Air Force Academy
MWC Championships
Ian McFarland and Kevin Hawkins Win Conference Titles
5/17/2008 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
May 17, 2008
FORT WORTH, Texas - One day after claiming his first conference title, senior Ian McFarland added to his total with a first-place finish in the 5000-meter run. McFarland was one of two champions for the Air Force track and field team during the final day of competition at the MWC Championships in Fort Worth, Texas. Classmate Kevin Hawkins claimed his second consecutive title in the 800-meter run.
McFarland, who won yesterday's 10,000-meter event, clocked a time of 14:37.33 to take first in today's 5000-meter event. McFarland became the second Air Force athlete to win the outdoor 5,000-meter title at the MWC meet and just the third in any conference meet. Ironically, McFarland won the first and last individual events of this year's championships.
"Ian's 10k-5k double victory was one of the greatest conference meet performances on the track in USAFA history," head coach Ralph Lindeman said following the meet. "The biggest race of the day was the 5000 meters. "Led by Ian's win and Falcons following him 5-6-7-8, we were able to clinch third-place in the final team standings."
After taking the lead on the final straightaway, Hawkins crossed the finish line of the 800-meter run in a NCAA Regional Qualifying time of 1:49.64 to successfully defend his title. It is the third conference crown for Hawkins, who also won the 800-meter title at the 2007 indoor championships.
In addition to the two conference champions, Air Force boasted two other all-conference honorees, as well as an all-MWC relay team.
Junior Kellen Curry was the runner-up in the 110-meter hurdles, clocking a personal-best time of 14.18. That time, which qualified Curry for the NCAA Regional meet, is the seventh-fastest time in Academy history. Curry also ran the final leg of the 4x100-meter relay team that earned all-conference honors with its third-place finish. Joining freshman Terry Robinson, senior Travis Picou and freshman LD Woods, the quartet clocked the ninth-best time in Air Force history.
Senior David Lissy matched his personal-best throw of 56'4" to finish third in the shot put. Equaling the third-best all-time throw, Lissy notched his first all-MWC outdoor honor with another regional qualifying mark.
The Falcons earned 13 additional top-eight scoring finishes, including an impressive stronghold on the scoring positions in the 5000-meter race. Counting McFarland's first-place finish, Air Force accounted for five of the top eight spots in that race. Juniors Sean Houseworth and Matt Williams finished fifth (14:42.84) and sixth (14:52.12), respectively, while classmate Parker Cowles and senior Josh van Wyngaarden rounded out the scoring with seventh and eighth-place times of 15:01.55 and 15:07.11.
Air Force also received multiple points in the javelin throw and 110-meter hurdles. Junior Harmon Gage paced a trio of Falcons with a fifth-place throw of 192'0" in the javelin. Freshmen Connor Van Fossen and Lucas Cumm finished sixth (188'4") and seventh (181'8"), respectively. Joining Curry as a scoring member of the hurdles' field, Robinson picked up a fourth-place time of 14.73.
Picou, who was a member of the all-conference 4x100-meter relay team, also scored for Air Force in both of the sprints. Picou finished fifth in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.78, while earning the same placement in the 200-meter dash behind a NCAA Regional Qualifying time of 21.06. The senior co-captain was the only non-TCU athlete to finish within the top-eight.
He also ran the final leg of the 4x400-meter relay that finished fourth. Senior Jon Butcher and freshman Noah Palicia joined Hawkins and Picou for a time of 3:16.58. Butcher also added points for the Falcons in the 400-meter hurdles, as he finished fifth with a time of 52.96. Junior Daniel Castle rounded out the team's score with a sixth-place time of 3:50.36 in the 1500-meter run.
As a team, the Falcons finished third with 135 points. BYU won its 11th consecutive conference title (both WAC and MWC) with 210, while TCU used its home field advantage to a second-place total of 192 points. Colorado State (126), New Mexico (87) and Wyoming (53) rounded out the men's field.
On the women's side, Air Force claimed two all-conference accolades, including the first from the track in three years. Sophomore Sara Neubauer was the runner up in the discus throw after tossing a regional qualifying distance of 160'2".
Classmate Ally Romanko became the Falcons' first female all-conference honoree from the track since Elissa Ballas in 2005 and just the second since Air Force joined the MWC for the 2000 season. Romanko clocked a personal-best time of 2:08.00 in the 800-meter run to finish third. That time is a new Sophomore Class record and the second-best time in Academy history.
Fellow sophomore Melissa Beerse claimed points for the Falcons in the pole vault with a sixth-place jump of 12'0½". Freshman Rachel Miller, who placed ninth in that event, improved her standing in the all-time record book with a clearance of 11'6½". That is the fifth-best vault in program history.
The women tallied 26 points to finish ninth. Colorado State won the team title with 187 points, while BYU (141) and San Diego State (126) rounded out the top-three. TCU (122) and New Mexico (78) placed fourth and fifth, while Utah (58), Wyoming (76) and UNLV (35) finished sixth, seventh and eighth.
Action continues for several members of the Falcons' squad on May 30-31, when they travel to Lincoln, Neb., for the 2008 NCAA Midwest Regional Championships. Placement at the regional meet will determine acceptance in the national championships, which are slated for June 11-14 in Des Moines, Iowa.
Players Mentioned
