Air Force Men, Northern Arizona Women Capture Mountain Pacific Championships
The U.S. Air Force Academy men and Northern Arizona University women scored Mountain Pacific Conference championships Saturday evening. The University of Las Vegas-Nevada placed second on the men’s side, with the University of Wyoming finishing third. The New Mexico State University women finished second, while the University of Northern Colorado placed third.
Here is a day-by-day review of the meet:
Wednesday
UNLV kicked Wednesday night off with a win in the 200 medley relay, as the team of Wilkus Potgeiter, Ty Schneider, Emil Jose Perez Avila and Bryson Huey finished in 1:24.12. The time set a conference record, starting the meet with a bang. The University of Northern Colorado started strong on the women’s side, as a team of Martina Yuki Trionfetti, Maria Erokhina, Ellyson Lombardi and Alexis Mishler came in with a time of 1:39.01. The University of Wyoming followed up with a win on the men’s side in the 800 free relay, led by a team of Alexander Metzler, Simon Casey, Adam Pannell and Caleb Ozenne (6:21.31). New Mexico State’s women finished the night triumphant, as a team of Dijana Mazumdar, Naomi Slee, Natalia Florian and Katie Rink earned the win (7:12.55).
Northern Arizona’s Mackenna Stocker won the women’s 1-meter diving with a score of 297.20, while Cal Baptist’s Mario Del Valle placed first in the men’s 3-meter event with a score of 398.45.
Thursday
UNLV started Night Two impressively, as a squad of Huey, Lucas Diematyr, Potgeiter and Perez Avila won the 200 free relay (1:17.70). Northern Colorado earned its second relay win as well, with a quartet of Trionfetti, Mishler, Victoria Simioni and Kyra Rabess finishing in 1:31.17. Metzler (4:16.20) took the meet’s first individual event, winning the 500 free on the men’s side, while Slee (4:48.57) earned a Lobos win on the women’s side. Wyoming’s men’s team continued its momentum in the 200 I.M with a win from Jackson Kogler (1:43.70), while Ginger Kiefer (1:59.18) earned Idaho its first women’s victory. Kogler’s swim set a new conference record.
Huey (19.20) earned an individual men’s win in the 50 free while New Mexico State’s Emily Dobbins (22.70) was victorious for the women. Huey’s swim capped the night with a third conference record. Gael Jiminez-Mestes placed first in the men’s 3-meter diving, with a conference record score of 416.40. Idaho’s Maya Salvitti won the women’s 1-meter diving, earning a score of 314.10.
Friday
Air Force’s James Winterfield began the meet’s penultimate day with his team’s first win, taking the 100 fly in 46.06. The effort set another new conference record. Northern Arizona’s Kaci Kelaher was the 100 fly champ on the women’s side (53.74). Metzler (3:44.10) and Kiefer (4:17.01) then captured their second individual wins in the 400 I.M. Metzler’s time set another conference record. Wyoming’s Simon Casey (1:33.80) took victory in the men’s 200 free, while Mazumdar (1:47.50) won on the women’s side.
Air Force’s Tanner Wilson (52.19) gave the Falcons their second win of the day in the 100 breast, while Erokhina (59.96) won for the women. Erokhina’s swim set a new conference record, the first women’s individual record of the meet. UNLV’s Potgieter (46.32) gave the Lobos their first men’s win in the 100 back, while Dobbins (54.37) took her second win. Potgeiter, Schneider, Ian Belflower, and Huey won the men’s 400 medley relay to cap the night, their second relay win claimed in 3:07.92. Trionfetti, Erokhina, Lombardi and Rabess finished up the night with a second relay win, going 3:37.25. Del Valle (411.20) earned another win in the men’s platform diving.
Saturday
California Baptist University’s Mark Kovacsics (14:48.77) started the meet’s final day with a dominant win in the 1650 freestyle, yet another conference record set. Rabess (16:35.33) took the 1650 on the women’s side for her first individual win of the meet.
Wyoming’s Casey (1:41.55) began the night session with a win in the 200 back, while Kiefer (1:57.18) contributed another win for the Idaho Vandals. Incarnate Word earned its first win of the meet, as Luis De Oliveira (43.01) was victorious in the 100 free. Mazumdar (49.29) took the 100 free on the women’s side. Air Force’s Wilson (1:54.28) and Northern Colorado’s Erokhina (2:10.84) swept the breaststroke events with wins in the 200 breast, Wilson setting a conference record.
Belflower (1:43.45) earned crucial points for UNLV with a win in the 200 fly, while Lombardi (1:59.70) gave Northern Colorado back-to-back wins. Belflower’s swim added one last men’s individual conference record. Wyoming finished its meet on the men’s side with a win in the 400 free relay, as a team of Jack Boysen, Casey, Kogler, and Luke O’Connor finished in 2:52.81. New Mexico State closed with victory on the women’s side, as the quartet of Mazumdar, Dobbins, Caroline Costantini, and Rink came in with a time of 3:20.12. Salvitti placed first in the women’s platform diving, with a score of 280.95.
2026 Mountain Pacific Swimming and Diving Team Scores
Women’s
- Northern Arizona – 1350
- New Mexico State – 1227
- Northern Colorado – 1171.5
- Cal Baptist – 980.5
- Idaho – 942
- Pepperdine- 610
- Utah Tech – 604
- University of the Pacific – 431
- University of Incarnate Word – 420.5
- University of Texas Rio Grande Valley – 271.5
Men’s
- Air Force Academy – 819.5
- University of Nevada Las Vegas – 769.5
- University of Wyoming – 726
- Cal Baptist – 510
- University of the Pacific – 287
- University of Incarnate Word – 195
