Falcons Announce 2011 Track and Field Schedule
9/1/2010 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
Sept. 1, 2010
USAF ACADEMY, Colo. - Highlighted by the 2010 Mountain West Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships in mid-May, the Air Force track and field team announced its 2011 schedule today (Wednesday, Sept. 1). Air Force will host three indoor meets at the Cadet Field House and four outdoor meets at the new Cadet Outdoor Track Stadium.
Air Force opens the 2011 season at the Academy on Jan. 14, when it hosts the annual Air Force All-Comers Meet. The Falcons will then travel to Lincoln, Neb., for the adidas Classic on Jan. 22. The majority of the squad returns to the Academy for the Don Barrett Duals on Jan. 29, while the pole vaulters head to the National Pole Vault Summit in Reno, Nev.
The month of February will see the Falcons competing at the New Mexico Classic (Feb. 4-5), the Air Force Invitational (Feb. 11-12), the Washington Husky Classic (Feb. 11-12) and the Robert Shine Invitational (Feb. 18), before heading to Albuquerque, N.M., for the 2011 Mountain West Conference Indoor Championships (Feb. 24-26).
The indoor season concludes with a National Qualifying Meet (Mar. 5, site TBA) and the NCAA Indoor Championships in College Station, Texas on Mar. 11-12.
The Falcons will open the outdoor season in California, competing at the UC-Irvine Spring Beak Invitational (Mar. 18-19) and the Stanford Invitational (Mar. 25-26). The Falcons will debut their new outdoor stadium on Mar. 31-Apr. 2, when they host the Air Force Combined Events Meet and the Ris Westen/Air Force Relays.
"We're really anxious about hosting track and field meets at our new facility," head coach Ralph Lindeman said. "We're going to initiate a new meet on the first weekend in April - the Ris Westen/Air Force Relays. Although the weather at that time of the year is a little iffy, we think it could grow into a great annual event."
The Falcons will split on Apr. 9, when select Falcons travel to the Sun Angel Classic in Tempe, Ariz., while the rest of the team will travel to Boulder, Colo., for the Colorado Invitational. The Falcons will spend the rest of April at the Mt. SAC/California Multi-Meet (Apr. 13-14), the Mt. SAC Relays (Apr. 14-16), the Beach Invitational (Apr. 16), the CSU-Pueblo Invitational (Apr. 16), the Gem City Duals (Apr. 23), the Drake Relays (Apr. 28-30), the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational (Apr. 30) and the Front Range Championships (Apr. 30).
"It will also be our turn to host the fourth annual "Front Range Classic" against the four other NCAA Division I institutions along the Front Range (Colorado, Colorado State, Northern Colorado and Wyoming). That meet will give our athletes, staff and officials a great tune-up for the Mountain West Conference Outdoor Championships on May 11-14."
The Falcons will host the MWC Outdoor Championships for the first time since 2002. It is the third time that Air Force has hosted a conference meet, as the program also served as the host school for the 1992 Western Athletic Conference Championships.
Following the conference championships, Air Force will compete at the NCAA Championships. The preliminary rounds will be held May 26-28, in Eugene, Ore., with the finalists advancing to the final rounds in Des Moines, Iowa, on June 8-11. The outdoor track season officially concludes on June 23-26 in Eugene. Ore., for the USA Track and Field Championships.
In addition to the Falcons' collegiate meet, several other exciting events will take place during the upcoming season. Air Force will host the Staff Coaching Clinic on Jan. 15 and the Air Force Open (high school rules meet) on Jan. 16.
The ribbon cutting for the new Cadet Outdoor Track Stadium will be held on Thursday, March 31, preceding the first event of the Air Force Combined Events Meet. Air Force will also host an Alumni Weekend, which will run in conjunction with the MWC Outdoor Championships on May 13. Included during the weekend's activities will be a "Meet and Greet the Team Pasta Feed", a 5k cross country race, a golf tournament and a post-meet barbecue.
