Falcons Head to MWC Indoor Championships
2/22/2011 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
Feb. 22, 2011
The indoor championship season begins this week for the Air Force track and field team, as the Falcons travel to Albuquerque, N.M., for the 2011 Mountain West Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships. Action for the three-day meet gets underway at 11 a.m., on Thursday, Feb. 24, and continues through Saturday, Feb. 26, at the ABQ Convention Center in downtown Albuquerque.
Meet Notes 07: at MWC Indoor Championships 
MEET INFORMATION
The 2011 Mountain West Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships will be held at the Albuquerque Convention Center for the second straight year. Tickets are $5.00 each day. For fans unable to attend, real-time results for the 2011 Mountain West Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships will be available.
SCHEDULING 101
Thursday's action, which features the women's pentathlon and the first four events of the men's heptathlon, will begin at 11 a.m. Friday also begins at 11 a.m., with the conclusion of the men's heptathlon. Individual events get underway from the field at 1 p.m., with the first track event - the women's 5000-meter final - is slated for a shotgun start at 1:30 p.m. Saturday's field event action begins at 9:45 a.m., while the running events get underway one hour later.
THURSDAY, FEB. 24
11:00 a.m. Men's Heptathlon (60-Meter Dash, Long Jump, Shot Put, High Jump)
11:10 a.m. Women's Pentathlon (60-Meter Hurdles, High Jump, Shot Put, Long Jump and 800-Meter Run)
FRIDAY, FEB. 25
11:00 a.m. Men's Heptathlon (60-Meter Hurdles, Pole Vault, 1000-Meter Run)
1:00 p.m. Women's Weight Throw; Men's Weight Throw
1:00 p.m. Men's Long Jump; Women's Long Jump
1:30 p.m. Women's 5000-Meter Run (final); Men's 5000-Meter Run (final)
2:20 p.m. Women's 60-Meter Hurdles (qualifying); Men's 60-Meter Hurdles (qualifying)
2:30 p.m. Women's Pole Vault
2:50 p.m. Women's 60-Meter Dash (qualifying); Men's 60-Meter Dash (qualifying)
3:20 p.m. Women's Mile Run (qualifying); Men's Mile Run (qualifying)
3:50 p.m. Women's 400-Meter Dash (qualifying); Men's 400-Meter Dash (qualifying)
4:00 p.m. Men's High Jump
4:20 p.m. Women's 800-Meter Run (qualifying); Men's 800-Meter Run (qualifying)
4:50 p.m. Women's 200-Meter Dash (qualifying); Men's 200-Meter Dash (qualifying)
5:20 p.m. Women's Distance Medley Relay (final); Men's Distance Medley Relay (final)
SATURDAY, FEB. 26
9:45 a.m. Women's Shot Put; Men's Shot Put
9:45 a.m. Women's Triple Jump; Men's Triple Jump
10:45 a.m. Women's 60-Meter Hurdles (final); Men's 60-Meter Hurdles (final)
11:00 a.m. Men's Pole Vault
11:05 a.m. Women's 60-Meter Dash (final); Men's 60-Meter Dash (final)
11:25 a.m. Women's Mile Run (final); Men's Mile Run (final)
11:45 a.m. Women's 400-Meter Dash (final, two sections); Men's 400-Meter Dash (final, two sections)
11:45 a.m. Women's High Jump
12:05 p.m. Women's 800-Meter Run (final); Men's 800-Meter Run (final)
12:25 p.m. Women's 200-Meter Dash (final, two sections); Men's 200-Meter Dash (final, two sections)
12:45 p.m. Women's 3000-Meter Run (final); Men's 3000-Meter Run (final)
1:25 p.m.* Women's Mile Relay (final); Men's Mile Relay (final)
* The men's and women's mile relays will not begin until after the completion of all field events.
