Air Force Swimming Takes Off With BYU, Utah, Colorado Mesa This Weekend

GRAND JUNCTION, Colorado, October 3. The Air Force men’s swimming and diving team, and the women’s diving team, open the 2014-15 season against BYU, Utah and Colorado Mesa, Friday-Saturday, Oct. 3-4, in Grand Junction, Colo. The action begins on Friday at 5 p.m. and on Saturday at 11 a.m.

The women’s swimming team opens the season, Oct. 10-11, at the Bulldog Invitational in Fresno, Calif.

The women’s team is coming off a successful 2014 season in which the Falcons earned a sixth-place finish at the 2014 Mountain West Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships. Air Force placed sixth out of 10 teams with 292 points for its best finish since the 2003 season and the second-best finish ever.

Four women were named to the all-Mountain West team in 2013-14. All four return this season as senior Kim Davis, junior Sara Menke and sophomores Genevieve Miller and Kira Schlosberg earned all-conference honors for the Falcons last season.

Davis earned all-conference honors in the 400 yard individual medley and 200 breaststroke. Davis placed third in the 400 IM and was sixth in the 200 breast, where she set a new school record. Menke earned all-conference honors in the 500 and 1650 freestyle. Menke took fourth in the 500 free and was runner-up in the 1650 free. Menke is second all-time at the Academy in the 500, 1000 and 1650 free events. Schlosberg earned all-conference in the 100 breaststroke. Schlosberg placed 6th in the 100 breast, where she set a school record. Miller earned all-conference honors as the champion in the 500 and 1650 free. Miller set school records in four individual and two relay events at the championships. The freshman is the Air Force record-holder in the 200, 500, 1000 and 1650 free events.

Air Force’s four all-conference honorees are the most since the 2006 team placed five on the all-conference team.

Air Force men’s swimming & diving are also coming off of one of its most successful seasons ever. The Falcons finished third at the Western Athletic Conference Swimming & Diving Championships last season. Air Force’s third place finish (625 points) was its second-best as a member of the WAC (member from 1981-1998 and 2013-14 to present).

Air Force set two school records in championships. The group of Ryan Dunne, Paul Leonhardt, Angus MacDonald and George Frank (both Dunne and Frank return this season) set a school record with a time of 2:56.96. The group surpassed the previous school record of 2:58.11 set earlier this season. Dunne, a senior this season, also set the school record in the 100 free, leading off the relay group. His 100 split of 43.50 surpassed the record he set earlier in the 100 free finals of 43.63.

Falcon diving coach Stan Curnow took home WAC Diving Coach of the Year and Andrew Facizewski was named WAC Freshman Swimmer of the Year. Curnow guided the Air Force diving team, which won two of the three diving events. Curnow coached junior Dominic Vallejo to the platform title and a runner-up finish in the 1-meter and junior Nathaniel Zillweger won the 1-meter diving title. The honor is Curnow’s fourth diving coach of the year honor in his 21-year career as Air Force diving coach.

Facizewski was a top-five finisher in three events. He placed second in the 1650 free, third in the 500 free and fifth in the 400 individual medley. Facizewski’s times in the 500 free (4:22.83), 1000 split (9:12.71) and 1650 (15:15.35) are all the third-fastest times in Academy history. His time of 3:55.16 in the 400 IM is fourth-fastest at Air Force.

The above article is a press release submitted to Swimming World. To reach our audience, contact us at newsmaster@swimmingworld.com.

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