Air Force Academy
AIR FORCE INVITATIONAL
Falcons Conclude Competition at the Air Force Invitational
1/24/2004 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
Jan. 24, 2004
USAF ACADEMY, Colo. - The Air Force men's and women's track and field teams concluded the second day of competition at the annual Air Force Invitational on Saturday, Jan. 24, at the Cadet Field House. The men's team finished third in the 13-team meet, while the women finished 11th.
For the second consecutive year, the men's and women's teams from Colorado State won the team competition, scoring totals of 135.50 and 127, respectively. On the men's side, BYU finished a close second with 133.50 points and Air Force rounded out the top three with 88 points. For the women, CSU defeated runner-up Wyoming 127-121, while BYU scored 100 points to finish third.
The Falcons' Sean Temple (Monument, Colo.) registered the fifth-best time in Academy history during the finals of the 60-meter hurdles, crossing the finish line in a NCAA Provisional Qualifying time of 7.88. Temple, who won the preliminary race on Friday, was inched out in the finals by Ricardo Moody of Adams State, who posted a 7.87.
Air Force also accounted for the top two collegiate finishers in the pole vault and three of the top five. Junior Christian Morgan (Henderson, Nev.) won the event with a height of 17'0?". Classmate Paul Gensic (Fort Wayne, Ind.) finished second with the same height. Morgan's personal-best height matches the third best mark in school history, which is also held by current junior Makisi Haleck (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) and former Falcon/current pole vault coach 1Lt. Jacob Gensic.
Sophomore pole vaulter Jason Jones (Park City, Utah) had a stellar weekend, winning the non-seeded pole vault competition, en route to finishing sixth in the finals. His mark of 16'8?" is tied with former Falcons Marcus Nichols and Paul Goossen as the fourth-best height in school history.
The Falcons also received high marks from senior Chris Banks (Culpeper, Va.), who registered a second-place finish on the long jump with a 23'11?" - just two inches off of his personal best. In addition, Banks earned points for Air Force in the triple jump, with a mark of 47'1?". Senior Anthony Park (Las Vegas, Nev.) finished fourth in the long jump with a mark of 23'1?".
Also tallying over five points in an event for the Air Force men was the distance medley quartet of Jason Beck (Cincinnati, Ohio), Kory Person (Beavercreek, Ohio), Nathan Franz (Sierra Vista, Ariz.) and Anthony D'Amato (Midlothian, Va.), who finished third with a time of 10:31.20. Sophomore Mark Walter (League City, Texas) finished sixth in the mile run in a time of 4:20.02, while junior Brain Dumm (Fairfax, Va.) placed fourth in the 3000-meter run (8:41.63).
On the women's side, Air Force got a boost from several freshmen. Dierra Poland (Deptford, N.J.) finished 11th in the 60-meter hurdle finals (9.18), while Caitlin Holliday (Kalispell, Mont.) tied for 15th (5'1") in the high jump. Casey Johnson (Los Angeles, Calif.) finished 12th in the triple jump with a 35'10?" - behind LaTravia Robinson's (Waynesboro, Ga.) fourth-place mark of 37'8". Olivia Korte (Seneca, Kan.) placed 11th in the shot put with a 42'1?" and Ilea Eskilden (Phoenix, Ariz.) matched that finish in the 3000-meter run at 11:11.02.
"We've got a very promising group of freshman," head coach Ralph Lindeman said, following the meet. "It's really fun to watch them compete against top-notch competition. Olivia, Casey, Dierra, Ilea Eskildsen (distance) and Caitlin are just some of the athletes that you should keep your eye on."
Air Force takes to the road for the first time this season, next weekend (Jan. 31), when they travel to Laramie, Wis., for a tri-meet with Wyoming and Colorado State.
WOMEN'S TEAM SCORES
1. Colorado State - 127
2. Wyoming - 121
3. BYU - 100
4. Wichita State - 88.50
5. Utah State - 63
6. New Mexico - 50.50
7. Colorado - 41
8. Adams State - 25
9. Western State - 16
10. Colorado-Colorado Springs - 13
11. AIR FORCE ACADEMY - 9
12. Northern Colorado - 4
13. Colorado School of Mines - 2
MEN'S TEAM SCORES
1. Colorado State - 135.50
2. BYU - 133.50
3. AIR FORCE ACADEMY - 88
4. Colorado - 71.50
5. Wyoming - 52
6. Wichita State - 48.50
7. New Mexico - 45
8. Adams State - 22
9. Utah State - 20
10. Colorado School of Mines - 15
11. Western State - 14
12. Colorado-Colorado Springs - 12
13. Northern Colorado - 3
