The Air Force Falcons men’s swimming and diving team began 2026 with a decisive win over the Colorado School of Mines, finishing 181.50-58.50 at the CSM Natatorium in Golden, Colorado, on January 10. The Falcons secured 12 first-place finishes during the meet.
Evan Witte set a new pool record in the 400 individual medley (IM) with a time of 4:08.80, surpassing the previous mark of 4:10.80. Lucas Gerten also broke a facility record by scoring 379.65 on the 3-meter springboard, earning an NCAA Zone qualifying score.
Head coach Rob Clayton commented on the team’s performance after a long break between competitions. “The guys swam very well in our first meet in seven weeks,” said Clayton. “Jordan Falls and Evan Witte had strong days winning their two events. The divers were also terrific as they dominated both boards.”
Gerten took first place on both diving boards, scoring 363.20 on the 1-meter and leading teammates Vann Hotchkiss and Tyler Tolerico to second and third place finishes respectively on the 3-meter board.
Witte added another win in the 500 freestyle with a time of 4:46.89, followed closely by teammate Tucker Rice at 4:50.38.
In relay events, Air Force’s “A” team—Dylan Ferguson, Tanner Wilson, Matthew Doty, and Keoni Li—won the 400 medley relay with a combined time of 3:25.16.
Other notable performances included Rice winning gold in the 1000 freestyle at 9:56.62; Jordan Falls capturing victories in both the 50 free (21.06) and the 100 free (46.31); and Tanner Wilson taking first place in the 100 butterfly at 50.02 seconds.
Freshman Dylan Ferguson led in the 100 backstroke with a time of 52.39, while Mack Nuval won the 100 breaststroke at 56.60 seconds.
Team captain James Winterfield finished second in the 200 freestyle at 1:44.30.
To conclude the meet, Winterfield joined Garrett Kennedy, Joe Christ, and Keoni Li to win the final event—the Air Force “A” team’s victory in the 200 free relay with a time of 1:25.37.
Clayton stated that building momentum is key for upcoming competitions: “Our goal is to build on this and keep getting better as we race each weekend for the next month.”
The Falcons will compete again on January 16 against Seattle University.
