The Air Force Falcons men’s swimming and diving team delivered a strong performance on the third day of the MPSF Championships in Pharr, Texas, on Friday. The team secured two individual championship titles, achieved two NCAA qualifying times, and set two new Academy records. With a total score of 564.5 points, Air Force currently leads the meet ahead of UNLV, which has 559.5 points.
Head coach Rob Clayton expressed satisfaction with his team’s efforts. “It was a great day for us,” said Clayton. “It wasn’t perfect but we battled all day and the guys were brilliant tonight; we are exactly where we want to be.”
Senior James Winterfield won his first conference title in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 46.06 seconds. This performance not only qualified him for the NCAA championships but also broke his own Academy record as well as both the MPSF and pool records.
In the 100-yard breaststroke, Tanner Wilson took first place with an NCAA qualifying time of 52.19 seconds, marking the second-fastest time in Air Force history for this event. Senior Bridon Rosales finished just behind in second place at 52.43 seconds, now ranking third all-time among Falcons swimmers.
“James and Tanner were phenomenal with their top finishes,” said Clayton.
Freshman diver Lucas Gerten broke his third Academy record by scoring 384.45 points in platform diving to finish second, surpassing head diving coach Kyle Van Valkenburg’s previous record set in 2009. Korbin Moyer finished sixth with a score of 296.70.
“The divers were outstanding today,” mentioned Clayton.
Other notable performances included Camden Swigart’s third-place finish in the 400-yard individual medley (3:46.07), while freshman Matthew Doty recorded Air Force’s third-fastest time ever in that event to take fourth (3:48.29). Evan Witte placed fifth with a time of 3:49.03, now sitting sixth all-time for Air Force.
In the 200-yard freestyle, Joe Christ earned third place with a finals time of 1:36.21; his preliminary swim of 1:36.56 is now ranked second all-time at Air Force. Junior Tyler Surratt finished seventh at 1:37.82.
Louie Body (10th), Dylan Ferguson (11th), and Garrett Kennedy (12th) competed in the 100-yard backstroke.
The Falcons’ relay team—Matthew Doty, Bridon Rosales, James Winterfield, and Joe Christ—finished second in the evening’s final event, clocking a silver-medal time of 3:09.18 in the 400 medley relay.
“The way we finished with the 400 medley relay was outstanding and a great way to end the night,” said Clayton. “Tomorrow will be another great day for us.”
The MPSF Championships conclude Saturday with preliminary rounds beginning at 10 a.m., followed by finals scheduled for later that evening.
