Falcons Open Season with Air Force Holiday Open
12/10/2014 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
The Air Force track and field team kicks off the 2014-15 season this week, when it hosts the fourth-annual Air Force Holiday Open on Friday, Dec. 12, at the Cadet Field House Indoor Track. The non-scoring meet, which is free to the public, is slated to begin at 2:00 p.m., with the women's weight throw.
Meet Notes 01: Air Force Holiday Open 
MEET INFORMATION
Admission is free to the Air Force Holiday Open, which begins at 2:00 p.m., with the first of four throwing events. The long jump, pole vault and high jump are all scheduled to begin at 3:00 p.m., while the running events are slated to start at 4:00 p.m. (a complete order of events is listed below). In-meet updates will be available on the Falcons' official Twitter account (@af_trackfield).
COMPLETE SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
2:00 p.m.: Women's Weight Throw, Men's Weight Throw, Women's Shot Put, Men's Shot Put; 3:00 p.m.: Women's Long Jump, Women's Triple Jump; 3:00 p.m.: Men's Long Jump; Men's Triple Jump; 3:00 p.m.: Men's Pole Vault, Women's Pole Vault; 3:00 p.m.: Women's High Jump, Men's High Jump; 4:00 p.m.: Mile Run, 60-Meter Hurdles, 500-Meter Dash, 60-Meter Dash, 1000-Meter Run, 300-Meter Dash, 3000-Meter Run, Mile Relay (the women will compete first in all running events).
LOOK WHO'S BACK...
For the indoor season, Air Force returns one NCAA All-American in Joey Uhle (pole vault) and four Mountain West champions in Dylan Bell (pole vault), Zach Perkins (800-meter run, mile run), Kobi Rex (high jump) and Uhle (pole vault). The indoor roster also includes five Academy record-holders - Morgan Malone (200-meter dash), Naomi Alston (300-meter dash), Jake Spuller (300-meter dash), Siotame Latu (400-meter hurdles), Grant Hamilton (shot put), one member of the program's record-setting 4x400-meter relay (Spuller) and three members of the 4x880-yard relays that set their respective program records (men-Perkins, women-Taylor Drolshagen, Rebecca Esselstein) in 2012.
WE'LL BE SEEING YOU
The Air Force Holiday Open will be the first of four home meets for the Falcons during the indoor season. In addition to the December meet, the Falcons will also host the Air Force Collegiate Open (Jan. 9), the Air Force Invitational (Jan. 22-24) and the Air Force Team Challenge (Feb. 6).
ESSELSTEIN NAMED RHODES SCHOLAR
Senior Rebecca Esselstein was named a Rhodes Scholar for 2015, becoming the Academy's 38th overall recipient and the 12th cadet-athlete to receive the prestigious honor. Esselstein, an astronautical engineering major who was also named a Marshall Scholar this fall, is a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American and is currently ranked first overall in the Class of 2015, while holding No. 1 rankings academically and militarily.
FALCONS ADD TWO COACHES
The Air Force track and field team welcomed two new coaches to its staff this season, with the hiring of Ryan Cole and Beau Walker. Cole, who also serves as the head coach of the Falcons' cross country team, will oversee the middle distance and distance runners, while Walker will helm the squad's sprinters and hurdlers. The duo joins a coaching staff that includes head coach Ralph Lindeman, associate head coach Scott Steffan, assistant coach Keith Vance and volunteer coaches Bob Graf, Mark Stanforth and Ron White.
QUICK LOOK BACK AT THE CROSS COUNTRY SEASON
The men's cross country team finished second at the Mountain West Championships, while Patrick Corona earned runner-up honors in the individual standings by clocking the program's fastest 8K time since 1995. Riley Coates, who joined Corona with first-team all-conference honors, also received all-region distinction after placing 19th at the Mountain Regional. Coates also advanced as an individual to the NCAA Cross Country Championships, where he finished 77th. On the women's side, Hannah Everson used a top-eight finish to earn first-team all-MW honors for the second straight year, becoming the first member of the women's team to accomplish that feat.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT...
After the conclusion of last season, Rebecca Esselstein and Josh Nielsen were named CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, while Regan Rogers joined the pair with CoSIDA Academic All-District honors. With her second Academic All-America award in as many years, Esselstein became the first Falcon since track/field became its own category in 2002 to earn the distinction in multiple years. In addition, Matt Dorsey, Grant Hamilton, Elliot Myers and Kobi Rex were named to the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team, with Rex earning the honor for the third straight season.
WHAT'S ON DECK
The Falcons, who will take time off from competition for finals and the holidays, return to action on Friday, Jan. 9, when they host the Air Force Collegiate Open at the Cadet Field House.
Players Mentioned
