Air Force vs. Incarnate Word

USAFA, Colorado, January 10. COMBINING for 15 first-place finishes in 23 scored events, the Air Force men's and women's swimming and diving teams swept visiting Incarnate Word in dual action Friday evening. The Falcon men, who won seven of 11 scored events, captured a 134-103 victory over the Cardinals, while the Air Force women registered a 147-92 win over Incarnate Word, finishing first in eight scored events.

Junior David Arlington (Eagle River, Alaska) helped lead an Air Force sweep of the men's diving events, taking first place in both the 1-meter and 3-meter events. Arlington registered an NCAA Zone qualifying score of 319.50 to finish first at 1-meter, while scoring a 297.08 to place first at 3-meters. Teammates Randy Rogers (Sr., Fort Worth, Texas) and Jesse Bicknell (Fr., Westtown, N.Y.) placed second and third, respectively in the 1-meter event, while Kyle Van Valkenburg (Jr., Tucson, Ariz.) and Cheyne Clark (Fr., Bainbridge Island, Wash.) came in second and third at 3-meters.

Sophomore Robert Dawson (Colorado Springs, Colo.) led the men's swimmers with a pair of first-place finishes, winning both the 50 free and 100 free events. He clocked a time of 21.95 in the 50 free to out-touch UIW's Luke Bernhard by nine hundredths of a second, while Karl Mohrmann (So., Lake Forest, Ill.) placed third with a time of 22.05. Meanwhile, Dawson's mark of 47.44 in the 100 free was enough to put him in first place, ahead of teammate Jared Jaime (So., Anchorage, Alaska), who finished second with a time of 48.85.

Freshman Cole Smith (Charlotte, N.C.) picked up a win for the Falcons in the 1000 freestyle, clocking a time of 10:38.40, while seniors Nick Dixon (Sr., Canton, Mich.) and Matt Jurcak (Plymouth, Mich.) finished second and third, respectively, in the event.

In the men's 200 IM, junior Chris Morin (Crown Point, Ind.) was the top finisher, notching a time of 1:57.71, while sophomore Josh Hammervold (Sugar Land, Texas) came in third with a mark of 2:00.91. Also recording a top time for Air Force was Eric Robinson (So., Lakewood, Colo.), who won the 200 butterfly after clocking in at 1:57.36. Mohrmann added a third-place showing in the event with a mark of 2:00.90.

Junior Sean O'Keefe (Lake Oswego, Ore.) and sophomore Tom Hansen (Berkeley Heights, N.J.), finished second and third, respectively, in both the 200 free and 500 free events, coming in behind UIW's Alex Yatsko, a returning All-American in both events and defending Division II national champion in the 500 freestyle.

Senior Kai Yamashiro (Kaneohe, Hawaii) also captured a second-place finish for the Falcons, recording a time of 1:55.45 in the 200 backstroke. Jurcak took third in the event, registering a mark of 2:01.65. Meanwhile, Greg Edmonds (Jr., Fairfax Station, Va.) and Cody Deacon (Fr., Portland, Ore.) clocked the second- and third-fastest times in the exhibitioned 200 breaststroke.

The Falcons closed out the men's competition by grabbing the top three times in the exhibitioned 400 freestyle relay, led by the team of Hammervold, Morin, Jurcak and Yamashiro, which clocked in at 3:14.43.

On the women's side, senior captain Jane Hwang (Irvine, Calif.) and sophomore Kaeli Kluesner (Denver, Colo.) each registered a pair of first-place individual finishes. Hwang scored a top finish in the 200 freestyle, clocking in at 2:00.43, followed by freshman Cassie Fletcher (Durham, N.C.), who placed third in the event with a time of 2:05.51. Hwang then added a win in the 200 breaststroke, finishing with a mark of 2:31.77, while freshman Jenna Dolata (Colorado Springs, Colo.) finished third with a time of 2:37.22.

Kluesner's first victory came in the 200 IM, as she led an Air Force sweep of the top three spots with a mark of 2:16.68. Becky Gleason (Jr., Ballwin, Mo.) came in second with a time of 2:20.64, while Alexis Laleman (Fr., East Moline, Ill.) clocked in at 2:23.75 to place third. Kluesner also led the Falcons to a sweep in the 200 back, clocking in at 2:14.67 for her second win of the day. Freshman Rachel Reeder (St. Thomas, Pa.) came in second with a time of 2:18.88, while Katelyn Hunter (Jr., La Crescent, Minn.) was third with a time of 2:20.71.

Air Force finished 1-2 in the 50 freestyle, with freshman Alison Ceranski (Marinette, Wis.) touching the wall in a time of 24.84, just ahead of senior Laken Stogner (Bowdon, Ga.), who finished with a mark of 24.96. Meanwhile, Stogner added a second-place finish in the 100 free with a time of 54.04, while Ceranski took third in the event with a mark of 54.73.

Freshman Katharine Ernst (Folsom, Calif.) also added a first place-finish in the 200 butterfly, recording a time of 2:13.34, while Gleason placed third in the event with a mark of 2:20.65. Sophomore Betsy Scarberry (Fairborn, Ohio) was the top finisher for the Falcons in the distance freestyle events, coming in second in both the 500 and 1000 free, while Julie Grabarek (Fr., Laguna Niguel, Calif.) placed third in both events.

Air Force also registered the fastest times in both of the women's relays. In the 400 medley relay, Hunter, Laleman, Ernst and Fletcher combined for a mark of 4:08.67 to capture first place, while the group of Stogner, Fletcher, Ceranski and Hwang turned in the top time in the exhibitioned 400 freestyle relay,

For the women's divers, Ashleigh Peck (Sr., Beaver Falls, Pa.) was the top performer for the Falcons, winning the 3-meter event, while placing second at 1-meter with a score of 233.77. Meanwhile, Chelsea Tompkins (Jr., Grand Junction, Colo.) finished second at 3-meters, while taking third place in the 1-meter springboard.

Special thanks to Air Force for contributing this report.

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