Air Force Academy
George Mason Invite
Air Force Men Win George Mason Invitational
3/20/2010 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
March 20, 2010
FAIRFAX, Va. - Highlighted by eight first-place finishes, the Air Force men's track and field team won its outdoor season opener, the George Mason Invitational, on Saturday, March 20, in Fairfax, Va. The men accounted for 23 top-three finishes, as the bettered the field by over 40 points. The women's team claimed four first-place marks and 11 top-three finishes en route to a third-place team finish.
The Falcons accounted for first-place finishes in all four throwing events. Air Force's throwing team was backed by a pair of titles from Robert Drye, who won both the shot put (51'0") and hammer throw (176'7"), while Conner Van Fossen won the javelin throw (208'9") and James Cole placed first in the discus throw (159'5").
Air Force dominated the final standings of the shot put, accounting for four of the top five spots. In addition to Drye's winning throw, the Falcons earned points in that event from Kyle Schwochow, who placed third (49'7¾"). Sean Herbison scored for the Falcons in a pair of throws, placing second in the discus throw (152'0") and third in the hammer (156'7"). Jon Santiago also picked up a scoring finish in the javelin throw, placing third with a throw of 190'2".
From the field, the Falcons also picked up a first-place score from Joel Nolan, who cleared a career-best 16'4¾" in the pole vault to finish first and improved his 10th-place standing on the Academy's all-time list. Nick Frawley matched that clearance, but finished second based on attempts. The scoring pair led the Falcons to a sweep of the top five spots.
On the track, Air Force picked up three first-place scores. Bryce Bergman, in his season debut, won the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 53.87. James Walmsley won the 1500-meter run in 3:57.36), while the 4x400-meter relay team accounted for a first-place time of 3:16.99.
Bergman, who also finished second in the 110-meter hurdles (14.83), led the Falcons to a sweep of the top four spots in the 400-meter hurdles. Justin Manchester scored with a runner-up time of 54.09, while Matt Jones (54.58) and Bryant Davis (54.70), finished third and fourth, respectively. Jonathan Rock finished third behind Walmsley in the 1500-meter run with a time of 3:58.99, while Jones also scored for the Falcons in the 110-meter hurdles (15.56, third).
Kegan Garnett was the runner-up in the triple jump (43'7¼"), while Zach Wood and Travis Smith finished third and fourth, respectively, with matching clearances of 6'0¾". Manuel Smith and Uzor Udensi finished third (22.19) and fourth (22.33), respectively, in the 200-meter dash.
The men tallied 188 points to win the meet and better host George Mason by 44 points. Virginia placed third with 82 points, while Fordham (55 points), Georgetown (44) and Richmond (19) rounded out the field of six.
On the women's side, Sara Neubauer paced the Falcons with a pair of first-place throws. The senior, who bettered the shot put field by over 10 feet, won the shot put (52'6¾") and discus throw (165'2"), while finishing as the runner-up in the hammer throw (170'2").
The Falcons also earned a victory in the throwing events from Katie Weber, who won the javelin throw with a season-opening toss of 143'3". Ally Romanko picked Air Force's other first-place finish as she won the 1500-meter run after crossing the finish line in 4:32.25. In addition to her win in the 1500-meter race, Romanko placed third in the 400-meter dash with a time of 58.31.
Air Force claimed two of the top three spots in both the shot put and discus throw. Katy Moorkamp placed third in the shot put with a toss of 38'10¼", while Christine Burke used a throw of 140'2" to place third in the discus. Burke also posted a career-best throw of 142'11" in the hammer throw, moving into 10th on the Academy's all-time list.
Kimber Shealy and Tawny Lambuth teamed up to give the Falcons two of the top three spots in the pole vault. Shealy was the event runner-up with a clearance of 11'11¾", while Lambuth matched her personal-best height of 10'11¾" to finish third. Lambuth also finished fourth in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.57 - a time that is just 0.02 out of the program's top-10 list.
Air Force accumulated 101 points to finish third in the seven-team women's competition. Towson won the meet with 124 points, while Virginia placed second with 117 points. Richmond finished fourth with 74 points, while George Mason (64), Fordham (50) and Georgetown (10) rounded out the field.
Because the Academy is on spring break, the Falcons will continue to train in Fairfax this week, before traveling to Lexington, Va., for the 2010 Military Track and Field Championships. The two-day meet, featuring Air Force, Army, The Citadel, Coast Guard, Merchant Marine, Navy and VMI, will begin on Friday, March 26, on the campus of Virginia Military Institute.
Players Mentioned
