Falcons Set to Host Annual Twilight Meet
5/2/2007 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
May 2, 2007
With just one week until the Mountain West Conference Championships, the Air Force track and field team closes out the regular season this Friday (May 4), when it hosts the annual Ris Westen-Air Force Twilight Invitational. It is the Falcons' lone home competition of the outdoor season. The meet will begin at 3 p.m., at the Academy's Cadet Outdoor Track.
SCHEDULING 101: The meet begins at 3 p.m., with the men's hammer throw, as well as the women's javelin throw, long jump and pole vault. The running events begin at 4 p.m., with the women's 4x100-meter relay. The meet will continue on a rolling schedule until the men's 4x400-meter relay at approximately 7 p.m.
Weekly Release 07 - Ris Westen/Air Force Twilight Meet
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MAKING A STATEMENT: Freshman Melissa Beerse smashed her own Academy record in the pole vault at the Wyoming Invitational. Clearing a career-best 12'9½" to win the event by nearly a foot-and-a-half, Beerse also improved her NCAA Regional Qualifying Mark with the new program standard. Since her arrival at the Academy, she has increased the outdoor pole vault standard by nearly nine inches.
WHO'S THAT?: The Falcons' annual outdoor meet is named after Risdon Westen, who has served as an Academy track official for nearly five decades. He began officiating at the Academy in 1959 and has served as a head umpire and referee. Westen is one of two officials that Air Force has honored with a track meet, as the Falcons host the Don Barrett-Air Force Open during the indoor season.
SO LONG, FAREWELL: One of the longest-standing records in Academy history fell to the wayside on April 28, as the sprint medley relay team set a new program standard at the Drake Relays. Sophomore Kellen Curry, junior Travis Picou, senior Nick Luina and junior Kevin Hawkins finished the 1600-meter race in 3:19.52 to shatter the previous mark of 3:21.40 that James Thompson, Douglas Withers, Charles Clements and Dale Stovall originally set back in 1966.
ALONE AT THE TOP: With 41 years of history behind it, the sprint medley relay mark had been tied for the oldest standard in the Academy record books. After the 2007 quartet made their mark on the standings, the oldest record is now the 4x400-meter relay that James Thompson, Douglas Withers, Charles Clements and Dale Stovall also set back in 1966. That record may be safe, as only one relay team has impacted the top-10 since 1997.
"RELAY"-ING SOME INFO: At the Drake Relays, junior Ian McFarland and senior Jason Beck joined sophomores Sean Houseworth and Matt Williams to record the fifth-fastest 4x1600-meter relay time in Academy history. With a combined time of 16:55.90, the quartet becomes just the fifth Air Force team to complete the race in less than 17 minutes.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Three Falcons will be celebrating their birthday during the Air Force Twilight Meet on May 4. Freshmen distance runners Brittany Morreale and Zach Nordahl will both turn 19 on Friday, while freshman manager Vincent Gillmore will turn 18.
A BUSY DAY: Senior Nick Luina, who was a part of the record-setting sprint medley relay team at the Drake Relays, also ran a leg of the distance medley relay that finished ninth. Luina, along with classmate Richard Elmore and juniors Calvin Glass and Ian McFarland, crossed the finish line in 10:00.89.
MORE DRAKE DEALINGS: Senior Olivia Korte picked up a sixth-place finish in the discus throw with a distance of 162'1". In a field of 30, she was one of just eight throwers to surpass the 160-foot mark. Korte also competed in the shot put, placing 18th with a throw of 45'8½". Freshman Sara Neubauer recorded a distance of 45'6½" to finish 19th.
JUST LIKE OLD TIMES: Former Air Force standout and current volunteer coach 2Lt. Dana Pounds threw an exhibition in the javelin as a member of the Air Force World Class Athlete Program (WCAP). A three-time champion of the Drake Relays as a collegiate competitor, Pounds tossed a 182'0" - the best throw of the 26-member field.
MOVING ON UP: A pair of Air Force athletes moved up the standings in the Academy's all-time record book at the Wyoming Invitational. Senior Becky Stone improved her sixth-place position in the pole vault by clearing 10'9", while freshman Ally Romanko made a sixth-place debut in the 400-meter dash rankings with a time of 57.99.
ON DECK: With the regular season complete, Air Force heads to the 2007 Mountain West Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The four-day meet will be held May 9-12, in San Diego Calif. From there, it is on to the NCAA Midwest Regional in
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