ASU swimmer Adam Chaney hopes to end decorated collegiate career in style

TEMPE – Adam Chaney’s decision to take his swimming mastery to Arizona State was straightforward. 

The Sun Devils men’s swim and dive program has become a national powerhouse in recent years, winning its fourth straight conference championship this season, and the 2024 national championship while developing multiple Olympic medal winners including four-time gold medalist Léon Marchand and current Sun Devil Ilya Kharun.

“I knew some of the guys,” said Chaney, a graduate transfer from Florida. “I got to reach out to (coach) Herbie (Behm) once I was in the portal.

“What I heard is if you’re a sprinter, he’s the best coach. And that made it an easy decision.”

Chaney’s career at Florida is nothing short of decorated, with 22 All-America honors and six national titles between three different events – three titles in the 200 medley relay, two titles in the 200 free relay and one title in the 400 free relay. 

“It’s just really fantastic what he brings,” Behm said. “Experience is a really important thing, and knowing how to pace yourself emotionally, I think is an important thing.”

In his one and only year at Arizona State, Chaney’s impact is palpable, with his recent performance at the Big 12 championships a big reason why the Sun Devils were able to cruise to the team title.

Chaney, along with Kharun, Remi Fabiani and Jonny Kulow, posted an NCAA record 2:42.15 in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay, capping off a dominant week for the Sun Devils. 

“I think deep down we all expected that,” Kulow said. “I knew Adam was gonna absolutely throw down.”

As Chaney and the Sun Devils approach the national championships at the McCauley Aquatic Center in Atlanta from March 25-28 there is a strong sense of confidence. 

“I feel really good,” Chaney said. “The only thing that kind of gets at me is that everything’s kind of new, and this is really my last chance. Like, this is my last year after NCs, I think I’ll be done.”

Beyond the national championships, Chaney’s future is uncertain. 

“Everybody wants you to keep swimming, especially now that they’ve added more events to make it in for 2028,” he said of the Olympics. “So, that kind of always hangs over my head, and I know there are some people who still want me to swim, and honestly, I’m really not sure.”

Chaney has Olympic experience, having participated in the Olympic trials in both 2020 and 2024.

As his collegiate career comes to a close, Chaney looked back on his career.

“Coaches, I feel like they can just tell, especially when you’re younger, if you’re either like a sinker or a swimmer,” Chaney said. “And I think, from a young age, 8 years old, I think they knew I was a swimmer. 

“I think around high school, they fed the ambition and I took it and it just kept evolving and evolving. I think around my sophomore year in high school, I made my first big team for Team USA, and we went to (Junior Pan Pacific Swimming Championships), and I think that’s when it really hit me that this is something I can do very well.”

Chaney’s draw to swimming was influenced by his internal emotions, including the peace it gives him compared to other sports.

“I get really anxious, any sport I do. So handling the ball was never really my thing because I’d lose it because I get so anxious,” he said. “Swimming was something where it was just using my physical body. And that adrenaline that I get from swimming, I wouldn’t lose the ball, it was just using my physical body. 

“Being behind the block and then just racing for 20 seconds. There was no sport that gave me that feeling. I love that feeling. I really do.”

Despite being a newcomer to the ASU program, Chaney’s leadership has been met with glowing reviews from teammates like Kulow. 

“He knows how to be a team player, but he also knows how to be a leader,” Kulow said. “He’s able to connect with them a little bit and I think it’s great. I love him. Personally, I think he’s wonderful.” 

At the NCAA swimming and diving championships, Chaney will take part in the 200-meter backstroke, the 100-meter backstroke and the 50-meter freestyle, with relays to be determined. The Sun Devils finished sixth at last season’s event after winning the 2024 title and finishing as runner-up in 2023.

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