Air Force Heads to Notre Dame's Meyo Invitational
2/5/2009 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
Feb. 5, 2009
Several members of the Air Force track and field team will travel to South Bend, Ind., this weekend (Feb. 6-7) for the Notre Dame Meyo Invitational, one of the nation's top indoor meets. The two-day event will take place at the Loftus Center on Notre Dame's campus.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
The meet begins for the Falcons on Friday with the women's weight throw at 5:30 p.m. Air Force's first track event is the women's 5000-meter run at 6 p.m. Saturday's competition is broken into two sessions, the first beginning at 9:30 a.m. (men's 3000-meter run) and the second at 2:30 p.m. (men's Meyo mile). The afternoon session is primarily the finals of morning's qualifying heats.
BUT, WAIT ... THERE'S MORE
Freshman James Walmsley will compete at the USA Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Feb. 7, in Derwood, Md.
LAST TIME OUT
Juniors Melissa Beerse and Sara Neubauer paced the women's team with their respective victories in the pole vault and shot put at the Don Barrett Duals, while classmate Nick Frawley and senior Kellen Curry led the men's team in the pole vault and 60-meter hurdles.
POLE VAULT POWER
Junior Melissa Beerse cleared 12'8¼" to win the women's pole vault and pace a quartet of Falcons to the top four spots. Sophomore Rachel Simmons matched Beerse's mark to take second, while freshman Kimber Shealy and sophomore Rachel Miller finished third and fourth, respectively, with matching heights of 12'0½". On the men's side, junior Nick Frawley paced a sweep of the top three spots, as freshman Cort Rogers cleared a career-best 16'3½" to take second and junior Marshall Wills and freshman Brandin Bear tied for third with matching clearances of 15'0".
NOLAN WINS HEPTATHLON
Collecting 5111 points, junior Joel Nolan made a dramatic return to the multi-events competition on Jan. 31, as he won the heptathlon with the third-best total in Academy history at the Air Force Combined Events Meet. Nolan entered the final day in second and remained in that placement following the 60-meter hurdles. With a winning clearance in the pole vault, the next to last event, he jumped into the lead. Nolan already held the fifth-best heptathlon score in program history and with the strong performance, he moved up two spots to third - and just 76 points shy of the second-place score.
DUAL-ING IT OUT
The men finished the Don Barrett Duals with a 2-2 record. The Falcons narrowly defeated Colorado, 59-55, while easily besting Northern Colorado, 77-31. The Falcons two losses came from the MWC programs of Colorado State (44-74) and Wyoming (43.50-77.50). The women defeated Northern Colorado, 69-48, but were dropped decisions to Colorado (51-69), Colorado State (60-62) and Wyoming (48-72).
FIRST UP...
Juniors Melissa Beerse and Sara Neubauer lead the Mountain West Conference in their respective events. Beerse has recorded a NCAA qualifying mark of 12'11¾" to pace the league, while Neubauer ranks first in the shot put with a distance of 49'8¼".
CREATING A STRONGHOLD ON THE TOP
With a clearance of 12'8 ¼", sophomore Rachel Simmons is ranked second in the conference in the pole vault, right behind teammate Melissa Beerse. In addition, three other Falcons are listed among the conference's top 10. Sophomore Rachel Miller and freshman Kimber Shealy are tied for sixth with matching clearances of 12'0½", while freshman Tawny Lambuth is ranked ninth with a season-best mark of 11'7¾".
IN THE RANKINGS...
Eight additional members of the Air Force programs are ranked among the Mountain West Conference's top five. Seniors Parker Cowles and Brad Chronister are ranked second (15:06.46) and third (15:23.43), respectively, in the 5000-meter run, while classmate Kellen Curry holds the same ranking in the 60-meter hurdles at 8.20 (adjusted for altitude). Junior Joel Nolan is ranked third with 5111 points in the heptathlon. The 4x400-meter relay team (3:22.00) and junior Nick Frawley (pole vault, 16'7½") are ranked fourth, while senior Daniel Castle is ranked fifth in the mile with a time of 4:10.43. On the women's side, junior Katie Lynch is ranked fourth in the 5000-meter run with a time of 17:58.92.
LINDEMAN LOGS IN
Each week, head coach Ralph Lindeman will visit GoAirForceFalcons.com to share his thoughts on the team and the previous week's performances. This special feature can be found on the "Sidelines" section of the Air Force track and field page.
WHAT'S ON DECK
The Falcons return to the Academy on Feb. 13-14 when they host the annual Air Force Invitational at the Cadet Field House.
