Benedetti, Nuess capture 18th for ASU at championships

 by Alex Espinoza
 published on Monday, March 31, 2008

ASU sent just two men to Federal Way, Wash., for the NCAA Swim and Dive Championships this weekend.

No worries, though.

ASU's All-American duo — senior swimmer CJ Nuess and sophomore diver Micky Benedetti — combined for 51 points and an 18th-place finish.

They also earned five top-10 finishes in their six combined competitions.

Nuess scored ASU's best effort, a fifth-place finish in the 400-yard Individual Medley on day two of the competition.

His career ended with a ninth-place finish in one of his best events, the 1650-yard freestyle.

Nuess leaves ASU as its all-time record holder in the 400-yard IM. He broke the school record on Nov. 30 in the Texas Invitational with his time of 3:44.51.

Benedetti claimed top-10 finishes in all three of his events but didn't beat his performance of a season ago that included a runner-up finish.

He finished seventh in the one-meter event, 10th in the three-meter and ninth in the platform.

Benedetti, a Rome native, will be busy in the upcoming months trying to qualify for the Summer Olympics in Beijing this August.

— Alex Espinoza