Air Force Academy
MWC Championships
Bryce Bergman and Justin Tyner Win Mountain West Conference Titles
5/14/2011 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
May 14, 2011
Complete Results | Photo Gallery 1 
| Photo Gallery 2
Bergman Interview | Tyner Interview | Blackburn Interview | Van Fossen and Santiago Interview
Runnerspace.com Coverage
FORT COLLINS, Colo. - Highlighted by conference titles from junior Bryce Bergman and senior Justin Tyner, the Air Force track and field team wrapped up competition at the 2011 Mountain West Outdoor Championship on Saturday, May 14, in Fort Collins, Colo. Bergman became the program's first MWC champion in the 400-meter hurdles, while Justin Tyner claimed the league's 5000-meter title with a stadium record time.
With a career-best time of 51.25, Bergman became the program's first MWC champion in the 400-meter hurdles and the first in that event since Cliff Alexander won the WAC title in 1992. Shaving nearly a second off of his previous best time, Bergman is now tied with former Falcon Sean Temple for the third-fastest time in program history.
Tyner, who won the 3000- and 5000-meter titles during the indoor season, claimed his third conference title of the year, as he won the 5000-meter race in a time of 14:10.22 - a Jack Christiansen Track Stadium record. Tyner, who became the third outdoor champion in the 5000-meter run for the Falcons,improved his season-best time in that event by 12 second (altitude-converted time of 13:46.83).
The complete 400-meter hurdles and 5000-meter run can be seen below, courtesy of Runnerspace.com.
Tyner and Bergman both paced a pair of Air Force scorers in their respective events. Junior Jim Walmsley finished fourth in the 5000-meter run with a time of 14:18.96, while senior Matt Jones placed fifth in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 53.45. Walmsley's time, when converted for altitude to 13:55.33, is the third-best time in program history.
For the second straight day, Air Force dominated the awards stand in the throwing events, as Falcons comprised four of the top-eight finishes in both the shot put and javelin throw.
Senior Conner Van Fossen was the runner-up in the javelin throw with a throw of 214'11", while freshmen Mike Lauritzen and Tim Urista placed third (206'9") and fourth (204'7"), respectively. Senior Jon Santiago rounded out the scoring finishes for Air Force, as he placed seventh with a distance of 173'0". Junior Robert Drye, the 2011 conference champion in the hammer throw, paced a quartet of classmates in the shot put, as he placed fifth with a career-best toss of 53'10¼". Kyle Schwochow finished sixth with a distance of 53'2¼", while James Cole and Sean Herbison finished seventh (career-best 53'0¼") and eighth (53'0"), respectively.
Sophomore Cale Simmons rounded out the Falcons' scorers from the field, as he placed third in the pole vault. His clearance of 17'5½" matched that of the meet leader, but ties were broken based on attempts.
In addition to his win in the 400-meter hurdles, Bergman ran the third leg of the 4x400-meter relay that placed third with a season-best time of 3:10.88. Junior Manny Smith, senior Chris Severino and sophomore Anthony Delgado joined Bergman on the relay team that recorded the eighth-fastest time in Academy history.
Individually, Severino and Smith placed sixth (season-best 47.94) and seventh (48.00), respectively, in the 400-meter dash, while Delgado finished seventh in the 200-meter dash with a career-best time of 21.72. Severino and Smith also ran legs of the 4x100-meter relay team that placed fourth in a time of 42.19. Jones and freshman Cory Engel, who finished seventh in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 14.75, ran the other two legs of the relay.
Senior Tyler Stanley placed fourth in the 800-meter run after crossing the finish line in 1:50.31, while junior Alex Zubey earned a seventh-place time of 4:03.42 in the 1500-meter run. Stanley's altitude-converted time of 1:49.66 is a new career-best and the fourth-fastest time in program history.
BYU claimed its 12th consecutive men's title with 212 points, while New Mexico placed second with 177 points. With 139.50 points, Air Force claimed its best finish since the 2008 to take third. TCU finished fourth with 131, while host Colorado State (101.50 points) and Wyoming (40) finished fifth and sixth, respectively.
The women produced points in seven different events today, including a runner-up finish in the javelin throw and multiple scoring placements in the shot put. For the weekend, the Falcons received points from a program-record 11 different events.
Junior Paige Blackburn highlighted the women's impressive outing, finishing second in the javelin throw. On her last attempt of the finals, Blackburn tossed a season-best distance of 146'6" to move into second and record the women's best finish of the weekend. The junior also finished sixth in the shot put with a distance of 45'11", while freshman Jackie Ahloo improved her career distance by over two feet to place seventh. Ahloo's throw of 45'8" is the fourth-best throw in Academy history.
Freshman Kassie Gurnell also scored for the Falcons from the field, recording a distance of 38'7¾" to finish sixth in the triple jump.
Junior Emily Cotharn and sophomore Bethany Gross each accounted for multiple scoring finishes for the Falcons on the track, recording a top-eight individual finish and as members of the 4x400-meter relay team that finished sixth with a season-best time of 3:50.89. Junior Rachel Thomas and sophomore Morgan Mosby joined Cotharn and Gross on the relay team that accounted for the fourth-fastest time in Academy history.
Individually, Cotharn placed seventh in the 400-meter hurdles (62.33), while Gross earned the same placement in the 400-meter dash (57.10). Sophomore Melissa Fuerst rounded out the scoring for the Air Force women, placing eighth in the 1500-meter run with a time of 4:39.85. Fuerst's altitude converted time of 4:33.52 is a three-second personal improvement.
With 191 points, BYU also claimed the women's title, marking the 10th time in 12 years that the Cougars have swept the team titles. New Mexico finished second with 129 points, followed by TCU (third, 98) and San Diego State (fourth, 87.50). UNLV placed fifth with 82 points, while Colorado State (69) edged Utah (68) for sixth. Wyoming (56) and Air Force (35.50) rounded out the team standings.
Select Falcons will travel to Eugene, Ore., for the preliminary rounds of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships on May 26-28.
Players Mentioned
