Falcons Conclude Competition at the adidas Classic

Jan. 21, 2012

LINCOLN, Neb. - Two event titles, four runner-up places and four incursions to the top-10 record book highlighted action for the Air Force track and field team at the Nebraska adidas Classic on Saturday, Jan. 21, in Lincoln, Neb.

Air Force claimed event titles in the two longest distances for the men, as senior Jim Walmsley and junior Jeremy Drenckhahn won the 3000-meter and 5000-meter races, respectively. Walmsley clocked a time of 8:13.65 to win the 3000-meter run by three seconds, while Drenckhahn finished first at the 5000-meter distance in a time of 14:26.40.

Sophomore Isaiah Bragg finished second to Drenckhahn in the 5000, as he crossed the finish line in 14:47.18. Bragg was one of four Falcons to account for runner-up spots in the first scoring meet of the season. Senior Alex Zubey took second in the mile with a career-best time of 4:10.35, while classmates Kimber Shealy and Paige Blackburn earned the same placements in the pole vault (12'8¾") and weight throw (57'9¾"), respectively.

With her toss of 57'9¾", Blackburn moved into second on the program's all-time standings in the weight throw, as she improved her career-best distance by nearly two feet.

Three other Falcons also impacted the program's record book in their respective events. Sophomore Rachel Herald moved into a tie for ninth in the Academy high jump standings, as she cleared a career-best 5'6" to finish fifth in the competition. Junior Brian Ford added nearly two feet to his personal-best distance in the weight throw, recording a toss of 55'4¾" to finish sixth in the event standings and move into ninth on the program's all-time list. On the track, sophomore Annette Eichenberger clocked the 10th-best 800-meter time in Academy history (2:16.59) to finish fourth at the meet.

In all, Air Force recorded 21 scoring (top six) finishes.

Air Force earned three scoring finishes in the men's high jump. Junior Zach Wood placed third with a clearance of 6'6¾", while classmate Travis Smith and sophomore Tyler Jordan tied for sixth with matching marks of 6'4¾".

Also scoring for the men were sophomore Alex Lindsay (800-meter run, 1:53.99, third), classmate Gavin Owens (3000-meter run, 8:36.22, fifth), freshman Blue Kearney (triple jump, 43'8½", sixth) and the 4x400-meter relay team of freshman Jake Spuller, senior Manny Smith, sophomore David Ptacek and junior Anthony Delgado (3:15.79, fourth).

On the women's side, Blackburn also scored for the Falcons in the shot put, as she placed sixth with a distance of 45'4¼". In addition to the scoring finishes from Herald and Shealy, the Falcons also earned points in the high jump and pole vault from sophomore Regan Rogers (5'4¼", sixth) and freshman Wren Bonner, (12'2¾", fourth), respectively. Junior Morgan Mosby finished fourth in the 600-meter run, while sophomore Kassie Gurnell placed sixth in the triple jump with a distance of 38'6". The 4x400-meter relay team of senior Emily Cotharn, junior Bethany Gross, senior Rachel Thomas and junior Morgan Mosby rounded out the scoring places for Air Force with a seventh-place time of 4:03.87.

Air Force placed fourth in the men's standings with 56.66 points. Fifth-ranked Nebraska won its home competition with 175 points, while 16th-ranked Iowa finished second with 133 points. Houston (96 points), Air Force and Wichita State (34.33) rounded out the five-team field. On the women's side, Air Force finished fifth with 33.50 points. Nebraska, ranked 25th in the USTFCCCA Preseason Rankings, easily took first with 203 points, while Houston (117), Iowa (98), Wichita State (43.50) and Air Force rounded out the team standings.

The Falcons return to the Academy on Jan. 26-28 to host the Air Force Indoor Combined Events Meet (Jan. 26-27) and the Air Force Team Challenge (Jan. 28). Both meets will be held at the Cadet Field House Indoor Track.

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