COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Feb. 5, 2021) – Sophomore Melissa Mirafuentes finished atop the podium for the second straight day with a win in the 1-meter on Friday at the Air Force Invite.  
 
Mirafuentes led the way for the Cowgirls finishing first in the 1-meter preliminaries with a score of 295.90. Junior McKenna Houlihan placed sixth with a solid score of 246.75 to advance to the finals. Senior Abigail Zoromski was just out of the top eight in 12^th place with a score of 222.95. In the consolation finals, she completed her day with a season-best score of 238.80 for the fourth place spot. Sophomore Makena Sanger wrapped up her six dives with a score of 186.50, while competing for the first time this season redshirt freshman Anna Augustin finished with a total 103.10.
 
In the finals, Mirafuentes continued her strong performance with a first place finish with a six dive total score 295.85. Houlihan remained in sixth place with a total of 247.65.
 
"Once again, the team is trending in the right direction," head diving coach Ted Everett said. "Melissa (Mirafuentes) continued her winning ways with a super solid performance and led from wire to wire. McKenna (Houlihan) was steady as can be, that earned her yet another trip to the finals and a sixth place finish. Abigail (Zoromski) had a misstep in the prelims, but still set a new season-high in the consolation finals. Makena (Sanger) had some nice moments and seems to be learning how to compete. Anna (Augustin) competed in her first collegiate competition and showed real poise even if her scores didn't indicate that.  
 
In the 3-meter event for the men, freshman Juan Gonzalez reached the finals with a six dive score of 290.95. He was impressive in the finals moving up two spots to fifth and recording a career-best time of 317.65.  Junior Brendan Byrnes placed tenth with a score of 264.35. Senior Elijah Chan completed his dives with a score of 255.10 to place 12^th followed by sophomore Payton Lee who tallied a score of 251.20 to finish 13^th. In the consolation final, Byrnes bettered his score by over 20 points with a season-best 284.80. Chan finished the day with a nice score of 284.20 while Lee recorded a season-best mark of 261.80.
 
"In the 3-meter, the men showed focus and resilience coming back in the consolation finals. Each of them significantly improved their scores and consistency. Juan (Gonzalez) was solid and qualified for another final. He did a great job moving up a couple of spots to finish in fifth. This was a great learning experience for him."
 
Both squads will close out the weekend tomorrow in the platform. The meet is scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m. MT at the Cadet Natatorium in Colorado Springs. Results can be followed on www.divemeets.com.