New Mexico Tops Air Force, Falls to CSU, SDSU

Senior Jennifer Patterson led the way for the Lobos as the squad opened the season with a victory over conference opponent Air Force, 206-94. New Mexico Swimming and Diving picked up 15 top-five finishes throughout the competition, but fell to Colorado Sate and San Diego State, 210-90 and 202-97 respectively.

Patterson smashed the competition in the 100-yard butterfly, touching the wall in 58.03 to capture first-place for the Lobos.  The diving squad had an impressive opening, sweeping the top spots on the 1-meter dive while securing four of the top-five marks on the 3-meter. Ashlee Erickson finished first on the 1-meter dive with a mark of 261.80, followed by Aubrey Bush in second (253.30), Sasha Evangulova in third (240.15), and Alexandra Lusk in fourth (238.10). On the 3-meter Bush gathered another first-place finish for the Lobos with a score of 263.25, followed by Ashlee Erickson in third (255.50), Sasha Evangulova in fourth (249.70), and Alexandra Lusk in fifth (246.70).

Sophomore Marissa Campbell finished third in the 100-yard backstroke, finishing with a time of 58.67. The 400-yard freestyle relay team, composed of Patterson, Campbell, Tesse Maciejko, and Bridget O’Hara, scored points for the Lobos with a fourth place time of 3:36.09. Patterson, Campbell, Ashley Grisdale and Lindsey Morris secured fourth place in the 200-yard medley relay (1:49.88).

Maria Dudley picked up a fifth-place finish in the 1,000-yard freestyle with a time of 10:56.83. Also finishing with fifth-place times were, Patterson in the 200-yard freestyle (1:57.33), and Nanette Wittenberg in the 200-yard butterfly (2:12.27).

The Lobos return home to host Northern Colorado on Oct. 29 at 5 p.m. It is one of only two home meets for New Mexico. The team will return to competition in Seidler Natatorium for the 2009-10 season. Renovations to the pool feature a new scoreboard as well as an all-time records board.



Hosting three other Mountain West Conference schools, the Air Force women’s swimming and diving team was swept Saturday afternoon at Cadet Natatorium. The Falcons fell to Colorado State, 242-58, New Mexico, 206-94, and San Diego State, 218.5.
 
Three sophomores led the way for the Air Force women (1-4, 0-4 MWC), paced by Alison Ceranski (Marinette, Wis.) and Cassie Fletcher (Durham, N.C.) in the 50 freestyle. Ceranski clocked in with a time of 24.77 to finish third in the event, while Fletcher tied for fourth, winning her heat with a mark of 24.79. Ceranski was also Air Force’s top finisher in the 100 free, placing 11th overall.
 
Meanwhile, Katharine Ernst (Folsom, Calif.) added a pair of top-five finishes, placing fourth in both the 100 and 200 butterfly events. Ernst clocked a time of 59.46 in the 100 fly, while finishing with a mark of 2:12.04 in the 200 fly.
 
Freshman Katrina Castellanos (Roseville, Calif.) was Air Force’s top performer in three different events, placing eighth in the 100 breaststroke, ninth in the 200 breast and 10th in the 200 IM. Junior Kaeli Kluesner (Denver, Colo.) turned in the Falcons’ top times in a pair of events, placing eighth in the 200 backstroke and 10th in the 100 back. In addition, sophomore Lauren Shetley (St. Louis, Mo.) paced the Falcons’ divers, finishing seventh on 1-meter and 10th on the 3-meter springboard.
 
Other top performers for Air Force included freshman Haley Holcombe (Snellville, Ga.), who placed seventh in the 1000 freestyle, and Lauren Delaney (So., Panama Beach, Fla.) and Rachel Roberts (Fr., Eagle River, Alaska), who finished 11th in the 200 and 500 freestyle events, respectively.

The Falcons return to action next weekend, Oct. 30, when they host Mesa State in dual action at 5:00 p.m.