HISTORY 101
Since the formation of the Mountain West Conference for the 2000 season, Air Force has been atop the indoor medal podium on 27 occasions. Justin Tyner is the only returning champion, having won the 3000-meter run last year. Former Air Force standouts Travis Picou and Sean Houseworth are the most decorated indoor champions, as each won three indoor titles during the career. The Air Force men have finished third at the indoor championships during eight of the last 11 years, while placing fourth two years and fifth once. The women have finished eighth on seven occasions, while placing seventh and ninth two years each.
MEN'S CONFERENCE STANDINGS
Several Falcons are ranked among the top five of the conference standings. With a time of 7:53.91, Justin Tyner holds the Mountain West Conference lead in the 3000-meter run. Kyle Schwochow is ranked second in the shot put (57'11¼"), while Robert Drye is ranked third in the weight throw (62'3") and fifth in the shot put (55'2¾"). Cale Simmons is ranked third in the pole vault (17'2¾"), while Noah Palicia and Rob Simmons are ranked fifth with matching marks of 17'0¾". Palicia is also ranked third in the heptathlon with 5,293 points. Tyler Jordan and Zach Wood are tied for fourth in the high jump (6'8¾"), while Bryce Bergman and Michael Tibbs are ranked fourth in the 60-meter hurdles (8/16) and heptathlon (4,858 points), respectively. Anthony Delgado (200-meter dash, 21.94) and Jeremy Drenckhahn (5000-meter run, 14:09.70) are ranked fifth in the conference in their respective events.
WOMEN'S CONFERENCE STANDINGS
Paige Blackburn is ranked fourth in the conference shot put with a distance of 48'5½", while Lesly Torres holds the same placement in the pentathlon with 3.075 points. Regan Rogers rounds out the Falcons' top-five placeholders in the conference standings with a clearance of 5'8".
SIMMONS CLAIMS SECOND MWC WEEKLY AWARD
Cale Simmons claimed his second Mountain West Conference Men's Athlete of the Week award on Feb. 22, after posting the fifth-best pole vault clearance in Academy history (17'2¾") to win the Robert Shine Invitational in Laramie, Wyo. At the conclusion of the regular indoor season, Simmons is ranked third in the conference and 22nd in the nation. Simmons also claimed the award following his pole vault title at the season-opening meet.
THERE MUST BE SOMETHING IN THE AIR
Just 12 Falcons have cleared the 17-foot bar in the history of Air Force indoor pole vault ... and three of those additions have come within the last four weeks. Rob Simmons cleared 17'0¾" at the Don Barrett Duals on Jan. 29, while Noah Palicia matched that mark two weeks later at the Air Force Invitational. At the Robert Shine Invitational on Feb. 18, Cale Simmons joined the group with a height of 17'2¾".
SWEEP IT UP
Air Force swept the event titles of the pole vault and high jump at the Robert Shine Invitational on Feb. 18. Cale Simmons (career-best, 17'2¾") and Kimber Shealy (season-best, 12'6¼") won their respective titles in the pole vault, while Tyler Jordan (6'7¾") and Jamie Hart (5'4¼") claimed the top honors in the men's and women's high jump, respectively. Air Force also finished second (Tawny Lambuth, 12'0¾") and tied for third (Bizzy Mellado, Paige Shirley, 11'6¼") on the women's side, while Elliott Beski was the runner-up on the men's side with a clearance of 15'0".
MORE WINS FROM WYOMING
Daniel Bieber and David Ptacek also accounted for first-place finishes at the Robert Shine Invitational. Bieber won the 400-meter dash in a time of 52.53, while Ptacek made his Air Force debut at the 200-meter with a winning time of 23.37. The pair also teamed up with Max Lutton and Brad Hackert to place second in the 4x400-meter relay.
WHAT'S ON DECK
Select Falcons will travel to Seattle, Wash., for the UW Final Qualifier on Saturday, March 5. The meet, which will be held at Dempsey Field House on Washington's campus, allows athletes one last chance to improve their chance to qualify for the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.
Players Mentioned
