Air Force Academy

Feb. 3, 2010

The Air Force men's and women's swimming and diving teams wrap up the regular season this weekend, Feb. 6, when they host Wyoming in conference action. The dual meet, which will mark the final home appearance by the Falcons' 10 seniors, is slated to begin at 1:00 p.m. at Cadet Natatorium.

Last Time Out...
Senior Kyle Van Valkenburg led the Falcons at the annual Air Force Diving Invitational last weekend, taking first place on the men's 1-meter springboard, while placing second on both the 3-meter board and the platform.

Meanwhile, Air Force was in dual action two weeks ago, with the men sweeping BYU and Utah, while the women dropped both contests against the conference foes. Fifteen different Falcons picked up individual victories in the two dual meets, led by Benjamin Gunn (100 backstroke), Corydon Butler (200 free/1000 free), Robert Dawson (50 free), Paul Young (200 back) and Katharine Ernst (200 butterfly), who registered two wins each.

Scouting the Falcon Men...
The Air Force men's swimming and diving team enters this weekend with a 3-3 overall dual record and 2-2 mark in the Mountain West Conference.

Eight different Air Force men's swimmers rank in the top five in the Mountain West Conference in their respective events, led by junior Benjamin Gunn, who holds the league's fastest times in the 100 and 200 backstroke and 200 IM, while ranking fourth in the 100 butterfly. Meanwhile, junior Tom Hansen leads the conference in the 400 IM, while ranking third in the 200 back and fourth in the 500 free.

Scouting the Falcon Women...
The Air Force women's swimming and diving team enters this weekend with a 2-8 overall dual record and an 0-7 ledger in the MWC.

Four women's swimmers rank in the top 25 in the Mountain West Conference in their respective events, led by freshman Katrina Castellanos, who is 20th in the 200 breaststroke. Cassie Fletcher and Rachel Roberts are ranked 23rd in the 100 free and 1650 free, respectively, while Haley Holcombe holds the league's 25th-fastest mark in the 400 IM.

Scouting the Cowboys & Cowgirls...
The Wyoming men enter this weekend's competition with a 6-3 overall dual record and 2-2 mark in the Mountain West Conference. Meanwhile, the women are currently 12-1 overall and 5-1 in the MWC and will host Colorado State on Thursday evening.

There are six Cowboys who rank in the top five in the conference in their respective events, led by Brandon Fischer, who holds the third-fastest times in both the 100 and 200 breaststroke events, while ranking fourth in the 400 IM and fifth in the 200 IM. Wyoming also features two of the league's top men's divers in Mark Murdock and Kyle Bogner.

Meanwhile, there are three women who rank in the top five in the MWC in their respective events, including Cassie Stelow, who holds the conference's fastest time in the 50 freestyle. Lesley Young is ranked second in both breaststroke events and third in the 200 IM, while Stephanie Vint is third in the 400 IM and fourth in the 500 free.

Saying Good-Bye to the Seniors...
This weekend's meet will mark the final home appearance for the 10 members of the Falcons' class of 2010. Competing at home for the final time this weekend will be swimmers Solange Eddy, Greg Edmonds, Becky Gleason, Katelyn Hunter, Chris Morin, Sean O'Keefe and Meghan Wildner, as well as divers David Arlington, Chelsea Tompkins and Kyle Van Valkenburg.

A Notable Win...
Air Force's dominating 163-132 win over the BYU men on Jan. 21 marked the team's first dual victory against the Cougars during head coach Rob Clayton's 12-year tenure.

Up Next...
The Falcons are off for the next few weeks as they prepare for the 2010 Mountain West Conference Championships, being held Feb. 24-27 in Oklahoma City, Okla.

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