Falcons Head to CSU for Weekend Competition
4/21/2005 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
COMING UP: After two straight weekends of competition in California, the Falcons compete a little closer to home on April 21-23. The team will head up I-25 for the Glenn Morris Decathlon and Jack Christiansen Invitational at conference-rival Colorado State. The multi-event athletes will participate in the two-day competition on Thursday and Friday (April 21-22), while the remainder of the team will compete at the invitational on Saturday (April 23).
GLENN MORRIS DECATHLON: The decathlon begins on Thursday at 12:30 p.m., with the 100-meter dash. The long jump, shot put, high jump and 400-meter dash will also be contested that day, with the 110-meter hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and 1500-meter dash to be held on Friday.
JACK CHRISTIANSEN INVITATIONAL: The men's hammer throw opens the invitational (April 23) at 9 a.m., followed by the women's shot put at 10 a.m. The first running event will be the women's 3000-meter steeplechase, which will start at 11:30 a.m., followed by the men's steeplechase at 11:50 a.m.
POUNDS BECOMES NCAA LEADER WITH FOURTH-BEST THROW IN U.S. HISTORY: On her final throw of the morning at the Mt SAC Relays, junior Dana Pounds recorded a 188'8" to become the new NCAA leader in the javelin throw, while also recording the fourth-best distance ever in U.S. history. Four of Pounds' throws went for over 180'0", as she crushed her previous Academy and Mountain West Conference records. She was the top collegiate finisher, placing second only to a Danish Olympian who holds the third-best distance in the world. In fact, Pounds bested the U.S. Olympian by 17 feet, while topping the next collegiate competitor by 31 feet with the 13th-best throw in the world this season.
SOPHOMORE THROWERS SHINE AT MT. SAC RELAYS: Daniel St. Clair and Marcus Wells claimed event victories at the prestigious Mt. SAC Relays, while two others finished within the top three. St. Clair earned his victory in the discus with a career-best toss of 170'2" - a mark which is seventh all-time at the Academy. Wells recorded a javelin toss of 199'9" to win his event, as both Falcons threw over a foot farther than their event's respective second-place finishers. Additionally, Brandon Murphy picked up a second-place finish in the javelin, while classmate Olivia Korte finished third in the women's discus. Murphy recorded a throw of 204'9" for the event's runner-up spot, while Korte threw a 155'10" in her event.
TWO EVENT WINS, ONE ACADEMY RECORD, HIGHLIGHT FALCONS' RUN AT POMONA: Kyle Davidson and Nick Wilson picked up a pair of first-place finishes at the Pomona-Pitzer Invitational in Claremont, Calif., on April 15. Davidson clocked a time of 9:08.38 in the 3000-meter steeplechase, while Wilson crossed the finish line of the 5000-meter run in 14:32.38. Another highlight of the day came from sophomore Margaret Frash, who set an Academy record in the 3000-meter steeplechase. With a time of 10:48.25, Frash topped the previous record (set last year by Jean Taylor) by over four seconds.
PELGER TAKES FOURTH WITH CAREER-BEST SCORE: Senior decathlete Caleb Pelger finished fourth at the California Invitational Decathlon on April 14 with a career-best 6,587 points
ON THE HORIZON: The Falcons split up next weekend (April 28-30) for a pair of meets. Several members of the team will travel to Des Moines, Iowa, for the annual Drake Relays, while the rest of the team will stay a little closer to the Academy, as they compete at the Colorado Open in Golden on April 30.
MEN'S NEWS AND NOTES
TO THE TOP OF THE LIST: Brian Dumm posted an Academy record in 10,000-meter run with a time of 29:04.55 at the Stanford Invitational. His time topped the previous program-best of 29:25.34 that Ben Payne set just last season.
LEADERS AND BEST: Freshman Travis Picou currently leads the Mountain West Conference in the 100- and 200-meter dashes. Picou has clocked season-best times of 10.63 (100) and 21.07 (200) to claim the league's top spot. Sophomore Brandon Murphy also leads the MWC; posting the top javelin throw with a distance of 208'4?".
SPEARING IT UP: In addition to Brandon Murphy's league-leading distance in the javelin, Air Force boasts the second and third-ranked athletes in the conference, as well as four of the top-five. Sophomores Matt Schwandt and Marcus Wells are ranked second (202'10?") and third (200'0?"), respectively, while senior Brian Willis is ranked fifth with a toss of 193'6".
BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE:The javelin isn't the only event where the MWC rankings are a little Air Force top-heavy. The Falcons currently hold five of the top nine pole vault records as well. Paul Gensic, who was the top collegiate finisher at the Mt. SAC Relays with a 17'8?", is ranked second, while Makisi Haleck is fourth at 17'6?". Jason Jones and Christian Morgan have matching heights of 16'6?" to tie for seventh, while Trey Fryman is ninth with a vault of 16'0?". In addition, Gensic, Haleck, Jones and Morgan have all met NCAA Regional standards.
