Falcon Swimmers Fall to Denver in Dual Action

Jan. 12, 2008

Denver, Colo. - The Air Force men's and women's swimming and diving teams each dropped a dual meet to Denver Saturday at El Pomar Natatorium. The men, now 3-4 on the season, fell to the Pioneers, 146-92, while the women (2-7) lost a 132-96 contest.

While the Falcons did not win any events on the men's side, Air Force did have nine second-place finishes. In the 400 medley relay, the team of Kai Yamashiro (Jr., Kaneohe, Hawaii), Justin Day (Jr., Peyton, Colo.), Benjamin Gunn (Fr., Gainesville, Ga.) and Bryan Avery (Jr., Mililani, Hawaii) finished second, despite recording a season-best time of 2:23.92. The Falcons also finished second in the 400 free relay, with Avery, Stephen Grace (So., Cincinnati, Ohio), T.J. Cowling (Sr., Newport News, Va.) and Chris Morin (So., Crown Point, Ind.) clocking in at 3:07.64.

In the 1000 free, Tom Hansen (Fr., Berkeley Heights, N.J.) and Sean O'Keefe (So., Lake Oswego, Ore.) placed second and third, respectively, while O'Keefe also took second place in the 500 free.

Avery registered a second place finish in the 200 free, clocking in at 1:42.58, while Cowling took second in both the 50 free and 100 free. Gunn placed second in the 200 backstroke and Day finished second in the 200 breaststroke.

Meanwhile, junior Nick Dixon (Jr., Canton, Mich.) recorded a third-place finish for the Falcons in the 200 butterfly. In addition, diver Kyle Van Valkenburg (So., Tucson, Ariz.) notched a pair of third-place showings, including scoring a season-best 269.93 in the 1-meter dive.

For the women, three earned top finishes, while the Falcons had seven other top-three performances. Junior Jane Hwang (Irvine, Calif.) won the 100 free with a time of 53.41, while also placing second in the 200 IM with a mark of 2:11.13. Freshman Kaeli Kluesner (Denver, Colo.) picked up her first win of the season, taking the 200 backstroke with a time of 2:12.03.

In the 200 butterfly, sophomore Becky Gleason (Ballwin, Mo.) finished second with a season-best mark of 2:15.65, while Betsy Scarberry (Fr., Fairborn, Ohio) placed third. In addition, the Falcons' 400 medley relay team of Kluesner, Hwang, Jessica Rodgers and Kelly Grabarek (Fr., Laguna Niguel, Calif.) recorded a season-best time of 4:09.24, finishing third in the event.

Diver Ashleigh Peck (So., Beaver Falls, Pa.) was the top finisher in the 1-meter dive and placed second in the 3-meter dive. Meanwhile, teammate Danielle Dowds (Sr., Huntington Beach, Calif.) finished second in the 1-meter dive and third in the 3-meter dive.

The Falcons are back in action next weekend, Jan. 19, with a conference dual meet at UNLV.

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