Air Force Academy

Oct. 23, 2009

Complete Results

USAFA, Colo. - The Air Force men's and women's swimming and diving teams got their 2009-10 home season off to a start Friday evening, hosting TCU in a conference match-up, while also welcoming the Northern Colorado women in a non-conference dual. The Falcon women picked up a 174-124 victory over the Bears, while TCU swept the duals, defeating the Air Force men, 169-125, the Air Force women, 165-128, and the Northern Colorado women, 195.5-97.5.

The Air Force men (0-1, 0-1 MWC) scored four wins in its dual versus TCU, led by junior Benjamin Gunn (Gainesville, Ga.), who notched a pair of victories. Gunn took first place in the 200 butterfly, clocking in at 1:53.01, while also winning the 200 IM with a mark of 1:55.93. Gunn registered another top-three finish on the evening as well, placing third in the 200 backstroke with a time of 1:54.66.

Corydon Butler (So., Williamsburg, Va.) was the top finisher in the men's 1000 freestyle, posting a time of 10:06.47, while he registered the third-fastest time in the 500 free (4:51.23). Sean O'Keefe (Sr., Lake Oswego, Ore.) added the Falcons' final win, placing first in the 500 free with a mark of 4:48.69, while also finishing as the runner-up in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:45.13.

Freshman J.H. Vivadelli (Richmond,Va.) added a pair of strong performances, placing second in the 1000 free with a mark of 10:06.66, while clocking the second-fastest time in the 500 free (4:51.15). Junior Robert Dawson (Colorado Springs, Colo.) also turned in a pair of runner-up finishes, coming in second in both the 50 free (21.25) and 100 free (46.80).

Seniors David Arlington (Eagle River, Alaska) and Kyle Van Valkenburg (Tucson, Ariz.) paced the Air Force divers, each turning in a second- and a third-place finish. Arlington took second place on the 3-meter springboard with a score of 278.95, while placing third on 1-meter (289.75). Meanwhile, Van Valkenburg was the runner-up on the 1-meter board with a mark of 295.20, before finishing third at 3-meters with a score of 272.30.

Leading the way for the Air Force women (1-1, 0-1 MWC) were junior Kaeli Kluesner (Denver, Colo.) and sophomore Katharine Ernst (Folsom, Calif.), who combined for two of the Falcons' four wins on the evening. Kluesner won the women's 200 backstroke with a mark of 2:09.73, while Ernst took first in the 100 butterfly, clocking in at 58.59. Kluesner also placed second in the 200 IM at 2:15.64, while Ernst finished second in the 200 fly with a mark of 2:11.58.

Freshman Katrina Castellanos (Roseville, Calif.) notched a pair of top-three finishes for the Falcons as well. She took first place in the 100 breaststroke, clocking in at 1:08.48, before finishing third in the 200 breast with a time of 2:31.40.

Also winning for the Falcon women on Friday evening was sophomore Alison Ceranski (Marinette, Wis.), who took first place in the 50 free with a time of 24.49. Finishing behind Ceranski for second place in the event was Cassie Fletcher (So., Durham, N.C.), who clocked in at 24.59.

Three other Falcons posted top-three finishes in the meet. Freshman Haley Holcombe (Snellville, Ga.) backed up Ernst in the 100 butterfly, placing second with a mark of 59.88. Sophomore Lauren Shetley (St. Louis, Mo.) added a runner-up performance in the women's 1-meter dive with a score of 238.50, while Rachel Roberts (Fr., Eagle River, Alaska) took third place in the 1000 freestyle with a time of 11:12.70.

The Air Force women are back in action tomorrow at 1:00 p.m., as they host conference foes Colorado State, New Mexico and San Diego State in dual action. Meanwhile, the men will compete next weekend, Oct. 30, when they host Mesa State at 5:00 p.m.