FABULOUS FIELD FROSH: In addition to Devin Hart's victories in the long and triple jumps at the Colorado College Invitational on April 9, the Falcons picked up event wins in every field event ... and all but one came from a member of the freshman class. Andrew Galbraith cleared 6'0" to win the high jump, while Joel Nolan won the pole vault with a jump of 15'6?". David Lissy claimed an event-winning mark in the discus with a throw of 164'11?", while Brian Rahl won the javelin with a toss of 172'0".
ANOTHER VAULT, ANOTHER WIN: With Paul Gensic's vault at Mt. SAC and Trey Fryman's win at Long Beach, a member of the Air Force pole vault team has been the top collegiate competitor during 12 of the last 14 weeks of the season. And in the two weeks that one of the Falcons didn't win the title, Gensic finished within the top-three (second at the MWC Championships and third at the NCAA Championships). Over the course of the season, Gensic has claimed five, while Makisi Haleck has three. Jason Jones and Trey Fryman have each won two, while Joel Nolan has claimed one.
WOMEN'S NEWS AND NOTES
CAUTION! FALLING RECORDS: Senior Jami Hodge shattered a 22-year old Academy record in the 200-meter dash on April 2. Hodge ran the race in 24.46 to crush the previous mark of 24.81 set in 1983 by former Falcon great, Gail Conway. By setting the Academy record, Hodge becomes the only person, other than Conway, to hold any of the outdoor dash or 800-meter run records.
WHAT A START (AND FINISH!): Freshman Kristin Trichler won the 800-meter run at the Stanford Invitational, crossing the finish line in a meet-record time of 2:11.17, to clock the third-best time in Academy history and win the 34-participant race.
POUNDS IS LEAGUE'S TOP ATHLETE: Backed by another phenomenal performance at the Mt SAC Relays, Dana Pounds was named the MWC Women's Track and Field Athlete of the Week. This is her second honor of the year - her first coming after the ASU Invitational, where she set the then-program and conference record of 182'1".
SEPERATING HERSELF FROM THE PACK: Dana Pounds, who leads the nation in the javelin throw, tops anyone in the Mountain West Conference by nearly 40 feet! Pounds has sent the spear a record distance of 188'8", while the league's second-ranked athlete, Veronica Gonzales of New Mexico has topped out at 149'9". In fact, Pounds has separated herself from her teammates by nearly 46 feet.
(PAST) WEEKEND UPDATE: At the Cal-Berkeley Brutus Hamilton Invitational, freshmen Deb Durey, Kristin Trichler and Kelly Robinson joined senior Jami Hodge for a fourth-place finish in the 4x400-meter relay. The quartet recorded a time of 3:52.66 which is the third-best time ever at the Academy.
GLENN MORRIS DECATHLON: The decathlon begins on Thursday at 12:30 p.m., with the 100-meter dash. The long jump, shot put, high jump and 400-meter dash will also be contested that day, with the 110-meter hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and 1500-meter dash to be held on Friday.
JACK CHRISTIANSEN INVITATIONAL: The men's hammer throw opens the invitational (April 23) at 9 a.m., followed by the women's shot put at 10 a.m. The first running event will be the women's 3000-meter steeplechase, which will start at 11:30 a.m., followed by the men's steeplechase at 11:50 a.m.
POUNDS BECOMES NCAA LEADER WITH FOURTH-BEST THROW IN U.S. HISTORY: On her final throw of the morning at the Mt SAC Relays, junior Dana Pounds recorded a 188'8" to become the new NCAA leader in the javelin throw, while also recording the fourth-best distance ever in U.S. history. Four of Pounds' throws went for over 180'0", as she crushed her previous Academy and Mountain West Conference records. She was the top collegiate finisher, placing second only to a Danish Olympian who holds the third-best distance in the world. In fact, Pounds bested the U.S. Olympian by 17 feet, while topping the next collegiate competitor by 31 feet with the 13th-best throw in the world this season.
SOPHOMORE THROWERS SHINE AT MT. SAC RELAYS: Daniel St. Clair and Marcus Wells claimed event victories at the prestigious Mt. SAC Relays, while two others finished within the top three. St. Clair earned his victory in the discus with a career-best toss of 170'2" - a mark which is seventh all-time at the Academy. Wells recorded a javelin toss of 199'9" to win his event, as both Falcons threw over a foot farther than their event's respective second-place finishers. Additionally, Brandon Murphy picked up a second-place finish in the javelin, while classmate Olivia Korte finished third in the women's discus. Murphy recorded a throw of 204'9" for the event's runner-up spot, while Korte threw a 155'10" in her event.
TWO EVENT WINS, ONE ACADEMY RECORD, HIGHLIGHT FALCONS' RUN AT POMONA: Kyle Davidson and Nick Wilson picked up a pair of first-place finishes at the Pomona-Pitzer Invitational in Claremont, Calif., on April 15. Davidson clocked a time of 9:08.38 in the 3000-meter steeplechase, while Wilson crossed the finish line of the 5000-meter run in 14:32.38. Another highlight of the day came from sophomore Margaret Frash, who set an Academy record in the 3000-meter steeplechase. With a time of 10:48.25, Frash topped the previous record (set last year by Jean Taylor) by over four seconds.
