Air Force Academy
Adams State Qualifier
Falcons Wrap up Competition at Adams State Qualifier
2/14/2015 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
ALAMOSA, Colo. - Highlighted by the fourth-fastest mile time in Academy history from freshman Carina Gillespie, the Air Force track and field team concluded competition at the Adams State Qualifier today (Feb. 14) in Alamosa, Colo. The Falcons combined for eight first-place finishes, en route to top-three finishes in the team standings.
Gillespie won the mile with a time of 5:09.52. When converted for altitude and the size of the track at the ASU High Altitude Training Center, her time of 4:53.56 is ranked fourth on the Academy's all-time list.
The men accounted for six event titles and 27 scoring finishes, while the women notched two event wins and 14 additional finishes within the top eight.
Senior Jake Spuller and freshman Tyler Koss won the 200-meter (22.07) and 400-meter (49.92) events, respectively, while junior Grant Caswell finished first in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:59.29. Koss and Caswell also ran on the winning 4x400-meter relay squad, combining with junior Jordan McCool and sophomore Garrett Newman for a time of 3:21.81.
McCool and Newman added top-four finishes in the 400-meter dash, finishing third (50.44) and fourth (50.48), respectively. Backed by the finishes of Koss, McCool and Newman, Air Force claimed five of the top-seven times at that distance. Freshman Sean O'Bryan clocked in at 51.27 to take sixth, while classmate Gabe Brown rounded out the group with a seventh-place time of 51.40.
Newman also helped Air Force to five of the top-six spots in the 200-meter dash. Sophomore Chandler Myers finished third behind Spuller with a career-best time of 22.59, while Koss and Newman finished fourth (22.75) and fifth (career-best 22.84), respectively, and freshman Cody Ray clocked a career-best time of 22.99 to finish sixth.
Myers, Spuller and Ray also scored for the Falcons in the 60-meter dash, with Myers leading the way with a runner-up finish (career-best 6.96). Spuller posted a season-best time of 7.03 and Ray placed sixth in a time of 7.17. The men earned a pair of scoring finishes in the mile, as freshmen Andrew Milliron and Conner Wilburn finished fifth (career-best 4:30.86) and sixth (career-best 4:33.26), respectively. Fellow freshman Colin Chehanske joined Caswell in the top-eight of the 800-meter run (fifth, 2:06.14), while senior Casey Riggs clocked a career-best time of 8.42 to take second in the 60-meter hurdles.
On the infield, Brooks Hardy won the weight throw with a career-best toss of 54'7½", while senior Kyle Gartrell took first in the triple jump with a distance of 45'3¾". Gartrell added a third-place mark in the long jump (21'7¼") to pace the Falcons to three of the top-seven spots. Senior multi-event athlete Evan McDowell jumped a season-best distance of 20'7" to finish fifth, while freshman Tyler Berson took seventh at 19'11¾". Berson also finished third in the high jump (5'9¼") and eighth in the pole vault (career-best 12'5½"), while McDowell added a fifth-place clearance of 13'5¼" in the pole vault.
The men combined for 157 points to finish second in the collegiate field and just three points shy of meet winner and host Adams State (160). CSU-Pueblo finished third with 68 points, while Western State Colorado (60), West Texas A&M (25), Wyoming (14), Johnson and Wales (11) and Fort Lewis (4) rounded out the field.
On the women's side, Air Force collected first-place finishes from Gillespie and junior Angelea Ross (triple jump, 37'1").
Gillespie paced the Falcons to three scoring finishes in the mile, as sophomore Lindy Long clocked a non-adjusted time of 5:43.82 to finish sixth and senior Heather Connick recorded an eighth-place time of 5:48.63 in her season debut. Air Force earned an additional pair of scoring finishes in the middle distances from senior Rebecca Esselstein and freshman Giulianna Vessa, who finished second (2:20.36) and third (2:22.73), respectively, in the 800-meter run.
Senior Erica Carson earned runner-up finishes in both the 200-meter (25.67) and 400-meter (58.30) events, while sophomore Sydney Rohlwing finished third in the 400-meter dash (1:00.93) and fourth in the 200-meter dash (26.82). The Falcons earned additional scoring finishes in the 200-meter dash from sophomore Alexa Chacon (fifth, 26.97) and senior Sierra Schepper (eighth, career-best 27.32).
Chacon, who also finished second in the 60-meter hurdles (9.02), ran the leadoff leg of the 4x400-meter relay that finished second in 4:05.84 (Schepper, Gillespie, Rohlwing). Senior Morgan Malone rounded out the Falcons' contingent of scorers on the track, as her time of 7.87 was fourth in the 60-meter dash.
Sophomore Cydnee Reese joined Ross in the field events, as she recorded a fifth-place toss of 48'5¼" in the weight throw.
On the women's side, Adams State won its home meet with 150 points, while CSU-Pueblo (104) edged Air Force (100) for second. Fort Lewis placed third with 31 points, while Johnson and Wales and West Texas A&M tied for fourth with 18 points each. Western State Colorado (16) and Eastern New Mexico (10) rounded out the collegiate field.
The Falcons return to action on Friday, Feb. 20, when they travel to Laramie, Wyo., for the Rocky Mountain Classic.
Players Mentioned
