Air Force Academy
Sun Angel Classic
Sara Neubauer Sets Academy Hammer Throw Record
4/9/2010 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
April 9, 2010
TEMPE, Ariz. - One week after rewriting the Academy record in the shot put, Air Force senior Sara Neubauer improved her program standard in the hammer throw. Tossing a 186'5", Neubauer upped her record by nearly four feet to place third at the 31st annual Sun Angel Classic in Tempe, Ariz., on Friday, April 9. Neubauer was one of three hammer throwers to participate during the first night of action.
Neubauer placed third in the "premiere" division of the women's hammer throw. She opened the series with a season-best toss of 178'8", before fouling off her second attempt. She added a throw of 164'5" and a second foul shot, before heaving the Academy-record mark of 186'5". Neubauer concluded the series with another throw of 178'8".
Her throw of 186'5" was a career-best mark by nearly four feet, bettering the previous mark of 182'10" that she set last year. The throw is also a Senior Class record for the Air Force program, shattering the distance of 175'3" that she set on March 27 at the Military Track and Field Championships.
Sophomore Paige Blackburn, who only began throwing the hammer this year, placed 16th in the "college/open" division with a career-best toss of 143'5". After recording a foul on her first attempt, Blackburn responded with a throw of 132'3" before recording the personal-best distance of 143'5". That distance, a personal improvement by over nine feet, is the 10th-best distance in Academy history.
Classmate Robert Drye rounded out the contingent of Air Force hammer throwers, with a 10th-place finish in the men's "college/open" division. Drye tossed a 172'7" on his first attempt and that counted as his top distance in the preliminary heat, as he tossed a pair of foul shots during his final two attempts.
With the hammer throw events complete, the rest of the Air Force team that is currently in Tempe, Ariz., begins competition at the Sun Angel Classic tomorrow (Saturday, April 10). Neubauer and Blackburn open the day at 9 a.m., with the women's "college/open" division of the discus throw.
Players Mentioned
