United Athletic Conference

Air Force's Isaac Gwin and Cole Armagost have been named the Western Athletic Conference Men's Swimmer and Diver of the Week, respectively, for Jan. 4 through Jan. 10.

 

Gwin, a junior from Leander, Texas, helped lead the Falcons to a first-place finish in a tri-meet with Colorado Mesa and Colorado Mines. Gwin collected individual wins in the 200 individual medley (1 minute and 51.01 seconds), 100 backstroke (49.04) and 100 freestyle (43.68). His times in both the 200 IM and 100 free are good for the top spot in the WAC thus far. Also, his 100 free time is an NCAA B-cut qualifying time and is 36th fastest in the nation. Gwin added to his weekend when he led his squad to wins in the 200 medley relay (1:29.92), 400 medley relay (3:17.68) and 200 free relay (1:21.44).

 

Armagost, a senior from Papillion, Neb., finished with two top-10 dives at the Utah Diving Invite this weekend. His best performance came in the 3-meter event as he finished fifth behind a solid performance in the finals, scoring 286.20 points after posting 261.50 in the prelims. Armagost also took eighth on the 3-meter board, managing 254.85 points in prelims and 286.00 points in the finals.

 

Other men's swimmer nominees: Seattle U's Will Corona tallied a pair of individual victories, finishing out front in the 100 back (55.44) and 200 back (2:00.35)… UNLV's Vuk Celic posted the fastest times in the WAC in both the 1650 free (15:02.85) and 500 free (4:22.07) as the Rebels took down Arizona at the UNLV Invite.

 

Other men's diver nominated: Wyoming's Juan Gonzalez took home sixth in both the 1-meter (574.25) and 3-meter (544.0) events this weekend including posting career-best scores in the prelims of the 1-meter event (296.45).

 

Other women's swimmer nominated: Seattle U's Alexa Hoeper finished the weekend as the only Redhawk to earn multiple first-place finishes as she collected wins in the 100 back (1:01.63) and 200 back (2:13.78).

 

The Falcons men's swim team competed in back-to-back tri-meets with Colorado Mesa and Colorado School of Mines. On Friday, Jan. 8, AFA took first with a total of 361 points. The Falcons took first in eight of the 13 events contested as Isaac Gwin and Corey Shepard each won two events of their own. Gwin took first in the 200 IM (1:51.01) and 100 back (49.04) while Shepard was fastest in the 100 and 200 freestyles, 44.85 and 1:42.18, respectively. Chris Lindley also took the top spot in two events as he earned wins in the 1000 free and 500 free. Air Force also took first on Saturday, posting a team score of 320 points. Gwin led the way once again, recording the fifth-fastest 100 free time in school history, finishing at 43.68. Junior Adam Grimm also turned in a first-place finish in the 200 free (1:41.54) while Joseph Moore collected a win in the 400 IM (4:06.42).

 

The Falcon dive team was in Salt Lake City as they competed in the Utah Diving Invite. Cole Armagost had the best showing, finishing eighth in the 1 meter event and fifth on the 3 meter board. Brett Jenkins turned in a ninth-place finish in the 1 meter event.

 

The Northern Colorado swim team competed in three duals over the weekend, winning all three. They beat Air Force 121-120, took down Colorado Mines 173.5-52.5 and defeated Colorado Mesa (127-114). Anna Austin earned wins in the 1000 free (10:35.96) and 500 free (5:08.01). Saana Liikonen also collected a win as she reached first in the 50 free (23.64) while Katelyn Bergin earned a victory in the 100 fly (56.14). Junior Madelyn Moore added a victory in the 100 free (50.14). Meanwhile, the squad of Moore, Alison Jackson, Bergin, and Liikonen combined to take first in the 400 free relay (3:27.00).

 

The Bear divers were finally in action for the first time this year. Tori Sayers turned in a solid performance as she posted a 207.50 and finished fifth in the 1 meter event. Erica Farris was the Bears top diver on the 3 meter board.

 

The Redhawk men's swim team kicked off their season as they conquered Whitworth at home, winning 152-110. SU took nine of the 14 events contested, including going 1-2-3 in the 100 back. Will Corona led the way, finishing at 55.44 to take first while Kyle Bailey and George Thiss followed, reaching at 57.86 and 58.57, respectively. Isaac Parker took first in the 50 free (21.70). The Redhawks also took first in the 400 medley relay as Corona, Jack Neton, Tyler Godspeed and Connor Barringer combined to finish with a time of 3:30.61.

 

The women's swim team also battled with Whitworth, however they lost a close one by a score of 137-123. The Redhawks best showing came in the 1000 free as they swept the podium. Cassie Koester took first (11:14.85), Kennedy Philbrick finished second (11:17.60) and Manna Nelson (11:30.34) took third. Alexa Hoeper tallied two individual victories as she won the 100 back (1:01.63) and 200 back (2:13.78). Sherlyn Devadason also picked up a win in the 100 fly (1:02.85).

 

The Rebel men's swim team was back in action as they defeated Arizona in the UNLV Invite, 1,195-811. Vuk Celic impressed as he took first in the 1650 free with a time of 15:02.85, good for 13th fastest in the nation thus far. Ivan Zhukov took first in the 200 breast, reaching the wall at 1:58.15. Junior Casey McEuen snagged a victory in the 100 fly (47.76) while Panos Bolanos took first in the 200 back (1:48.30) and Richard Szilagyi paced the field in the 100 free (44.60).

 

The Wyoming men's dive team joined Air Force at the Utah Diving Invite. The Cowboys were led by freshman Juan Gonzalez, turning in a career-best score of 296.45 in the prelims of the 1-meter. Gonzalez finished sixth overall after the finals. Meanwhile sophomore Payton Lee posted a prelim score of 243.30 and combined for a finals score of 448.75 to finish 10th.