Michael Phelps' former coach Bob Bowman reacts to Arizona State's winning their first NCAA Men's Swimming Championships trophy

Michael Phelps' ex-coach, Bob Bowman, recently reacted to the Arizona State Men's Swimming team's first NCAA Swimming Championships trophy.

The Sun Devil Swim/Dive secured their first NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships title this year. The 2024 Swimming and Diving Championships was held from Wednesday to Saturday, March 27 to 30, at the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The Arizona State Swimming team led the championships with 523.5 points. They were followed by the California Golden Bears and Florida Gators, who bagged 444.5 and 378 points, respectively.

The Sun Devil Swimming and Diving team secured 15 medals at the 2024 Championships, including seven gold, five silver, and three bronze medals.

After leading the team to its first PAC-12 Conference Championships in March 2023, the legendary swimmer's long-time coach guided the Sun Devils team to its first NCAA Swimming Championship victory.

Celebrating his team's groundbreaking feat, coach Bob Bowman reposted a picture of the trophy on his X (formerly known as Twitter) account.

Zalan Sarkany and Ilya Kharun secured gold medals in the 1650 freestyle and 200 butterfly, respectively. Hubert Kos, Owen Donald, and David Schlicht bagged silver medals in the 200 backstroke, 200 IM, and 400 IM, respectively.

Moreover, McDonald and Kos also secured bronze medals in the 200 backstroke and IM, respectively. The team collected two gold medals in relay events, including 400 freestyle and medley, two silver medals in the 800 freestyle and 200 medley, and one bronze in the 200 freestyle event.

"When he came it gave everybody the example of what real excellence is" - Coach Bob Bowman praises Leon Marchand for the team's success

Arizona State Swimming team rose to recognition after tying with Michigan at 106 points in 2021, securing the 12th spot in the NCAA Championships under the guidance of coach Bob Bowman.

Leon Marchand enrolled with the Arizona State University in 2022, finishing sixth at the national championships after recording a program high. During a press conference after the NCAA Championships, Bowman, who began coaching the Arizona State Men's Swimming team in 2015, emphasized Marchand's impact on the team while expressing his delight in securing the milestone victory.

"The program kept bringing in better people," Bob Bowman said. "When he (Leon Marchand) came it's when it took off. So this is the guy that made it happen. When he came it gave everybody the example of what real excellence is at top level, raised the level of everything everybody was doing, and then attracted other people who could help us win this Championship. So Leon gets most of the credits."

Marchand bagged gold medals in the 500 freestyle, 200 breaststroke, and 400 IM for the Arizona State Swimming team in Indianapolis.