AIR FORCE VS NORTHERN COLORADO (WOMEN)
- January 9, 2026
- U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo.
- SCY (25 yards)
- Results
Courtesy: Air Force Athletics
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo., – The Falcons returned to Cadet Natatorium with a dominant win over Northern Colorado, 175 – 121, on Friday evening. Air Force picked up nine top individual finishes across the 18 swim and dive events.
“It’s been six weeks since we have raced a meet and today was an opportunity to get the cobwebs out and be ready for championship season,” mentioned head coach Colleen Murphy.
On the 1-meter springboard, Kacey Hu logged a score of 267.15 to take first. Lexton Gregory (261.08), Lulu Semakula (253.35), and Chloe Perkins (248.93) rounded out the top four.
C3C Perkins claimed the top spot on the 3-meter springboard at 285.83.
Air Force took the top three placements in the 400 medley relay, with the A team, comprised of Kai-Min Tsuei, Naomi Furman, Amber Martin, and Lily Larson, finishing first with a combined time of 3:50.02.
In the 200 freestyle, Larson swam a 1:52.52 to place first, while Brynn Bond (1:53.78), Hannah Seal (1:55.03), and Elizabeth Sistrunk (1:55.38) followed behind.
With a time of 57.73, Tsuei claimed first in the 100 back. Eliza Black was the runner-up at 58.21.
Freshman Natalie Doig clocked a time in the 200 fly of 2:08.02 to earn first place. Abigail Hardy (2:08.84) and Jena Nowoswiat (2:08.89) took third and fourth, respectively.
Doig also earned gold in the 100 fly with her time of 58.06.
Ryan Mills sprinted a time of 24.12 in the 50 free and 51.89 in the 100 free to steal the spotlight in both events.
The 200 back saw Sistrunk swim a 2:04.76 for first, her highest finish on the season.
A trio of Falcons, Abby Miller (10:48.68), Sadie Hartig (10:50.75), and Grace Nickell (10:55.38) placed second, third, and fourth in the 1000 free.
Furman (1:03.62) and Mandy Fleetwood (1:06.00) completed the 100 breast back-to-back for silver and bronze.
In the 200 breast, team captain Maeve Linscott touched the wall at 2:21.65 to finish in second place with Fleetwood (2:24.44) and Furman (2:25.80) behind her.
Distance swimmers, Bond (5:15.10), Sadie Hartig (5:16.44), and Katie Andrist (5:17.79) placed second, third, and fourth in the 500 free.
Grace Nickell finished highest for the Falcons in the 400 IM, with a third place time of 4:44.78.
Air Force completed their win with the 200 free relay team of Mills, Tsuei, Lily Bachl, and Larson taking first.
“We won a lot of close races today and showed our amazing depth as a team,” expressed Murphy. “We need to be ready to go against CSU and UNM tomorrow.”
The Falcons will be back at Cadet Natatorium for action against Mountain West opponents, Colorado State and New Mexico, on Saturday January 10 at 11 a.m. MT.
Courtesy: Northern Colorado Athletics
GREELEY, Colo. — The University of Northern Colorado women’s swimming & diving team opened the 2026 calendar Friday evening with a competitive dual at the U.S. Air Force Academy Natatorium, finishing second with 121 points against Air Force’s 175 in the first dual meet of the new year.
Northern Colorado turned in several event wins and podium finishes throughout the night, led by standout distance performances from Kyra Rabess. Rabess opened the meet by dominating the 1000 freestyle, touching first in 10:37.61, before later adding another victory in the 500 free with a time of 5:11.44. She also anchored the Bears’ second-place 200 free relay to close the meet, helping UNC finish just .14 seconds behind the Falcons’ top quartet.
The Bears earned an early boost in the opening relay, as the 400 medley relay team of Ariane Bernier, Maria Erokhina, Avi Tromp, and Alexis Mishler finished fourth overall to get UNC on the board. Erokhina followed strong, winning both the 100 breast (1:03.04) and the 200 breast (2:18.27), while also placing in the 100 fly later in the meet.
UNC picked up additional individual wins from Hlaa Diab, who captured first place in the 400 IM with 4:37.50, and added a runner-up finish earlier in the 200 fly. Agathi Manoli joined Diab atop the podium as well, finishing second in multiple butterfly and IM events while contributing key points in the team standings.
In the sprint events, the Bears showed depth and consistency. Alexis Mishler and Vitoria Simioni finished second and third, respectively, in the 50 free, with Simioni adding a runner-up finish in the 100 free. Linnea Haan posted a pair of top-three finishes in the backstroke races, placing third in the 100 back and second in the 200 back.
Northern Colorado closed the night strong in the 200 free relay, with Mishler, Simioni, Tromp, and Rabess combining for a 1:36.15 to secure second place and cap a strong opening dual to the 2026 season.
UP NEXT: The Bears will return to Butler-Hancock Pool on Friday, January 23 against Washington State. The dual will begin at 4 p.m. MST.
