Four Falcon Swimmers Named Mid-Major All-Americans
4/22/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming and Diving
April 22, 2008
Somers, Wis. - Air Force men's swimmers Bryan Avery, Justin Day, Sean O'Keefe and Benjamin Gunn were named honorable mention Mid-Major All-Americans by CollegeSwimming.com, as announced Monday. Mid-Major institutions are designated as colleges or universities that are not affiliated with a Bowl Championship Series (BCS) conference, as well as those institutions awarding less than half of the maximum-allowable scholarships (seven for women, five for men).
The 2008 Division I Men's Mid-Major All-America Swimming team features 13 athletes, including Swimmer of the Year Alex Righi of Yale, who earned the honor based on their qualification for the 2008 Men's NCAA Division I Championships. Meanwhile, 78 others, including Avery, Day, O'Keefe and Gunn, received honorable mention status of earning NCAA `B' time standards during the 2007-08 season.
Avery, a junior from Mililani, Hawaii, earned an NCAA provisional mark in both the 200 freestyle and 100 butterfly at this year's Mountain West Conference Championships. Finishing second in the 200 free, his mark of 1:37.22 was a personal best, moving him into second place on the Academy's top 10 list. Meanwhile, he set a school record in the 100 butterfly during the championships, clocking in at 48.38 in a time trial event. Avery later went on to post another `B' standard and Olympic Trial qualifying time in the 100 butterfly at the All-American Long Course Championships in Austin, Texas.
Classmate Day, a native of Peyton, Colo., earned his NCAA `B' time standard and Olympic Trial qualifying time at the All-American Long Course Championships, finishing the 100 breaststroke in a time of 1:03.79. Day was also an all-conference honoree in the 100 breaststroke after finishing third in the event at the MWC Championships.
O'Keefe, a sophomore from Lake Oswego, Ore., earned a pair of NCAA `B' time standards in both the 500 and 1650 free at the MWC Championships. An all-conference honoree in both events, as well as the 200 free, O'Keefe registered a mark of 4:25.83 in the 500 free, ranking third all-time at the Academy. Meanwhile, his time of 15:24.43 in the 1650 free ranks fourth in the Air Force record books.
Gunn, a freshman from Gainesville, Ga., also earned his NCAA `B' cut and Olympic Trial qualifying time at the All-American Long Course Championships, clocking a time of 55.53 in a time trial of the 100 butterfly. Gunn, an All-MWC performer in both the 100 and 200 butterfly, holds the fourth-fastest times in Academy history in both events.
Next up for the Falcons is the United States Olympic Trials, being held June 29-July 6 in Omaha, Neb. There, Avery, Day and Gunn will all vie for a spot on this year's Olympic team.
