Throwers Highlight Falcons' Day at Conference Challenge

Jan. 26, 2008

LINCOLN. Neb. - Highlighted by a first-place finish from senior David Lissy, 13 members of the Air Force track and field team recorded scoring finishes, as "Team MWC" finished second at the second-annual Big 12-Mountain West Conference Challenge on Saturday, Jan. 26, in Lincoln, Neb.

"Team MWC", which was comprised of Air Force, BYU and Colorado State, scored 145 to finish second Kansas State, Missouri and Nebraska ("Team Big 12), who won the meet with 224 points. With only two scoring members allowed from each conference, the point totals were distributed at five-, three-, two- and one-point intervals.

Lissy threw a personal-best 56'6" in the shot put to win the event by over two feet. That mark is the fourth-best toss in Academy history.

Classmate Kevin Hawkins was the runner up in the 800-meter run after crossing the finish line in a time of 1:52.18. Junior Matt Williams also earned second-place honors in the 3000-meter run, as he finished in a time of 8:23.86.

Fellow senior Travis Picou finished third in a pair of events, clocking 6.91 in the 60-meter dash and 21.84 in the 200-meter dash. Junior Daniel Castle also claimed a third-place finish in the mile run (4:10.91), while sophomores Andy Schweitzer (2:33.48) and John Oliphint (2:33.62) earned all of the points for the MWC in the 1000-meter run, with respective third- and fourth-place finishes.

Senior Ian McFarland rounded out the Falcons' scorers with a fourth-place finish in the 5000-meter run behind a time of 15:03.94.

On the women's side, sophomore Ally Romanko finished second in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:13.75, while classmates Becca Burditt and Melissa Beerse finished fourth in the 600-yard run (1:28.59) and pole vault (12'0¾"), respectively.

And although he didn't score in the challenge, sophomore Dan Paladino improved his personal-best distance in the weight throw with the second-best distance in Academy history. With a Sophomore Class Record throw of 59'5", Paladino increased his best by over a foot, while inching even closer to the all-time record (60'0½").

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