Air Force women’s swimming and diving team began their participation at the Mountain West Conference Championships in Houston, Texas, by setting a new Academy record in the 400 medley relay. The event took place at the CRWC Natatorium.
The 400 medley relay team, consisting of Kai-Min Tsuei, Naomi Furman, Ryan Mills, and Lily Larson, finished with a time of 3:39.09. This result broke the previous Academy record of 3:40.77 set in 2017 and earned them ninth place in the event.
Head coach Colleen Murphy commented on the team’s performance: “This was an amazing first day for our team. Our depth was evident and we are so proud of the total effort and the amazing 400 medley relay record.”
In individual events, Lily Larson advanced to the finals in the 500 freestyle with a time of 4:52.79, marking it as the fourth fastest in Academy history. She improved her standing in the finals with a time of 4:50.27, which is now third all-time for Air Force in that event. Freshmen Sadie Hartig and Abby Miller also reached the finals; Miller’s preliminary swim ranked ninth all-time for Air Force at 4:54.62.
On the diving side, Chloe Perkins achieved Air Force’s highest placement with a score of 279.90 on the one-meter board. Teammates Kacey Hu and Lulu Semakula followed closely behind in tenth and eleventh place.
Naomi Furman posted Air Force’s top finish in the 200 individual medley finals with a time of 2:02.57 for fifteenth place. In preliminaries, Elizabeth Sistrunk recorded a personal best that placed her seventh all-time at Air Force with a time of 2:02.99.
In sprint events, Ryan Mills moved into sixth all-time at Air Force in the preliminary round of the 50 freestyle with a time of 23.23 seconds; Kai-Min Tsuei became seventh all-time with her swim of 23.30 seconds.
The championships continue Thursday, February 19 at CRWC Natatorium with preliminary rounds beginning at 10:30 a.m., followed by finals starting at 6 p.m.
