Men’s swimming and diving at the U.S. Air Force Academy took a significant lead over Grand Canyon University on the first day of their meet, ending Friday with a score of 133-53 at Cadet Natatorium. The highlight of the event was freshman Lucas Gerten breaking the Academy’s 1-meter springboard record with a score of 360.30, surpassing the previous mark of 358.64.
Head diving coach Kyle Van Valkenburg praised Gerten’s performance, stating, “Lucas came into his first season on a mission and has been relentless in pursuit of his goals. I am so pleased but not surprised he was able to take down the record so quickly. I think we will see him break all our diving records in the future and feel lucky to be along for the ride.”
In addition to his success on the 1-meter board, Gerten placed second in the 3-meter event with a score of 366.95. Teammates Brady Nichol and Vann Hotchkiss finished third and fourth in both diving events.
The Falcons also secured several victories in swimming events. The 200 medley relay team—Dylan Ferguson, Bridon Rosales, Tanner Wilson, and Jordan Falls—finished first with a time of 1:28.44. In another relay win, Falls teamed up with Joe Christ, Keoni Li, and James Winterfield for gold in the 400 free relay at 2:59.17.
Freshman Matthew Doty led an Air Force sweep in the 400 IM by winning with a time of 3:56.99; Camden Swigart and Brandon Cho followed in second and third place respectively.
Louie Body won the 200 backstroke at 1:47.88 while Winterfield (1:50.02) and Garrett Kennedy (1:50.28) took second and third place finishes.
Tanner Wilson clocked a winning time of 1:58.55 in the 200 breaststroke event as Cho (1:58.86) and Rosales (2:02.90) rounded out the top three finishers.
Senior James Winterfield won first place in the 100 fly with a time of 48.86 seconds; Danny Detjen finished third at 49.30 seconds.
Tyler Surratt contributed nine points for Air Force as he won the men’s 500 freestyle race with a time of 4:35.82; Evan Witte (4:45.44) and Body (4:47.82) finished third and fourth.
In sprint freestyle action, Joe Christ recorded Air Force’s best result by finishing second in the men’s 100 free at 44.78 seconds while teammates Falls (44.91) and Li (45.90) followed closely behind.
Reflecting on Friday’s results, head swimming coach Rob Clayton said, “It was a terrific night for the Falcons, highlighted by Lucas’ school record,” adding that “We were fabulous in the pool with lots of best swims.” He continued, “We are very happy with our progress so far this fall and are looking forward to a great day tomorrow.”
Competition continues Saturday morning at Cadet Natatorium as Air Force faces Grand Canyon University again starting at 11 a.m.
