Runge Wins Two in Her ASU Debut as Sun Devils Beat Washington State

ARIZONA STATE V. WASHINGTON STATE

• January 12, 2019
• Hosts: Arizona State
• Results
• Scores
  • ASU 174, WSU 85

Cierra Runge made her Arizona State debut in Tempe over the weekend, as the Sun Devils defeated Washington State handily on Saturday.

Runge, who started her NCAA career with Cal for the 2014-15 season and set the NCAA record in the 500 free as a freshman (that record has since been broken), took the 2015-16 NCAA season off to train with ASU coach and former NBAC club coach Bob Bowman in Arizona in the lead-up to the 2016 Olympic Games. After earning a gold medal in Rio as part of the 4×200 free relay, Runge completed her sophomore year with the Wisconsin Badgers for 2016-17. Following that, she made the move to Tempe and Arizona State to be coached again by Bowman, and after sitting out her two semesters, Runge is now finally cleared to race for ASU.

This is the first competition (according to the USA Swimming database) for Runge since the 2018 U.S. Summer Nationals, where she was 10th in the 800 free (8:34.28), 24th in the 200 free (2:01.09/1:59.63 prelims), and 26th in the 400 free (4:14.00). Runge was actually much faster at the Pro Swim Series – Columbus just two weeks prior to Nationals, where she dropped a 1:58.87 200 free, a 4:08.99 400 free, and an 8:29.93 in the 800 free.

Over the weekend, Runge went 50.64 in the 100 free and 1:49.44 in the 200 free, winning both in the dual meet. She also raced the 500 free, going 4:50.92 and getting edged out by teammate and sophomore Emma Nordin (4:50.52). That was a fantastic swim for Nordin, who has never been faster than 4:54 in a dual meet in her entire collegiate career. She opened the meet with a win in the 1000 free, going 10:10.80.

Chloe Isleta and Fanny Teijonsalo earned two wins, each, for the Sun Devils. Isleta swept the backstrokes, going 55.13 and 2:00.09 in the 100 and 200, respectively. Teijonsalo, meanwhile, was 23.68 in the 50 free and 55.29 in the 100 fly. Silja Kansakoski collected a win in the 100 breast at 1:02.43.

For Washington State, Mackenzie Duarte posted a win in the 200 breast (2:15.66), and Keiana Fountaine took 2nd place in the 50 free (24.06) and 100 free (51.12).