Air Force Academy

Nov. 12, 2008

The Air Force men's and women's swimming and diving teams host their first home meet of the season on Nov. 13, as they welcome TCU for a conference dual meet. The meet is slated to begin at 5:00 p.m. in the Cadet Natatorium.

Last Time Out...
The Air Force men's swimming and diving team went 2-4 at last weekend's Anteater Shootout, defeating Cal Poly and UC Irvine, while falling to BYU, UNLV and Hawaii (twice). Sophomore Benjamin Gunn was the Falcons' top performer on the weekend with one victory (200 IM) and two second-place finishes (100 fly, 200 fly).

Meanwhile, the Air Force women went undefeated at the Bill and Peggy Foster Duals, hosted by Mesa State. The Falcons, who won 10 of 14 events, picked up dual victories over Colorado College, Grand Canyon, Mesa State and the University of Colorado (club). Senior captain Jane Hwang led Air Force with two individual wins (100m back, 400m free), and two relay victories.

Scouting the Air Force Men...
Air Force enters this week's match-up with a 4-5 overall record following last weekend's showing at the Anteater Shootout. Thursday's contest versus TCU marks the conference opener for the Falcons.

Seven different Falcons rank in the top five in the Mountain West Conference in their respective events, led by sophomore Benjamin Gunn, who holds the fastest time in the conference in the 200 IM and is second in both the 100 and 200 butterfly events. Junior Sean O'Keefe is also rated in the top five in multiple events, ranking tied for third in the 200 free, third in the 1650 free, fourth in the 1000 free and fifth in the 500 free. Senior Kai Yamashiro rates third in the 100 backstroke, while sophomore Robert Dawson is rated fourth in the 50 free. Meanwhile, senior Justin Day (100 breast) and sophomores Tom Hansen (1650 free) and Josh Hammervold (200 breast) all rank fifth in their respective events.

Senior captain Jane Hwang currently ranks among the MWC's top 10 in two different events, the 200 IM (sixth) and the 200 freestyle (10th) to lead the Falcons.

Scouting the TCU Men...
TCU enters this week's contest with a 1-2 overall record and 0-1 mark in the MWC. The Horned Frogs were last in action Oct. 30 in a home loss to BYU.

The Horned Frogs have three swimmers who rank among the MWC's top five performers. Jeff Gettel is the conference's top performer in the 200 backstroke and ranks second in the 100 back, Edgar Peyro has the second-fastest time in the 200 IM and Josh Bagby ranks third in both the 50 and 100 freestyle events. In addition, Kyle Callens leads the MWC in the 1-meter dive and ranks second at 3-meters, while R.J. Hesselberg is the top performer in the men's 3-meter dive and ranks fifth at 1-meter.

Scouting the TCU Women...
TCU currently holds a 3-1 overall record and 1-1 mark in the MWC going into this weekend's contest. The Frogs are coming off a home win over previously undefeated Colorado State.

TCU has six swimmers who rank in the top five in the Mountain West Conference in their respective events, led by sophomore Maria Paula Alvarez and freshman Ashley Bolin. Alvarez is the top performer in the 1000 freestyle, while ranking third in the 500 free and fifth in the 200 free. Meanwhile, Bolin has the league's fastest time in the 400 IM, while ranking third in the 200 IM and fourth in the 200 free. Stephanie Futscher holds the third-fastest time in the 200 butterfly, while Katie Rosen ranks fourth in the 200 breaststroke and fifth in the 100 breast. In addition, Jennifer Oster (100, 200 fly) and Cheryl Townsend (400 IM) are rated fifth in their respective events.

Air Force Athlete of the Week...
Senior Jane Hwang was named the Air Force Athlete of the Week on Nov. 10, for her performance at the Bill and Peggy Foster Duals, hosted by Mesa State.

Hwang, a native of Irvine, Calif., competed in two individual events and two relays, finishing first in all four races. She recorded the winning times in both 100-meter backstroke and 400-meter freestyle, swam the second-leg on the winning 200 medley relay and was the lead-off leg on the first-place 200 free relay.

Up Next...
The Air Force men's and women's swimming teams return to action next week, Nov. 20-22, when they head to Long Beach, Calif., for the annual Nike Cup, hosted by UC Irvine. Meanwhile, the divers will travel to Tucson, Ariz., for the Arizona Diving Invitational, Nov. 21-23.

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