Falcons Close Regular Season with Twilight Invitational
5/7/2014 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
May 7, 2014
The Air Force track and field team closes out the regular season this Friday (May 9) when it hosts the annual Air Force Twilight Invitational at the Academy's Cadet Outdoor Track and Field Complex. The Falcons' final tune-up before next week's conference meet is slated to begin at 1:30 p.m., with the women's hammer throw.
Meet Notes 18: Air Force Twilight Invitational 
MEET INFORMATION
The Air Force Twilight Invitational, held at the Cadet Outdoor Track and Field Complex, will begin at 1:30 p.m. (a complete schedule of events is listed below). The men's and women's hammer throw will take place on the Upper Field, while all other events will be held within the main complex. Live results are not available for this meet, but updates will be made on the team's Twitter page (@af_trackfield).
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
1:30 p.m.: Women's Hammer Throw, Men's Hammer Throw; 1:30 p.m.: Men's Discus Throw, Women's Discus Throw, Men's Javelin Throw, Women's Javelin Throw; 2:30 p.m.: Women's Pole Vault, Men's Pole Vault; 2:30 p.m.: Men's High Jump, Women's High Jump; 2:30 p.m.: Women's Long Jump, Men's Long Jump, Women's Triple Jump, Men's Triple Jump; 3:30 p.m.: 4x100-Meter Relay, 1500-Meter Run, 100/110-Meter Hurdles, 400-Meter Dash, 100-Meter Dash, 800-Meter Run, 400-Meter Hurdles, 200-Meter Dash, 3000-Meter Run, 4x400-Meter Relay; 4:30 p.m.: Women's Shot Put, Men's Shot Put (women will compete first in all running events).
DUAL-SPORT LISTINGS
With his throw of 202'4" in the javelin last week's Ward Haylett Invitational, Garrett Griffin is ranked sixth among Division I athletes that compete in both football and track/field and 10th overall in all three divisions.
TWICE AS NICE
The Falcons' roster boasts one set of twins this year (Charlie Perkins, Zach Perkins), while six other members of the squad have a twin sibling, including Dan Bieber (John), Riley Coates (Casey), Taylor Drolshagen (Niki), Stone Shoaf (Steel), Stephanie Skold (Mackenzie) and Joey Uhle (Chris).
AROUND THE NATION
Highlighted by Annette Eichenberger's #14 ranking in the 800-meter run (2:04.52), six Falcons are currently listed among the top-50 of the national standings. Dylan Bell and Joey Uhle are ranked 22nd in the national standings of the pole vault with matching marks of 17'6½", while Grant Hamilton (shot put, 59'10½", 44th), Blue Kearney (long jump, 24'7¾", 46th) and Gavin Owens (3000-meter steeplechase, 8:57.31, 49th) also represent the Falcons.
AROUND THE CONFERENCE
Backed by conference-leading marks, the men hold four of the top-five positions in the pole vault and two of the top-three spots in the shot put. Dylan Bell and Joey Uhle share the lead in the pole vault with matching marks of 17'6½", while Cort Rogers is ranked third (17'0¾") and Kyle Pater is ranked fifth (16'0"). Grant Hamilton leads the league in the shot put with a toss of 59'10½", while Darby Maier is ranked third with a throw of 57'2¼". The Falcons have one additional league-leader, as Annette Eichenberger is ranked first in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:04.52.
A WELL-ROUNDED RACE
A member from each class of the women's roster represented the 4x100-meter relay team that clocked the second-fastest time in Air Force history at the Ward Haylett Invitational. Kassie Gurnell (senior), Morgan Malone (junior), Naomi Alston (sophomore) and Cecily Agu (freshman) combined for a time of 47.36 in a third-place finish. Gurnell added a first-place finish to her day, as she won the triple jump with a jump of 40'7½", while Malone posted her best (legal-wind) time of the season in the 100-meter dash (12.24).
LET'S DO THAT AGAIN!
Rachel Herald matched her own Academy record in the high jump at the Ward Haylett Invitational on May 3, clearing 5'8¾" to finish second.
THE YOUNG'UNS ARE MAKING A STATEMENT
Darby Maier broke the program's Freshman Class Record in the shot put on May 3, when he tossed the third-best distance in Academy history (57'2¼") at Kansas State, while Cydnee Reese moved into fifth on the women's all-time list in the discus throw (157'10") and Alexa Chacon recorded the program's sixth-fastest time in the 100-meter hurdles (14.63).
MORE ON MAIER
Darby Maier has improved his distance in the shot put by nearly eight feet over the course of the outdoor season. After debuting with a 49'3¾" in the outdoor-opener at Arizona State, Maier improved his mark during three of four meets (54'2" at Air Force Relays, 56'4" at Jim Click Shootout, 56'9¼" at Jack Christiansen Invitational) prior to his Freshman Class Record toss of 57'2¼" at the Ward Haylett Invitational.
GOING FARTHER AND FARTHER
Tim Urista and Garrett Griffin both broke the 200-foot mark in the javelin throw at Kansas State, finishing second (204'11") and third (202'4"), respectively. With the addition of Taylor Hulslander's toss of 201'4" at the Jim Click Shootout, Air Force has three of the conference's five 200+ throwers.
WHAT'S ON DECK
Air Force travels to Laramie, Wyo., next week for the 2014 Mountain West Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The four-day meet, which begins on with the multi-events on Wednesday, May 14, will be held at the Madrid Sports Complex on the campus of the University of Wyoming.
