Air Force Travels to Front Range Invitational
4/29/2009 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
April 29, 2009
The Air Force track and field team will conclude the 2009 regular season this Saturday (May 2) at the second annual Front Range Invitational in Boulder, Colo. The men will look to defend their title against local foes from Colorado, Colorado State, Northern Colorado and Wyoming, while the women aim to improve on their third-place finish. Action begins at 10 a.m.
MEET INFORMATION
The meet will be held at Potts Field in Boulder. Action begins at 10 a.m., with the women's hammer throw and men's javelin throw. The women's 3000-meter steeplechase will kick off the running events, beginning at noon. The meet is scheduled to conclude with an awards ceremony at 4:45 p.m.
HISTORY 101
Behind seven first-place victories and 12 additional top-three finishes, the men won the inaugural Front Range Invitational in 2008. Four of the seven Falcons that collected victories last year in Laramie - Daniel Castle (1500-meter run), Kellen Curry (110-meter hurdles), Marshall Wills (pole vault) and Harmon Gage (javelin throw) - are on this year's squad.
TAKE TWO
Senior Kellen Curry picked up a pair of first-place finishes at the Brutus Hamilton Invitational over the April 24-25 weekend. On Friday, Curry clocked a regional qualifying time of 21.31 to place first in the 200-meter dash. Clocking 14.29 in the 110-meter hurdles, he followed that up with another regional qualifying victory on Saturday.
CALIFORNIA LIVIN'
Dan Paladino was the top collegiate finisher in the hammer throw (second overall) at the Brutus Hamilton Invitational (April 24-25), while the men recorded three top-10 finishes in the javelin throw from Connor Van Fossen, Harmon Gage and Jon Santiago. On the women's side, Katie Weber was second among collegiate competitors (third overall) in the javelin throw, while Sara Neubauer was second in the discus and third in the discus throw. In addition, Paige Blackburn picked up a pair of top-five finishes (javelin throw, shot put).
MEN TAKE SECOND AT COLORADO STATE
Highlighted by top-five finishes from Sebastian Ortiz, Benjamin Cox and Bryce Bergman, the men tied for second at the Jack Christiansen Invitational in Fort Collins on April 25. Ortiz won the 1500-meter run, while finishing fourth in the 800. Bergman, who finished third in the 110-meter hurdles, and Cox, who placed fifth in the 400-meter dash, ran a leg of the 4x400-meter relay team that finished third.
MOVING ON UP
The women's 4x400-meter relay team highlighted the day, as Nercressaine White, Tawny Lambuth, Gabrielle Quirao and Jessica Mapes combined for a winning time of 47.99 in the 4x100-meter relay. The quartet moved up the Academy record books, as that is the fourth-fastest time in Academy history. Lambuth wasn't done impacting the record book, as she moved into ninth all-time with a pole vault clearance of 10'11¾". In addition, Jordyn Stoddard debuted in the record book with a triple jump distance of 37'8¾" (seventh all-time).
Phaelen French MOVES INTO HEPTATHLON TOP-10
In her collegiate heptathlon debut, Phaelen French accounted for 3,814 points to move into ninth on the program's all-time list. Competing at the Glenn Morris Heptathlon in Fort Collins on April 23-24, French finished fifth overall. Her best individual finish of the day came in the 800-meter run, as she clocked a first-place time of 2:23.71.
ON THE HORIZON
Air Force will spend the next two weeks training for the Mountain West Conference Track and Field Championships, which begin on Wednesday, May 13, in Laramie, Wyo.
