Falcons Set To Host Air Force Classic
2/4/2004 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
Feb. 4, 2004
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The Air Force track and field program returns to the Academy on Saturday, Feb. 7, when it hosts the 15th-annual Air Force Classic. The Falcons will welcome student-athletes from Arizona, Colorado and Colorado State to the Cadet Field House.
This will be the first major meet for many of the Air Force distance runners. Many of the Falcons have run just one race since last fall's highly successful cross country season (The men won the MWC Championships and finished eighth at the NCAA Championships).
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS: The women's 20-pound weight throw starts the day at 10 a.m. The men's pole vault and long jump, as well as the women's high jump and long jump are slated to begin at 11 a.m., with the other field events to follow throughout the afternoon. The first event to take place on the track is the finals of the women's mile run, with the starting gun set to go off at noon. Schedule of Events
HISTORY 101: The Air Force Classic began in 1990...the Air Force men's team has won the Classic once in its 15-year history...the win came in 1994, when the Falcons topped Colorado, Florida State and Miami...the women have never won the meet, but have finished second on three occasions...the Colorado State men have won five of the last six meets...the last team other than CSU to win the men's Classic was Arizona...Colorado State's women have won the last three meets, topping the second-place team by at least 30 points...On the men's side, CSU has more wins than any other program with five...Colorado has three, while UTEP, Fresno State, Air Force, Texas A&M, Washington and Arizona each have one...For the women, Colorado has claimed the most wins with five...CSU has four, while Arizona has two...Fresno State, Washington and Oklahoma have each earned a single Classic title. History of the Air Force Classic
SCOUTING THE COMPETITION: ARIZONA: Both the Arizona men's and women's teams finished eighth in the Pac-10 Conference championships last season...the women tied for 22nd in the NCAA Championships, while the men placed in a tie for 37th...in its only invitational of the season so far, the Wildcats finished second in a meeting of in-state rivals (Arizona State and Northern Arizona)...COLORADO: Colorado is coming off of a 2003 season where the men placed eighth in the Big 12 Conference and the women finished sixth...both teams competed in the NCAA Championships, with the men and women finishing 29th and 12th, respectively...the Buffalo were at the Academy for the Air Force Invitational two weeks ago and the men placed fourth in the 13-team meet, while the women took seventh...COLORADO STATE: The CSU men's team was the runner-up in the Mountain West Conference last season, while the women finished third...most recently the Rams swept the Air Force Invitational titles, as well as the Ralph Shine Invitational titles
LEADING THE WAY: Senior Sean Temple is the current Mountain West Conference leader in the 60-meter hurdles. His time of 7.88, which he set at the Air Force Invitational two weeks ago, has him on the list of qualifiers for the NCAA Championships next month. Temple is undefeated through four weeks of the indoor season. The Falcons also have the MWC co-leader in the pole vault - junior Paul Gensic, who has vaulted 17'4?". In fact, Air Force has four of the top six pole vaulters in the conference right now and all four have posted a mark of 16'4?" or higher.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: In a clash of three Mountain West Conference teams, the Air Force men's track and field team turned in a second-place performance at the Ralph Shine Invitational in Laramie, Wyo., on Saturday, Jan. 31, while the women's team finished third. Two Falcons earned individual event titles at the meet, as Sean Temple won the 55-meter hurdles and Paul Gensic claimed the pole vault.
ON THE HORIZON: Air Force hits the road again next weekend (Saturday, Feb. 14), when they travel to Seattle, Wash., to compete in the Pac-10 Invitational.
MEN
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK:
Senior Sean Temple won the 55-meter hurdles with a time of 7.51. He led a trio of Falcons in that event which finished within the top-four, as seniors Luke Marker and Jim Campbell crossed the line in times of 7.61 and 7.64, respectively, to finish third and fourth.
Junior Paul Gensic led a one-two Falcon punch on the pole vault. Vaulting to a height of 16'6", he topped his sophomore teammate Jason Jones, who posted a mark of 16' to finish second.
In his first meet of the season, sophomore Jeff Gosselin took home a second-place in the mile run (4:33.19).
The mile relay team of Nick Luina, Troy Jensen, Jonathan Myers, Billy Flynt finished second with a time of 3:27.77...Nick Luina also recorded a fifth-place finish in the 400-meter dash with a personal-best time of 51.08.
PERSONAL RECORDS SET AT THE RALPH SHINE INVITATIONAL:
Sean Temple set a new personal-best time in the 55-meter dash of 7.14 (converted)...sophomore Jeff Coverdale registered a new best time in the 800-meter run of 2:02.84)...junior Jonathon Myers set a personal-best in the 60-meter hurdles, as did senior Nick Herald, posting respective times of 8.34c and 9.66c...sophomore Rob Hufford also set a personal-best in the shot put with a mark of 47'9?".
THE LEADER BOARD:
ALL-COMERS MEET: Sean Temple (60-meter hurdles), Paul Gensic (Pole Vault), Christian Morgan (Pole Vault), Chris Banks (Long Jump). AIR FORCE INVITATIONAL: Christian Morgan (Pole Vault). RALPH SHINE INVITATIONAL: Sean Temple (55-meter hurdles), Paul Gensic (Pole Vault)
WOMEN
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK:
Jen Neville and LaTravia Robinson were the top women's finishers, each earning a second-place finish. Neville's came in the 800-meter dash, where she finished in a time of 2:28.49. Robinson earned her runner-up position in the triple jump, where she posted a mark of 37'5?".
Several others registered third-place finishes, including senior Jean Taylor in the mile run (5:29.85) and sophomore Dierra Poland in the 55-meter hurdles (8.28). Freshman Margaret Frash set a personal-best time of 11:28.28 in the 3000-meter run en route to her third-place finish.
Dierra Poland's time of 8.81c in the 55-meter hurdles is now the second-fastest time in school history, while Jill Adamek's run 55-meter dash time of 7.79c is fifth all-time. Casey Johnson registered a triple jump mark of 36'3", which ranks 10th on the program's all-time list.
A pair of Falcons made their way into two categories on the program's all-time records. In Wyoming, Genelle Chapman had the seventh-fastest time in the 60-meter hurdles with a converted time of 9.07, as the 10th fastest time in the 60-meter dash (7.89c). Olivia Korte slipped into the No. 5 spot in both the shot put and weight throw categories. In the shot put, Korte threw a 42'11", while posting a distance of 45'7?".
PERSONAL RECORDS SET AT THE RALPH SHINE INVITATIONAL:
Sara Rountree ran a personal-best time of 8.30c in the 60-meter dash and another best time of 9.21c in the 60-meter hurdles...Jenna Dorsey-Spitz ran a career-best 2:30.59 in the 800-meter run...Jean Taylor set a best time of 5:19.69a in the mile, while Margaret Frash crossed the line of the 3000-meter run in a best time of 11:04.58a...Kristine Muth scored a career-best 37'8?" in the shot put
