Air Force Academy
BYU
Falcons Split Against BYU
1/21/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming and Diving
Jan. 21, 2010
USAFA, Colo. - Scoring nine first-place finishes, the Air Force men's swimming and diving team captured a 163-132 victory over conference rival BYU Thursday evening at Cadet Natatorium. The win over BYU marks the first for the Air Force men during tenure of head coach Rob Clayton, now in his 12th season. Meanwhile, the Cougars were victorious on the women's side, registering a 190.5-100.5 win over the Falcons.
The Air Force men started the meet with a win in the 200 medley relay, as the team of Benjamin Gunn (Jr., Gainesville, Ga.), Cody Deacon (So., Portland, Ore.), Chris Morin (Sr., Crown Point, Ind.) and Eric Robinson (Jr., Lakewood, Colo.) clocked a time of 1:33.40.
Throughout the course of the night, the Falcons posted eight individual victories from eight different individuals. Sophomore Corydon Butler (Williamsburg, Va.) registered Air Force's first individual win, finishing first in the 1000 freestyle. Gunn led a 1-2 finish in the 100 backstroke, clocking in at 52.13, just ahead of teammate Paul Young (Fr., Lakeville, Minn.). Later in the evening, Young and Gunn switched places in the 200 back, with Young taking first place and Gunn finishing second.
The Falcons also captured the top two spots in the 100 breaststroke, with Deacon winning the race in a time of 58.60, followed closely behind by Josh Hammervold (Jr., Sugar Land, Texas). Meanwhile, Air Force went 1-2-3 in the 200 butterfly, led by freshman Jake Stronko (Woodbridge, Va.), who clocked in with a career-best 1:56.45. Nate Roesler (So., Hastings, Minn.) finished second in the race, followed by Robinson in third place.
Junior Robert Dawson (Colorado Springs, Colo.) captured first place in the 50 free with a mark of 21.32, while Morin posted a season-best time of 21.63 in the event to place second. Senior Sean O'Keefe (Lake Oswego, Ore.) was the winner in the 500 freestyle, while Roesler led an Air Force sweep in the 100 butterfly, finishing first ahead of Morin and Anthony Chiaro (Fr., Tucson, Ariz.).
Air Force scored three other second-place finishes on the night, as O'Keefe took second in the 200 free, Cole Smith (So., Charlotte, N.C.) placed second in the 100 free with a career-best time of 47.64, and Hammervold captured second in the 200 breast. In addition, Gunn posted the fastest time of the evening in the exhibitioned 200 IM event, clocking in with a mark of 1:56.24.
Senior Kyle Van Valkenburg (Tucson, Ariz.) was the top diver for the Air Force men, scoring a second-place finish on the 3-meter board with a career-best score of 343.20, while placing third at 1-meter. Meanwhile, David Arlington (Sr., Eagle River, Alaska) also posted a career-best mark at 3-meters, scoring a 334.58 to place third in the event.
For the women, several swimmers had outstanding performances, with five total victories on the night. Freshman Katrina Castellanos (Roseville, Calif.) was the top performer for the Falcons, winning the 200 breaststroke in a time of 2:27.92, while placing second in the 100 breast. Sophomore Katharine Ernst (Folsom, Calif.) was the first Falcon to post a victory on the women's side, tying for first place in the 200 butterfly. Cassie Fletcher (So., Durham, N.C.) added a win in the 50 freestyle, while freshman Haley Holcombe (Snellville, Ga.) took first place in the 100 fly.
Other strong performances came from Kaeli Kluesner (Jr., Denver, Colo.) and Becky Gleason (Sr., Ballwin, Mo.). Kluesner scored a runner-up finish in the 200 IM, while placing third in the 200 backstroke. Meanwhile, Gleason finished second in the 500 freestyle, before taking third place in the 200 IM.
In addition, the Falcons added a victory in the 400 freestyle relay, as the team of Lauren Delaney (So., Panama City, Fla.), Alison Ceranski (So., Marinette, Wis.), Esther Kim (Jr., Huntington Beach, Calif.) and Holcombe clocked in with a mark of 3:44.12.
The Falcons are back in action Saturday when they host Utah in a dual meet slated to begin at 1:00 p.m.
Players Mentioned
