Air Force Academy
MWC Championships
Matt Schwandt, Sean Houseworth Earn MWC Championship Titles
5/11/2007 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
May 11, 2007
Schwandt, who only recently returned to the field from an injury, posted a season-best distance of 207'2" to win the javelin by nearly five feet. With that NCAA Regional Qualifying Throw, Schwandt claimed his third all-conference honor and became the Falcons' first men's javelin champion since 2003. Classmate Marcus Wells also collected points for Air Force, as he finished seventh with a throw of 185'0".
With a time of 30:50.98, Houseworth became the second Falcon in as many years to earn win the 10,000-meter run at the conference meet. In fact, Air Force has claimed the longest race during five of the last six seasons. Classmate Joe Curran joined Houseworth with all-conference accolades, as he finished third with a time of 31:23.45. Fellow sophomore Parker Cowles clocked a time of 31.47.71 to place fifth in the race and add points to the Falcons' cause.
Freshman Dan Paladino and sophomore Kirk Devine both recorded career-best, NCAA Regional Qualifying Throws in the hammer throw to earn points for the Falcons. Paladino improved his Freshman Class Record of 189'9" to place seventh, while Devine increased his Sophomore Class Record of 186'9" to take eighth. Paladino is now tied for the fourth-best distance in Academy history, while Devine remains in eighth but is now just two inches shy of the seventh spot.
Air Force's men received additional points from three other athletes. Saving his best jump for last, junior Devin Hart recorded a distance of 22'9¾" to take fifth in the long jump. Senior Jason Beck and sophomore Matt Williams tallied points for the Falcons in the 3000-meter steeplechase. Beck clocked a season-best time of 9:15.04 to place sixth, while Williams crossed the finish line in 9:23.50 to take eighth.
Several qualifying rounds of track events also took place today. The Falcons advanced five runners to tomorrow's finals. Junior Travis Picou took first in the qualifying heat of the 200-meter dash, by clocking a winning time of 20.96, while moving into the finals of the 100-meter dash with a third-place time of 10.58.
Senior Nick Luina also advanced to the finals of two races, as he took fourth in the 400-meter dash (47.61) and sixth in the 200-meter dash (21.46). Sophomore Kellen Curry placed third in the preliminary heat of the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 14.60, while also advancing to the finals of the 100-meter dash behind a seventh-place time of 10.88.
Junior Kyle Meakins advanced to the finals of the 400-meter dash with an eighth-place time of 49.18, while classmate John Payne finished sixth in the 400-meter hurdles (53.78) to move on to tomorrow's finals in that event.
Backed by three champions (senior Brian Walsh won the decathlon yesterday), the Falcons are currently in second with 58 points. BYU leads the way after seven events with 69 points, while
On the women's side, senior Casey Bayne heaved a personal-best 155'11" on her final attempt in the javelin to finish second and claim the first all-conference honor of her career. With an NCAA Regional Qualifying Mark, Bayne was one of just two athletes to surpass the 150-foot mark. Freshman Katie Weber added points for the Falcons with a seventh-place toss of 135'7".
Classmate Melissa Beerse gave the Falcons their first points of the day, as she cleared 12'5½" to tie for seventh in the pole vault.
As the only member of the women's team to compete in a preliminary heat, freshman Ally Romanko clocked a time of 2:10.91 to advance to the finals of the 800-meter run.
The Air Force women currently have 11.50 points and sit in eighth place. BYU leads the way with 101 points, while
The MWC Championships conclude tomorrow (May 12) at
Players Mentioned
