DU Men’s Swimming and diving improved to 2-0 record in its dual season, defeating the Air Force Falcons 165-135 on Oct. 20 in El Pomar Natatorium.
The Pioneers swam strong as redshirt-freshman Stephen Calkins (Calgary, Alberta) and sophomore Sid Farber (Portland, Ore.) were victorious in four events in the meet, each earning two individual event wins, while both racing on the winning relays in the 200 medley and 400 free.
Sophomore Colin Gilbert (Kamloops, B.C.) swept both 1000 and 500 freestyle distance races, and junior Kyle Ewoldt (Gilbert, Ariz.) won the 200 butterfly and the 200 IM. In the 200 medley relay, Calkins and Farber teamed up with sophomore Neil Wachtler (Waco, Texas) and freshman Cy Jager (Moscow, Idaho) to touch first in 1:29.81.
As a team, Crimson and Gold Swimming earned 165 points, topping the Falcons by 30 points.
Denver took the top three spots in the first distance race of the night as Gilbert, senior Alex Walton (Atlanta, Ga.) and sophomore Jesse Haraden (Ballston Spa, N.Y.) finished 1-2-3 to give Denver 16 of the 19 points in the event. Calkins’ second win of the night and his first individual victory saw the redshirt-freshman clock in at 1:38.81 in the 200 free, breaking the pool record.
Wachtler finished in 50.12 in the 100 back for his second win of the night. Senior Jared Smith (Boulder City, Nev.) finished third with a time of 51.16 for a Denver to take 12 of the 19 points.
Ewoldt won his first of two events, taking the 200 fly by just over three-tenths of a second. Gilbert finished third and junior Graham Walker (Nairobi, Kenya) touched fourth to round out Denver’s scoring in the event.
In the 50 free, Farber earned his third NCAA B Standard of the season, finishing in 20.05. The sophomore’s time in the 100 free was a 44.46, a second ahead of the next closest competitor.
Gilbert’s second distance swim of the night saw the sophomore finish the 500 free in 4:37.28, also over a second faster than the runner-up.
Ewoldt and freshman Trent Panzera (Gauteng, South Africa) touched first and third in the 200 IM. Denver’s quartet of Calkins, sophomore Hugo Sykes (Weston, Conn.), Wachtler and Farber rounded out the night with a win in the 400 free, finishing with a 3:00.27 time.
The Denver men head to the Pacific Invite in Stockton, California next weekend.
