Air Force Academy

Jan. 23, 2008

The Air Force men's and women's swimming and diving teams close out their home slate this weekend, Jan. 24 and 26, when they host conference foes BYU and Utah. The Falcons will take on the Cougars Thursday at 6:00 p.m., while facing the Utes on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. Both contests will be held at the Cadet Natatorium.

Scouting the Falcon Men...
The Air Force men's swimming and diving team (3-5, 0-2) suffered a 176-123 loss to UNLV last weekend. Leading the Falcons were Bryan Avery, who captured first in the 200 free, and Kyle Van Valkenburg, the top finisher in the 1-meter dive.

In the MWC, Justin Day ranks third in the 100 breaststroke, Sean O'Keefe is third in the 1650 free and fifth in the 500 free, Avery ranks fourth in the 200 free and fifth in the 100 butterfly and Benjamin Gunn and Kai Yamashiro rank fourth and fifth, respectively, in the 200 back.

Scouting the Falcon Women...
The Air Force women's swimming and diving team (2-8, 0-5) dropped a 149-117 contest to UNLV last weekend.

Leading the Falcons against Denver were junior Jane Hwang and freshman Kaeli Kluesner. Hwang captured three second-place finishes, while Kluesner took two second-place finishes. Meanwhile, diver Ashleigh Peck finished second in the 1-meter dive.

Scouting the Cougars...
The BYU men's swimming and diving team (10-1, 2-0), currently ranked 23rd, was last in action at Washington, taking a 148-140 victory over the Huskies. Meanwhile, the women's team (9-0, 5-0) last faced Colorado State, capturing a 158.5-136.5 win over the Rams.

Among the top performers for the BYU men are Travis Price, who ranks first in the MWC in the 200 free, Zach Anderson, who leads the league in the 500 free, Daniel Hofstedt, who ranks first in the 1000 free, Jorge Azevedo, who has the top time in the 100 butterfly, and Neal Hamilton, who leads the MWC in the 400 IM. On the women's side, Natasha Menezes leads the conference in the 500, 1000 and 1650 free events, while Rachel Grant holds the MWC's top time in both the 200 butterfly and 400 IM.

Scouting the Utes...
The Utah men's swimming and diving team (0-4, 0-2), last competed at TCU, dropping a 136-101 contest. Meanwhile, the women's team (5-3, 4-1) is coming off a 169.5-130.5 win over Colorado State.

For the Utah men, Michel DeCarolis ranks sixth in the MWC in both the 100 and 200 breaststroke events, while Adam Oliver holds the sixth-fastest time in the MWC in the 500 free. Among the top performers for the Utah women are Jennifer Fredsall, who ranks second in the MWC in the 200 fly and fifth in the 50 free, and Shannon McQueen, who rates third in the 100 back and fourth in the 200 back.

In Honor of Lindsay...
The Air Force swimming and diving teams will honor former teammate Lindsay Brown prior to the Falcons' contest versus BYU. Brown, a sophomore on this year's team, passed away in a car accident on Dec. 21. The team will name the Most Inspirational Award in honor of Brown. The award will be given to the swimmer or diver considered by the rest of the team to be an athlete who works towards creating the kind of loving and supportive team that every athlete desires to be a part of.

Up Next...
The Air Force swimmers are off next weekend, but the divers will host the Air Force Diving Invitational, Feb. 1-2 in the Cadet Natatorium.

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