Nick Frawley Set to Represent Academy at NCAA Championships
3/11/2009 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
March 11, 2009
The indoor track and field season continues this weekend for Air Force pole vaulter Nick Frawley. The junior will travel to College Station, Texas, for the 2009 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. The two-day event (March 13-14) will be held at the Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium at McFarrin Athletic Center, with the men's pole vault being contest on Friday at 4:30 p.m. (CST).
HISTORY 101
Frawley is making his second appearance at the NCAA Indoor Championships, after placing 15th at last year's meet with a clearance of 17'0¾". Frawley has also competed at two national outdoor meets, including an All-American runner-up finish at the 2008 championships.
HOW HE GOT THERE
With an Academy record-setting clearance of 18'1", Frawley earned an automatic berth into the NCAA Championships. He is currently ranked fourth in the nation. Only four of the 14 vaulters to automatically qualify into the meet, the rest cleared provisional qualifying marks and were accepted based on their national ranking.
SO CLOSE
Three other members of the Falcons' program collected NCAA provisional marks during the season, but were unable to make the championship field. Juniors Melissa Beerse (pole vault) and Sara Neubauer (shot put) posted provisional marks in their respective events, while senior Sean Houseworth narrowly missed the cut in the 5000-meter run.
RESET THE RECORD
Junior Sara Neubauer broke her own program standard in the shot put at the Alex Wilson Invitational on March 7. Neubauer tossed a 50'7½" to place second in the event and reset the Academy's shot put record for the third straight year. The program standard has increased five feet since Neubauer's arrival in the throwing ring.
HEADING OUTDOORS
While the indoor season concludes this weekend at the national meet, the outdoor season is just one week away. The Falcons, who will spend spring break training in Arizona, will compete at the Willie Williams Classic in Tucson (March 20-21) and the Arizona State Invitational in Tempe (March 27-28).
