Falcons Breeze by Rams in Dual, 164-131

USAFA, Colo. – The Air Force Academy women's swimming and diving team knocked off Mountain West and in-state rival Colorado State in a dual, 164-131, Saturday afternoon, Jan. 23, inside the Cadet Natatorium. It was senior day for the Falcons, as AF honored its pair of senior athletes in Kylie Stronko and Lexie DuChene.

"We are so proud of our seniors," Head Coach Colleen Murphy said. "They have been the backbone of this team and have overcome both sickness and injury through their four years at USAFA. They committed to leaving a legacy on this team and have grown into amazing leaders who will do great things in our Air Force."

AF won 11 of the 16 events contested on the day, including a pair of 1-2 finishes, as well as a 1-2-3 placement in the 100 fly.

The Falcons had two swimmers and a diver win two events each. Sophomore Sefilina Maile continued her domination in the 50 and 100 freestyles, with wins in both. Her time in the 50 free sprint was 23.25, which was both the fourth-fastest time in the MW this season, and the fourth quickest in program history.

Air Force's other two winners of a pair of events were sophomore Mason Brown in both the 100 and 200 breast, as well as freshman diver Kinzie Etzelmiller in both the 1-meter and 3-meter dives. The other solo wins came via freshman Kendra Joachim in the 1000 free, Stronko in the 100 back, freshman Shayla Markle in the 200 fly, and sophomore Allana Clarke in the 100 fly.

Finally, AF had a win in the leadoff event of the day, the 200-medley relay. The squad of Stronko, Brown, Clarke, and Maile raced to a gold finish with a time of 1:41.64.

"Our team is in a great spot, and we are so happy to be racing again," Murphy continued. "I am so proud of the resiliency of this team and their hard work and dedication this season."

The Falcons will be back in action next Saturday, Jan. 30, for a sprint meet with Denver. Action inside the Cadet Natatorium is set to begin at 10 a.m. MT.

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Players Mentioned

Mason Brown

Allana Clarke

Lexie DuChene

Kinzie Etzelmiller

Kendra Joachim

Sefilina Maile

Shayla Markle

Kylie Stronko

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