AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. — Cadet 1st Class Brock Holmgreen of the Class of 2024 was awarded Most Competitive Collegiate Skydiver at the 2023 National Collegiate Skydiving Championships, which took place Dec. 28 through Jan. 3.
The award included a scholarship that he passed on to Western Michigan University's competition team.
“I chose to pass the scholarship award to Western Michigan due to their strong performance and dedication to the sport of skydiving, and all that they did to support the National Collegiate Championships over this past year,” Holmgreen said.
The Championships took place in Lake Elsinore, California. A native of Granbury, Texas, Holmgreen is a member of the United States Air Force Academy's (USAFA) Wings of Blue parachute team.
Holmgreen joined 96 other skydivers during the completion, and showcased the skills he learned at USAFA. Each competitor took to the sky individually and in teams demonstrated the following:
- Formation skydiving
- Canopy control
- Ability to land closest to a 16-inch disc landing zone
“We’re extremely proud of the competition team," Lt. Col. Jarrod Aranda, the Wings of Blue coach, said. "As a group, their teamwork was exceptional and enabled our success in formation skydiving at the Collegiate Nationals.”
Holmgreen and his teammate, Cadet 1st Class Jack Treinish, tied and set a joint California collegiate record with four dead-center landings in the individual sport accuracy event. Treinish is from Columbus, Ohio, and is also in the Class of 2024.
The Wings of Blue earned four gold, silver and bronze medals during the competition. They set six more California records for the following:
- Longest and highest 2-Way Vertical Formation Skydiving
- Longest and highest 4-Way Formation Skydiving
- Best score after three rounds in Team Sport Accuracy
- Fastest time of 8.53 seconds in the 6-way speed event
