AFA, BYU Leading Pacific Invite

With solid contributions from both their newcomers and veterans, the Air Force men’s and women’s swimming teams completed the first day of action at the season-opening Pacific Invitational, being held at Chris Kjeldsen Pool. The men are currently in first place in the team standings with 473 points, while the women sit in fourth place with 148.5 points.
 
The Air Force men recorded a slew of top-five showings in the first seven events, including runner-up finishes in both of the day’s relays. The 200 medley relay team of Paul Young (Fr., Lakeville, Minn.), Josh Hammervold (Jr., Sugar Land, Texas), Chris Morin (Sr., Crown Point, Ind.) and Robert Dawson (Jr., Colorado Springs, Colo.) took second with a mark of 1:36.01, while the Falcons also took second in the 400 free relay, as Morin, Jon Jones (Fr., Highlands Ranch, Calif.), Eric Robinson (Jr., Lakewood, Colo.) and Dawson clocked a time of 3:09.00.
 
The Falcons posted runner-up finishes in four of the five individual events. Jones placed second in the 200 free with a mark of 1:43.11 to lead a trio of Air Force swimmers in the top five of the event, as Jake Stronko (Fr., Woodbridge, Va.) and Corydon Butler (So., Williamsburg, Va.) finished fourth and fifth, respectively. In the 1650 freestyle, senior Sean O’Keefe (Lake Oswego, Ore.) was the Falcons’ top finisher, placing second with a time of 16:21.59, while Jones and Butler came in fourth and fifth in the event, respectively.
 
Dawson registered a mark of 21.85 in the 50 free to take second place in the event, while Hammervold was Air Force’s top finisher in the 100 breaststroke, taking second with a time of 59.65. In the fifth individual event of the opening day, the 400 IM, junior Tom Hansen (Berkeley Heights, N.J.) was the Falcons’ top performer, placing third with a mark of 4:13.68, while newcomer J.H. Vivadelli (Richmond, Va.) added a fifth-place showing in the event.

On the women’s side, the Falcons’ top finish came in the 400 freestyle relay, where the team of Haley Holcombe (Fr., Snellville, Ga.), Alison Ceranski (So., Marinette, Wis.), Lauren Delaney (So., Panama Beach, Fla.) and Cassie Fletcher (So., Durham, N.C.) took third place with a time of 1:52.30.

Holcombe was also Air Force’s top individual finisher, taking eighth place in the 400 IM with a mark of 4:42.46. Junior Kaeli Kluesner (Denver, Colo.) added another top-10 finish in the event, placing ninth, while freshman Rachel Roberts (Eagle River, Alaska) scored a top-10 finish in the 1650 freestyle, taking ninth place with a mark of 18:12.07.

Roberts was also the Falcons’ top finisher in the 200 free, placing 26th, while Ceranski paced Air Force in the 50 free, taking 12th place with a mark of 24.89. Meanwhile, Katrina Castellanos (Fr., Roseville, Calif.) turned in the Falcons’ top performance in the 100 breaststroke, finishing 14th with a time of 1:09.62.

After the first day of the Pacific Invitational on Friday, October 16, Pacific is in third-place with 232. BYU leads the competition with 413, trailed by Oregon State in second-place with 407.5, and Air Force in forth with 148.5.

In the women's 400 IM, Tiger senior KC Albiston (Salt Lake City, Utah) took a fourth-place finish with a time of 4:31.82, with senior Melissa McGhee (Elk Grove, Calif.) touching the wall right after her with a time of 4:35.34.

Freshman Mallory McGowan (Colusa, Calif.) finished fifth in the 100 Breast with a time of 1:07.30.

Albiston finished the 1650 Free in 17:23.41, to secure fourth-place for the event. Sophomore Jayme Swalin (Kenmore, Wash.) finished seventh with a time of 17:38.44. Freshman Jenna Chaplin (Nassau, Bahamas) had an eighth-place finish with her time of 17:55.85.

A team of Swalin, senior Devonie Migues (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.), Albiston, and McGhee finished in fourth, completely the 400 Free Relay in 3:42.17.

Day two of the Pacific Invitational will start at 12:00pm on Saturday, October 17.