record in the first leg of the 400m freestyle relay before finishing ninth in the 200m freestyle at the NCAAs with a school record time of 1:58.48.
Szigeti was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and attended high school in Mendoza, Argentina.
THE FORMER ASU ATHLETES
Michael Campbell -- Jamaica, Track
This former Sun Devil competed for two seasons with ASU but has competed for his country for much longer than that.
During his time in Tempe, Campbell was a standout in the 400m, which he will continue to do in Athens this month, as he will run one leg of Jamaica's 4x400m relay. In the 2000 season, Campbell was the Pac-10 runner-up in the 400m with a time of 46.69.
Prior to attending ASU, Campbell ran for Central Arizona Community College. He hails from Kingston, Jamaica.
Stacey Farnworth -- Greece, Softball
While your average Greek cannot tell a softball from a grapefruit, the powers that picked Greece's first Olympic softball team have called upon a band of American players with Greek heritage to take to the diamond. Stacey Farnworth is no exception.
A native of Upland, Calif., Farnworth was the lone senior on the 2001 Sun Devil softball team. She has stuck around Tempe since and served as both a graduate assistant and administrative assistant for ASU. Farnworth played third base during her junior year, batting .270. She then made the switch to catcher her senior year, starting all 58 of the team's games and finishing second in the Pac-10 with five pick offs. She played at Utah as an underclassmen.
Farnworth will be reunited with her former ASU coach, Linda Wells, who will serve as the Greeks' skipper.
Gavin Meadows, Great Britain, Swimming
A native of Leeds, England, Meadows hopes to make a splash in the pool for his tiny, but mighty island of a homeland.
Meadows spent two seasons with the Sun Devils after the new millennium began. In 2001, he garnered first-team All-American honors with the 800m freestyle relay team, which finished fourth nationally with the second-best time in school history (6:26.27). Individually, he gained honorable mention All-American status in the 200m freestyle. He also qualified nationally in the 500m freestyle.
Meadows has also swam internationally, winning a bronze medal in the 1998 World Games in the 800m freestyle relay.
Dwight Phillips -- United States, Long Jump
This 2000 ASU graduate has gone on to become perhaps the most recognizable Sun Devil to compete in Athens, at least locally. But that is likely because he is the only ASU competitor to be donning the red, white and blue of the United States.
Phillips had a solid collegiate career in Tempe, but the long jumper has recently gained many more accolades on the international level. In 2000, Phillips placed second at the U.S. Team Trials before finishing eighth in the long jump at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He then won the 2003 U.S. Outdoor long jump title, the 2003 World Indoor title and the 2003 World Outdoor title.
Phillips began his collegiate career at Kentucky where he set a number of school records. Then during his junior year with ASU in 1999, the Tucker, Ga., native placed fourth in the long jump and triple jump at the NCAA Championships. In 2000, Phillips finished as the national runner-up in the long jump and also earned All-America honors in the 4x100m relay.
THE ASU COACHES
Mark Bradshaw -- Finland, Diving
In 2004, Bradshaw finished his eighth season at the helm of ASU's diving program, and with prized possession Joona Puhakka, has taken the team to new heights. Now, Bradshaw will get a chance to return the favor to Puhakka and guide the young Fin in the biggest competition of his life, as Bradshaw has been named Finland's diving coach for Athens.
In his last two seasons at ASU, Bradshaw has gained about as much recognition as a coach can. In 2003, he was named the NCAA diving coach of the year and the men's Pac-10 diving coach of the year. This season he took home the top coaching honor in the conference for both the men and the women. He has generated five All-Americans at ASU.
As a competitor himself, Bradshaw was a member of the U.S. National Diving Team for 16 years, winning seven national championships and competing for America in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, Korea, where he placed fifth in the 3-meter springboard. He was also a four-time All-American at Ohio State.
Mike Chasson -- Egypt, Swimming
Much like his diving counterpart, Chasson will have a chance to coach one of his Sun Devil pupils in Athens when he guides Ahmed Hussein and the Egyptian swim team.
Six years ago, Chasson became the first person to ever coach both the men's and women's swim teams at ASU, and the improvement his teams have shown has been evident. In 2003, Chasson led both teams to top-12 finishes in the NCAA Championships, something that hasn't occurred since 1987 and just the third time in school history. Prior to this season, his swimmers have established 36 school records and 189 All-American honors.
Before coaching in Tempe, Chasson coached at Harvard and Stanford. His wife, Jill was an Olympian at the 1992 Games, competing in the 200m breaststroke.
Zeke Jones -- United States, Men's Freestyle Wrestling
A 1990 graduate of ASU, Jones left Tempe as one of the most decorated wrestlers in the program's history, and still is.
Jones was a three-time All-American during his time as a Sun Devil and his 134 wins rank third on the school's all-time list. He won three Pac-10 championships in the 118-pound weight class and was runner-up at the 1990 NCAA Championships after an undefeated season. Jones then went on to be an assistant coach at ASU, helping the team to a 60-37 record, and is now assistant head coach at West Virginia University.
Jones has already been to the Olympics as a competitor, as he won the silver medal at the 1992 Games in Barcelona, Spain, at 114.5 pounds. He also won the gold at the 1994 Goodwill Games in St. Petersburg, Russia.
In December, Jones was named as an assistant to USA freestyle wrestling's coaching staff for Athens.
Townsend Saunders -- United States, Women's Freestyle Wrestling
The former Sun Devil and U.S. Olympian recently finished his third season as an assistant coach for ASU wrestling under head coach Thom Ortiz. Now, he will put his grappling knowledge to the test as he guides the first women's freestyle wrestling team for the United States. Athens will be the first Olympics to feature women's wrestling.
Saunders wrestled with Ortiz in the late '80s at ASU and compiled a 77-9 record -- including 40 wins in 1988-89 -- as a Sun Devil and is tied for fourth on the school's all-time list with a .895 winning percentage. He finished second at the NCAA Championships at 142 pounds in 1989 and third in 1990 at 150 pounds, while winning the Pac-10 crown both seasons.
Saunders competed in both the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta where he won the silver medal.
Linda Wells -- Greece, Softball
The country of Greece is by and large not familiar with softball or baseball. In Athens, however, the country will get acquainted with both sports very quickly, as Greece will field its first national teams on the diamond, as the host nation gets an automatic berth in the tournament.
But while the Greeks may be short on softball knowledge, they couldn't have found a coach with more experience in the sport than Wells, who has 884 career Division I victories on her resume. Like her players, Wells possesses some Greek blood, but is a native of the United States, specifically Pacific, Missouri.
Wells is just the second coach in ASU's 37-year history, and she possesses a career record in Tempe of 533-389. Her Sun Devil teams have reached the College World Series on two occasions, including a third place finish in 2002. Wells is just four victories shy of becoming the school's all-time winningest coach, a feat she will accomplish before retiring as ASU's skipper at the end of the 2005 season.
Reach the reporter at Christopher.Drexel@asu.edu.
http://www.asuwebdevil.com/issues/2004/08/03/specialreports/680623
