Meet the Newcomers: Men's Field Athletes
11/10/2009 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
Nov. 10, 2009
USAF ACADEMY, Colo. - As the track and field season draws closer, GoAirForceFalcons.com will preview the newest members of the Ari Force program. This week, the men's field athletes will be showcased. The 17-member freshman field roster features five state champions, including a two-time Colorado 5A champion in the pole vault.
Five recruited pole vaulters will join the team in 2010, including Colorado native Chase Cooper (Centennial). Holding a personal-best mark of 17'4¾", Cooper was a two-time Colorado 5A state champion, while competing for Smoky Hill High School. Ranked sixth on the 2009 World Junior (under-19) list, Cooper won the Nike Indoor Nationals and placed second at the Great Southwest Invitational. Cooper, an All-America selection by the USA Today and Track and Field News, is the grandson of Nebraska vaulter, Don Cooper, who set the collegiate record in 1951.
Air Force will also welcome a pair of twin pole vaulters to the squad in Rob Simmons and Cale Simmons (Rocklin, Calif.). Rob (16'4") was the CIF-San Joaquin section champion, while Cale (16'2") was the meet's runner-up. The Simmons brothers, who will join older sister Rachel on the Falcons' pole vault squad, passed on the state championship meet in order to participate in their graduation ceremonies.
Matt Cooper (Orange, Calif.) was another CIF section champion and finished seventh at the California state meet, while Graham Morgan (Lebanon, Ohio) finished fourth at the Ohio Division I state championships.
Air Force added two state discus champions to its roster. Nick Clayton (Opelika, Ala.) was the 2008 Alabama 6A champion at 164'10", while Michael Tibbs (Rogers, Ark.) won the Arkansas 7A title. Clayton, the son of Auburn's field events coach, also placed sixth in the shot put at the state meet. In addition to winning the discus title, Tibbs was the state decathlon champion with 8065 points on the modified scoring table.
James Chambers (Wichita Falls, Texas) was the Texas 4A state champion in the shot put with a throw of 59'1¼". In addition, he was the state runner-up in the discus throw with a toss of 183'3", just five feet off of his season-best. Brendon Birdsell (Irvine, Calif.) won the 2009 Orange County Championships in the discus with a throw of 188'2", while finishing third in the CIF Southern Section Masters Meet. Brian Ford (Alamosa, Colo.) placed fourth in the discus throw and fifth in the shot put at the Colorado 4A state championships. Ford holds season-best marks of 53'11" in shot put and 177'11" in the discus throw.
The Falcons also added a pair of high jumpers to the program. Zach Wood (Bowen, Ill.) was the runner-up at the Illinois 1A state meet and holds a personal-best clearance of 6'8", while Travis Smith (Clovis, Calif.) recorded a personal-best high jump height of 6'10" as a sophomore at the CIF Central Section North meet.
Also joining the men's field program in 2010 are discus thrower Shane Cox (Fremont, Neb.), triple jumper Kegan Garnett (Spearman, Texas), pole vaulter Ryan Kunce (Phoenix, Ariz.), hammer/weight thrower Bryce Rauhof (Peachtree City, Ga.) and Utah 3A state javelin champion Wyatt Warnick (Delta).
Check back with GoAirForceFalcons.com next week to meet the freshmen of the men's track team.
Players Mentioned
