Air Force Academy
Nike Cup (Swimming)
Falcons Wrap Up Day Two at UCI/Nike Cup
11/22/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming and Diving
Nov. 21, 2008
LONG BEACH, Calif. - With highlights on both the men's and the women's sides, the Air Force swimming teams finished day two of competition at the UCI/Nike Cup, hosted by UC Irvine at the Belmont Plaza Olympic Pool. The men remain in second place in the team standings with 714.5 points, behind conference foe UNLV, while the women are in 13th place with 161.5 points.
On the women's side, several swimmers advanced past the preliminary round to score points for the Falcons. Sophomore Kaeli Kluesner (Denver, Colo.) was the top individual finisher for the Air Force women, placing 18th in the 400 IM. Her mark of 4:34.62 was a personal-best and ranks eighth in the Falcons' all-time record book. Meanwhile, junior Becky Gleason (Ballwin, Mo.) placed 21st in the event, following a preliminary mark of 4:36.64.
Senior captain Jane Hwang (Irvine, Calif.) turned in the Falcons' top time in the 200 free, clocking in at 1:54.26 to finish 19th. Meanwhile, classmate Laken Stogner (Bowdon, Ga.) placed 23rd in the event after recording a mark of 1:55.37 in the prelims.
Two more Air Force swimmers advanced to the evening races following their performance in the preliminaries. Freshmen Alison Ceranski (Marinette, Wis.) and Katharine Ernst (Folsom, Calif.) both moved to the finals after clocking times of 59.04 and 59.32, respectively, earlier in the day.
The Falcons also had a strong finish in the 800 freestyle relay, as Stogner, Cassie Fletcher (Fr., Durham, N.C.), Lauren Delaney (Fr., Panama City, Fla.) and Hwang clocked in with a mark of 7:54.60 to place 10th.
The highlight on the men's side was a first-place finish by senior captain Bryan Avery (Mililani, Hawaii), who won the 200 freestyle with a mark of 1:39.09. Two other Falcons finished in the top 10 in the event, as Sean O'Keefe (Jr., Lake Oswego, Ore.) placed seventh after turning in a mark of 1:40.60 in the prelims, while sophomore Eric Robinson (Lakewood, Colo.) finished eighth, notching a time of 1:41.33 in the preliminaries
The Air Force men had several other top-10 finishes, including three in the 100 breaststroke. Greg Edmonds (Jr., Fairfax Station, Va.) led the way in that event, finishing sixth after clocking in at 58.03 in the prelims. Senior Spencer Butt (Sterling, Va.) recorded a mark of 57.99 in the preliminaries before placing seventh, while sophomore Josh Hammervold (Sugar Land, Texas) recorded the fastest time of the day in the event for the Falcons, clocking a time of 57.84 in the finals to take ninth place.
There were two Falcons in the top 10 of the men's 400 IM, led by senior Nick Dixon (Canton, Mich.), who placed sixth with a time of 4:05.55. Meanwhile, freshman Cole Smith (Charlotte, N.C.) also landed in the top 10, finishing ninth with a mark of 4:09.62.
Senior Kai Yamashiro (Kaneohe, Hawaii) added a sixth-place showing in the 100 back, clocking in at 51.11, while sophomore Benjamin Gunn (Gainesville, Ga.) recorded a time of 49.42 in the 100 butterfly to finish ninth in the event.
The Falcons also had an impressive showing in the 200 medley relay, as the team of Yamashiro, Butt, Chris Morin (Jr., Crown Point, Ind.) and Robert Dawson (So., Colorado Springs, Colo.) combined for a mark of 1:32.97.
The Nike Cup concludes tomorrow with preliminaries starting at 9:00 a.m. (PT).
Players Mentioned
