GRAND JUNCTION, CO – Another record setting day for the Falcons at the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Swimming and Diving Championships capped off with a diver qualifying to compete for a national championship. Sophomore diver Kathe Hepfer finished 4^th in the women's 1 meter, 11 dive event. She will be diving in the NCAA meet coming up in March. Freshman diver Delaney Murphy was just behind Hepfer finishing 7^th.
 
Head Coach Betsy Graham said she is proud of how hard the team is working and how much they are supporting each other.
 
"We are swimming and diving very well," said Head Coach Betsy Graham. "You only get to see who finaled, but those who don't are still swimming season best times or personal best times."
 
One example Graham shared was what Armando Flores did today in the 50 free. Flores has not had a personal best time in this event in almost four years. That changed today with a 21.43.
 
"It was great to see the team cheer him on and the big smile on his face when he saw the time," said Graham. "Those moments are priceless and why I coach."
 
Here are more UTPB highlights from day 3:
 
Sophomore Szymon Gilzynski swam a personal best 49.85 in the 100 fly.
 
In the women's 400 IM senior Ana Hernandez took 13^th place and had a personal best time of 4:47.39.
 
Over on the men's side of the 400 IM, Evan Siegrist finished 7^th with a time 4:01.53. Junior Matthew Newman grabbed the 15^th spot with a time of 4:14.97, and just behind him was sophomore Legend Jankowski at 16^th with a time of 4:15.43.
 
A seven year old record was broken by sophomore Avery Joiner. Joiner swam a 1:54.10 in the women's 200 free prelims. She finished 16^th in the finals.
 
Sophomore Niklas Heelein grabbed his second NCAA B cut qualifying time of the meet. Today it was in the 200 free with a time of 1:40.81 and a 10^th place finish.
 
The women grabbed an 8^th place finish in the 400 IM with the "A" relay team of Jazmine Tscherne, Hernandez, Emma Gerhart, and  
The "B" relay team of Ava Reaume, Emilia Gutierrez, Hernandez, and Victoria Senus took 13^th in the same event.
 
To round out the meet for the 400 IM the men's "B" relay of Owen Ward, Newman, Owen Putnam and Zach Jones placed 12th and the "A" relay of Daniel Bednarski, Axel Torres Hecker, Gilzynski who placed fourth with a 3: 23.97 just missing the team record.  
 
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