Air Force Academy
MWC Championships
Kellen Curry and Sean Houseworth Win Conference Titles
2/28/2009 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
Feb. 28, 2009
USAF ACADEMY, Colo. - Seniors Kellen Curry and Sean Houseworth earned conference titles as the Air Force track and field team wrapped up competition at the Mountain West Conference Championships on Saturday, Feb. 28. Competing in their final home event, Curry won the 200-meter dash, while Houseworth took first in the 3000-meter run for his second conference title in as many days.
With a career-best time of 21.54 in the 200-meter dash, Curry claimed the first conference title of his career. Curry won the first heat, nearly a half second in front of the rest of the field. The senior secured the win, as the leader of the second heat crossed in 21.65. Curry's time of 21.54 is the fifth-fastest in Academy history.
Curry's victory in the 200-meter dash marks the fourth time in five years that Air Force has claimed the fastest time at the conference meet. Former standout Travis Picou won three straight titles during the 2005-07 seasons.
Houseworth, who claimed the 5000-meter championship yesterday, successfully defended his 3000-meter title, clocking a time of 8:26.74. The time, a seven-second improvement over his winning time last year, is the fifth-fastest in championship meet history. Houseworth was one of two Falcons to score in the 3000-meter race, as classmate Matt Williams posted a seventh-place time of 8:41.27.
In addition to his win in the 60-meter dash, Curry claimed all-conference honors behind a second-place time of 8.09, while freshman Bryce Bergman finished eighth at 8.52. Although just 0.06 separated Curry and the meet winner, the duo distanced themselves from the rest of the field, as the third-place runner crossed in 8.27.
Junior Nick Frawley cleared 17'3½" to place second in the pole vault and claim the fourth all-conference accolade of his career. The mark is a NCAA provisional mark, although Frawley has already posted an automatic mark into the national meet.
Senior Daniel Castle and Sebastian Ortiz finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in the mile, clocking times of 4:24.36 and 4:25.32. Air Force also received a fourth-place finish in the 4x400-meter relay, as sophomore Matthew Jones, freshman Bryce Bergman, sophomore Chris Severino and freshman Maxwell Lutton teamed up for a time of 3:18.77.
Air Force also picked up a pair of scoring finishes in the shot put, as freshman Robert Drye and junior Dan Paladino finished seventh and eighth, respectively. Drye recorded a distance of 50'10¼", while Paladino posted a distance of 50'3¼".
Sophomore Reggie Rembert, in just his third collegiate meet, placed seventh in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.000
On the women's side, junior Ally Romanko paced the Falcons with a pair of scoring finishes. Individually, Romanko placed fourth in the 800-meter run with a season-best time of 2:12.50.
Romanko also ran the third leg of the 4x400-meter relay that finished fourth. Junior Jessica Mapes and freshman Margaret Weingart kept the Falcons near the front of the field during their respective turns of the opening section, before Romanko took the lead during the third rotation. Classmate Danielle McCarty took baton on the final leg and held onto the lead, as the quartet accounted for the sixth-fastest time in Academy history.
Freshman Elyse Willard also recorded a fourth-place finish for the women, clocking a time of 10:46.07 in the 3000-meter run. Junior Sara Neubauer finished fifth in the shot put with a throw of 47'8½", while freshman Paige Blackburn finished seventh with a distance of 45'7¼". Blackburn's throw was a personal best and the third-best throw in Academy history.
Overall, the men placed third with 91 points. BYU won the meet with 224 points, while New Mexico finished second with 102. Colorado State finished fourth, just six points behind the Falcons, while TCU and Wyoming battled to fifth (78) and sixth (77), respectively.
With 224 points, BYU reclaimed its conference title on the women's side. TCU, last year's champion, finished second with 117 points, while Colorado State rounded out the top three with 61 points. Utah (59) and New Mexico (53) placed fourth and fifth, while San Diego State (46) edged out the Falcons by six points, as Air Force tallied 40 points to finish seventh. UNLV (eighth, 36) and Wyoming (ninth, 26) rounded out the field.
The seventh-place finish by the Falcons is the best-ever at an indoor meet and the second-best team placement at any conference championship.
Players Mentioned
