Air Force Academy

Jan. 28, 2009

The Air Force men's and women's diving teams are in action this weekend, Jan. 30-31, as they host the annual Air Force Diving Invitational. Friday's events are slated to begin at 2:00 p.m., while the action will begin Saturday morning at 9:00.

The Schedule...
Friday's competition will consist of the men's 3-meter springboard, slated to begin at 2:00 p.m., followed by the women's 1-meter springboard, which will start at 4:00 p.m.

On Saturday, the men's 1-meter springboard will begin at 9:00 a.m., followed by the women's 3-meter springboard at 10:30 a.m. Competition concludes with the men's and women's combined platform, scheduled to start at 1:30 Saturday afternoon.

Scouting the Falcons...
Leading the Air Force men's divers this season are juniors David Arlington and Kyle Van Valkenburg. Arlington is the fifth-ranked diver in the MWC on the 1-meter springboard with a team-best 319.50. Meanwhile, Van Valkenburg leads Air Force on both the platform and 3-meter springboard, ranking first and eighth, respectively, in the league in those events.

On the women's side, the Falcons' top scores in the three different events have come from a different member of the team. Senior Ashleigh Peck holds the highest mark on 1-meter, while freshman Lauren Shetley has posted the highest score for Air Force on the 3-meter board. Rounding out the group is junior Chelsea Tompkins, whose top score in the platform this year leads the team and ranks fourth in the MWC.

Scouting the Field...
Divers from seven schools are expected to compete at this weekend's invitational, including Mountain West Conference opponents Colorado State (women), San Diego State (women), UNLV and Wyoming.

Some of the top divers in the conference will be featured, including Wyoming's Tyler Miller, who has the top mark in the conference on the men's 1-meter board, and Mark Murdock, who ranks second at 3-meters. In addition, Wyoming boasts the top female diver in the MWC on 3-meters, Stephanie Ortiz, who also ranks second at 1-meter, while New Mexico's Aubrey Bush holds the league's highest score in the women's platform dive.

Up Next...
The Falcons wrap up the regular season next weekend, Feb. 7, with their home finale versus Mountain West Conference foe Wyoming. The dual is slated to begin at 1:00 p.m. at the Cadet Natatorium.

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