PELGER TAKES FOURTH WITH CAREER-BEST SCORE: Senior decathlete Caleb Pelger finished fourth at the California Invitational Decathlon on April 14 with a career-best 6,587 points
ON THE HORIZON: The Falcons split up next weekend (April 28-30) for a pair of meets. Several members of the team will travel to Des Moines, Iowa, for the annual Drake Relays, while the rest of the team will stay a little closer to the Academy, as they compete at the Colorado Open in Golden on April 30.
MEN'S NEWS AND NOTES
TO THE TOP OF THE LIST: Brian Dumm posted an Academy record in 10,000-meter run with a time of 29:04.55 at the Stanford Invitational. His time topped the previous program-best of 29:25.34 that Ben Payne set just last season.
LEADERS AND BEST: Freshman Travis Picou currently leads the Mountain West Conference in the 100- and 200-meter dashes. Picou has clocked season-best times of 10.63 (100) and 21.07 (200) to claim the league's top spot. Sophomore Brandon Murphy also leads the MWC; posting the top javelin throw with a distance of 208'4?".
SPEARING IT UP: In addition to Brandon Murphy's league-leading distance in the javelin, Air Force boasts the second and third-ranked athletes in the conference, as well as four of the top-five. Sophomores Matt Schwandt and Marcus Wells are ranked second (202'10?") and third (200'0?"), respectively, while senior Brian Willis is ranked fifth with a toss of 193'6".
BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE:The javelin isn't the only event where the MWC rankings are a little Air Force top-heavy. The Falcons currently hold five of the top nine pole vault records as well. Paul Gensic, who was the top collegiate finisher at the Mt. SAC Relays with a 17'8?", is ranked second, while Makisi Haleck is fourth at 17'6?". Jason Jones and Christian Morgan have matching heights of 16'6?" to tie for seventh, while Trey Fryman is ninth with a vault of 16'0?". In addition, Gensic, Haleck, Jones and Morgan have all met NCAA Regional standards.
FABULOUS FIELD FROSH: In addition to Devin Hart's victories in the long and triple jumps at the Colorado College Invitational on April 9, the Falcons picked up event wins in every field event ... and all but one came from a member of the freshman class. Andrew Galbraith cleared 6'0" to win the high jump, while Joel Nolan won the pole vault with a jump of 15'6?". David Lissy claimed an event-winning mark in the discus with a throw of 164'11?", while Brian Rahl won the javelin with a toss of 172'0".
ANOTHER VAULT, ANOTHER WIN: With Paul Gensic's vault at Mt. SAC and Trey Fryman's win at Long Beach, a member of the Air Force pole vault team has been the top collegiate competitor during 12 of the last 14 weeks of the season. And in the two weeks that one of the Falcons didn't win the title, Gensic finished within the top-three (second at the MWC Championships and third at the NCAA Championships). Over the course of the season, Gensic has claimed five, while Makisi Haleck has three. Jason Jones and Trey Fryman have each won two, while Joel Nolan has claimed one.
WOMEN'S NEWS AND NOTES
CAUTION! FALLING RECORDS: Senior Jami Hodge shattered a 22-year old Academy record in the 200-meter dash on April 2. Hodge ran the race in 24.46 to crush the previous mark of 24.81 set in 1983 by former Falcon great, Gail Conway. By setting the Academy record, Hodge becomes the only person, other than Conway, to hold any of the outdoor dash or 800-meter run records.
WHAT A START (AND FINISH!): Freshman Kristin Trichler won the 800-meter run at the Stanford Invitational, crossing the finish line in a meet-record time of 2:11.17, to clock the third-best time in Academy history and win the 34-participant race.
POUNDS IS LEAGUE'S TOP ATHLETE: Backed by another phenomenal performance at the Mt SAC Relays, Dana Pounds was named the MWC Women's Track and Field Athlete of the Week. This is her second honor of the year - her first coming after the ASU Invitational, where she set the then-program and conference record of 182'1".
SEPERATING HERSELF FROM THE PACK: Dana Pounds, who leads the nation in the javelin throw, tops anyone in the Mountain West Conference by nearly 40 feet! Pounds has sent the spear a record distance of 188'8", while the league's second-ranked athlete, Veronica Gonzales of New Mexico has topped out at 149'9". In fact, Pounds has separated herself from her teammates by nearly 46 feet.
(PAST) WEEKEND UPDATE: At the Cal-Berkeley Brutus Hamilton Invitational, freshmen Deb Durey, Kristin Trichler and Kelly Robinson joined senior Jami Hodge for a fourth-place finish in the 4x400-meter relay. The quartet recorded a time of 3:52.66 which is the third-best time ever at the Academy.
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