Air Force swims to dual win over Grand Canyon

COLORADO SPRINGS- The Falcons provided their best performance of the 2023-24 season thus far on Friday, defeating Grand Canyon by a lopsided score of 206.00-94.00.

"Our women stepped up today and raced so well," said head swimming coach Colleen Murphy. "Every single race showed the quality and depth on our team. This was a very good win for our entire team and we are in a great place heading into mid-season."

Of the 14 events, Air Force picked up wins in nine of the scheduled races.

The afternoon began with a Falcons victory in the 200 Medley Relay, as Anna Ashley, Naomi Furman, Allana Clarke, and Abby Turner posted a winning time of 1:43.79.

Turner, returning to the pool for the first time since being named Mountain West Swimmer of the Week on October 24, was also victorious in the 50 Freestyle (23.84) and the 100 Freestyle (51.78). Furman nabbed an individual win in the 200 Breaststroke as well, clocking in at 2:22.76.

In the 1000 Freestyle, Jessica Smith notched her first collegiate win following a time of 10:55.12. Another freshman, Natalie Gembicki, finished just behind Smith to claim second place after touching out at 10:59.54.

Putting together a big afternoon, Alex Clark paved the way for Air Force in 200 Freestyle, posting a winning time of 1:55.14. The junior also raced to a win in the 200 IM as the result of a time of 2:08.93.

Katelyn Andrist (5:14.92) and Lauren Arnold (5:18.20) finished as the top two swimmers in the 500 Freestyle.

To put an exclamation on the Falcons stellar Friday performance, the team of Clarke, Clark, Turner, and Ryan Mills ended the day with a win in the 400 Freestyle Relay, posting a time of 3:29.73.

In the diving portion of the meet, Kinzie Etzelmiller provided wins in both events. The senior was judged for 245.55 points in the 1-Meter as well as 251.55 points in the 3-Meter.

"Abby Turner, Alex Clark, and Katie Andrist have been consistently leading in their races and are bringing their teammates along in training," said Murphy. "Their leadership, along with our captains, is going to be crucial as we head into our mid-season invite."

Air Force will indeed travel to an important meet next time out, as the Falcons will compete at the Liberty Invite in Lynchburg, Virginia starting Thursday, November 16.

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