United States Air Force Academy Men's Swimming & Diving

Head coach Rob Clayton enters his 28th season as the Academy’s head men’s swimming coach in 2025-26. Clayton has led the Falcons to a 222-118-2 overall dual record in his 27 seasons. He owns five Conference Coach of the Year awards (MWC 2007, 2010 & WAC 2015, 2016, 2020) and has won three WAC Championships (2015, 2016, 2020). At USAFA, Clayton has coached men to 40 individual conference championships and eight relay conference championships. He has had four conference Swimmers of the Year, as well as three conference Newcomers of the Year. He has also had four swimmers achieve All-American status in Chris Knaute in 2006 (400 IM & 500 free), Michael Barnosky in 2016 (3rd in the 100 breast) and Zach Nelson (100 breast) and Wen Zhang (200 free) in 2020. 10 of his swimmers have competed in the Olympic Trials, including in 2008 when eight former Falcons participated in the Trials. In addition to the team’s success in the pool, Clayton’s swimmers have earned more than 180 academic all-conference honors and 27 MWC Scholar-Athlete selections, while 25 athletes have been designated Scholar All-Americans by the College Swimming Coaches Association of America. During the 2024-25 season, Clayton guided the Falcons to an overall record of 8-2 and saw them finish third at the WAC Championships. While at the Championships, Clayton saw Camden Swigart earn the title of 400 IM Champion with an Academy record-breaking swim at 3:46.01. Under Clayton's tutelage, Tanner Wilson was named the WAC Me

Finch enters his third season as the associate head coach of the Falcons in 2025-26. Finch provides expertise in an array of events while utilizing his more than 20 years of coaching experience in Power Five conferences. During the 2024-25 season, Finch helped guide the Falcons to an overall record of 8-2 and saw them finish third at the WAC Championships. While at the Championships, Finch saw Camden Swigart earn the title of 400 IM Champion with an Academy record-breaking swim at 3:46.01. Under Finch's leadership, Tanner Wilson was named the WAC Men's Freshman of the Year, a trio of Falcons were recognized on the CSC Academic All-District Team, and the team was named a CSCAA Scholar All-American team with five individuals acknowledged. Finch comes to Colorado Springs having most recently been appointed the interim head coach at Duke University, where he led the program for six months. At Duke, Finch was tasked with coaching both short and sprint groups, as well as distance athletes. Having been originally hired to the Blue Devils staff in 2016 as an assistant coach, Finch was responsible for designing seasonal training plans, writing daily swimming practices for several groups, blueprinting preseason goal meetings and postseason individual evaluations. Finch was also a key cog in Duke's recruiting efforts while also serving as liaison in regards to academics, admissions, and financial aid. In his eight years at Duke, Finch oversaw three Top 25 finishes with the women's progr

Rob Clayton Interview - March 17th, 2026Rob Clayton Interview - March 17th, 2026 Tuesday, March 17 Rob Clayton Interview - March 3rd, 2026Rob Clayton Interview - March 3rd, 2026 Tuesday, March 03 Falcon Swimmers prepare for MPSF ChampionshipsFalcon Swimmers prepare for MPSF Championships Monday, February 23 Rob Clayton Interview Feb 3, 2026Rob Clayton Interview Feb 3, 2026 Tuesday, February 03

Kyle Van Valkenburg enters his third season as the leader of the men's and women's diving programs at Air Force in the 2025-26 season. Van Valkenburg replace...